So here I am sitting in this neat coffee bar in McMinneville, Oregon - the heart of the Willamette Valley - sipping coffee instead of pinot noir, and trying to clear my head enough to post this little ditty.  And, although I've certainly slurped my share of pinot noir, I have never ventured to this neck of the wine woods where they produce some of the best pinot on the planet. 

I arrived in town last night from Portland via the Oregon coast  (a round about,  but visually satisfying way, to get here) and enjoyed a superb  meal at the Joel Palmer House - one of Oregon's most famous restaurants  where the emphasis is on wild mushrooms and - what else - Pinot Noir.

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I had never been to the Oregon wine country. So this past spring as I searched the internet for “Oregon wine events,” the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) popped up and, after reviewing the program, I immediately registered for what turned out to be a spectacular wine and food extravaganza.

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting some of the world’s most heralded wine regions but, until last week, I had never ventured to Oregon’s Willamette Valley where the pinot noir produced there is considered among the best being made anywhere. While superb wine and food was the centerpiece of this educational weekend, Oregon is also a feast for the eyes with incredible natural beauty that actually rivals our own right here in “West By Golly.”

But the goal of this trip was to immerse myself ('Come on in, the wine’s fine... ') in Oregon pinot noir and the wonderfully fresh local foods prepared by an all-star lineup of chefs from some of the region’s most highly regarded restaurants. The wine makers and presenters at the event were among the most accomplished at what they do, yet their approach - to what can be a very technical and daunting subject- was very laid back and devoid of the usual wine jargon. (They actually had a session called “International Wine Jargon Jeopardy” where participants were encouraged to match their wine-geek wit against a panel of experts). If this sounds like fun, it was!

So what’s so special about pinot noir produced in Oregon? Simply put, it’s about location. The vast Willamette Valley begins near the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington border and stretches about 100 miles south to the city of Eugene. It is approximately 60 miles across at its widest point, and is an incredibly fertile area which produces a virtual cornucopia of fruits and vegetables, including wine grapes. The valley lies between the coastal mountains on the west and the Cascade Range to the east. The weather in this area consistently produces long growing seasons with warm days and cool nights . That's what is needed – meteorologically speaking – to grow good pinot noir.

The northern Willamette Valley (about 60 miles south of Portland) is where the most famous Oregon wineries are located within several American Viticultural Area (AVA’s) including Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, and Yamhill Carlton. Within these AVA’s, wineries such as Domaine Serene, Argyle, Elk Cove, Ken Wright, Patricia Green Cellars and more than 200 others produce pinot noir in styles distinctly different from wines made from the same grape grown in different parts of the world. Surprisingly, pinot noir from the Williamette Valley seems to have more in common with Burgundy than it does with wine produced from the same grape in California.

Don’t assume, however, that all pinot noir made in Oregon tastes exactly the same. It doesn’t. Yet there is a taste characteristic which I’ll describe here as “earthy” that seems to be present in most of the wines. This is not to suggest that the wines taste like dirt, but rather that they exhibit a flavor nuance not unlike the taste of fresh mushrooms. This is very subtle, but is fairly distinctive. Some Burgundies have a hint of this flavor component, but they have a lighter mouth feel (generally speaking) and more acid than the wines from Oregon or California.

Anyway, it’s kind of fun to note these dissimilarities. Take California pinot noir, for example. More dramatic differences are evident when one compares Oregon to California. Whether from Carneros, the Santa Rita Hills or the Russian River Valley, these California wines are generally more fruit-forward, rounder and seem to have less balance between fruit and acid than their Oregon counterparts. The Oregon wines can be rich and round, but they have more dark fruit and earthy flavors, and generally are more balanced.

Confused? Remember, this is wine tasting here – not some precise, objective treatise by a true professional oenophile (I’m really just a jack-leg writer with a penchant to wax hyperbolically). However, having had the opportunity to sample a virtual sea of pinot noirs – particularly from Oregon – I have both a renewed respect for pinot noir and for the dedicated folks that grow the grapes and make the wine. Next time, I’ll tell you about the great food and wine pairings at the IPNC event, and of my favorite wines from the weekend.

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The International Pinot Noir Celebration event I attended a couple weeks ago was a marvelous exploration of Oregon wine, the region’s wonderfully fresh produce and the various meats and seafood harvested from the area’s woods and waters.

