Tour Oregon Wine Country Without Leaving Rhode Island

April 8, 2019

If you’ve yet to experience the incredible quality of Oregon wines, you’re missing out on some of the best wine the U.S. has to offer. While touring Oregon wine country is a wonderful way to discover its many vineyards, doing so may not be in your customers’ immediate futures. The good news? Rhode Island wine distributor Mancini Beverage can help you offer them the next best thing with an exquisitely cultivated selection of Oregon wines.

Here’s a closer look at Oregon’s bustling wine industry, along with an overview of Mancini Beverage’s available selection.

Getting to Know Oregon Wine Country

The Pacific Northwest’s mild winters and warm, cloudy summers make Oregon the perfect region for wine production. The state is home to more than 725 wineries in 19 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) across four main growing regions: the Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon, Columbia Gorge, and the Walla Walla Valley. The Willamette Valley is especially prodigious – it accounts for 70 percent of Oregon’s plantings.

Aurora Vineyard

Pinot Noir is the region’s most successful grape, making up 50% of total production. Oregon wine is about much more than just the grape known as the “iron fist in the velvet glove.” Wine Enthusiast magazine notes that “Oregon Pinot Noir has enjoyed much success, but the state is not a one-trick pony. Oregon’s diversity of climate and soil has encouraged winemakers to expand their viticultural horizons.” In fact, Oregon now grows 72 varieties of wine grapes.

Oregon Wines at Mancini Beverage

Mancini Beverage is proud to represent several outstanding Oregon winemakers, including the following:

  • Sokol Blosser – Located in Oregon’s Dundee Hills – a distinct AVA contained entirely within the Willamette Valley region – Sokol Blosser makes beautiful Pinot Noirs (primarily because this area replicates the same climates found in Burgundy, France). Its Pinot Gris is also a splendid drinking white. And for those looking for a great value wine, check out their secondary label, EVOLUTION.
  • Erath – Erath wines are an expression of 40 years’ worth of cultivation, longer than any other winery in the Dundee Hills. One of the wine pioneers of Oregon, Dick Erath made his first barrel of wine in 1965 in his home garage. In 1984 his Pinot Noir Vintage Select put Erath on the map when it was named Best American Pinot Noir by Wine & Spirits magazine. Today, Erath continues to produce wonderfully crafted wines.
  • Ponzi – In the late 1960s, Dick and Nancy Ponzi followed their passion for making world-class wine to the Willamette Valley. More than half a century later, Ponzi Vineyards continues to set high standards in Oregon’s viticultural innovation – while maintaining an unwavering commitment to a tradition of winemaking excellence. All 130 acres of Ponzi’s family-owned vineyards are LIVE Certified Sustainable, the world’s highest standard for sustainable viticulture and enology.
  • Elouan – What happens when a California winemaker ventures north to Oregon? A new style of Pinot Noir that embodies “the opulence of California [and] the elegance of Oregon,” is born. A unique depth of flavor, vibrancy, and suppleness are characteristics for which winemaker and owner Joe Wagner’s Pinot Noirs are known.
  • Domaine Serene – One of Oregon’s most decorated wineries, Domaine Serene continually receives top ratings from the likes of Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator magazines. And with good