The event was held at Linfield College – a small institution located in an idyllic setting in McMinnville, Ore., which was wine central for Oregon pinot noir that weekend and hosted the many alfresco lunches, tastings and dinners. My wife and I stayed at the lovely and romantic Mattey House B&B (503-434-5058) situated on a seven-acre farm and vineyard outside McMinnville. We were hosted by Jack and Denise Seeds, the wonderfully accommodating owners, who demonstrated an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the Willamette Valley’s wines, wineries and people.

Here’s the agenda for a typical day at the IPNC: alfresco breakfast with fresh berries, croissants/breads, mini-omelets, juices and espresso/coffee/tea; visit to a winery with an extensive tasting of pinot noirs from Oregon and the world and a Q&A with winemakers; lunch in the winery prepared by a chef from the region and paired with that winery’s wines; back to Linfield for afternoon seminars on such topics as “pinot lab” (learn how the stuff is made and play winemaker for a day) and “old vines vs. young vines” (how does vine age make a difference?); and a two-hour tasting of dozens of pinot noirs before an outdoor dinner.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: how can any normal human being survive all this food and wine for two and one-half days without either (a) exploding or (b) calling “Ralph or Buiiiick”? Well, it wasn’t easy (particularly for yours truly) but the key was moderation and a willingness to spit out the wine after rolling it around in your mouth for a quick taste impression.

Yes, the same activity that is normally viewed as uncouth and barbaric in polite society (and even where I am domiciled) is totally acceptable and, indeed, necessary if one is to attempt to taste and evaluate hundreds of wines. So, I was able to get through the days by eating lightly (the hardest thing to do) and expectorating into cups.

The two evening meal events were nothing short of exquisite! On the first night, four chefs from some of the best Oregon and Washington restaurants prepared this feast: Oregon albacore tuna tartare with Provencal flavors; roasted squab with morel confit, millas cake and corn-sweet onion relish; Cascade natural whole roasted filet mignon with summer vegetable ratatouille and arugula oil; and a pinot noir parfait consisting of pinot noir chocolate mousse layered with vanilla custard, chocolate pound cake and topped with orange and chocolate diamond gelees (I think these were “sprinkles”).

What did we drink with this gourmet extravaganza? Well, just about every kind of pinot noir, but also Champagne and White Burgundy (we tasted three different ones at our table including a Puligny Montrachet, Mersault and Chassagne Montrachet).

The next day those participants who visited a winery the previous day stayed on campus for a morning seminar on pinot noir’s role in sparkling wine and Champagne. This was an excellent program and featured a discussion among wine makers from Champagne and Oregon along with other’s in the wine trade and New York Times wine columnist/blogger Eric Asimov. You can find his excellent musings on wine at: http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/.

Later, the group had a tasting of pinot noir rose’s and then enjoyed a multi-course alfresco luncheon with guess what ….. more wine. The afternoon was filled with seminars and then another early evening two-hour tasting which was followed by a traditional Northwest salmon bake (see photo of wild salmon roasting on alder wood) with about 20 mouth-watering side dishes again all prepared by a crew of gourmet chefs. More wines with dinner and then an outdoor dance under the Oregon stars. The next day’s brunch (with sparkling pinot noir rose) was a gourmand’s delight and ended a truly memorable event. For the superhuman, there was an afternoon tasting of all the wines poured at the entire IPNC event. I demurred.

What truly made this weekend even more special was the informal approach of the hosts to what can be a very technical subject and the exceedingly genuine and friendly attitude of everyone including our fellow IPNC participants. If you love wine and particularly pinot noir, you should check out the IPNC website (http://www.ipnc.org/) or call them (800-775-4762). It's not too early to book reservations for next year's celebration to be held July 25-27, 2008.

So which were my favorite pinot noirs of the weekend? I can honestly say there was only a handful with which I found serious fault. Of those I particularly enjoyed, here are ones which I’m pretty sure are available in the state: Argyle, Archery Summit, Domaine Serene, Willakenzie, Patricia Green, St. Innocent, King Estate, Ponzi, Panther Creek, Erath, Cristom, Eyrie, Golden Eye, Sokol Blosser and Chehalem.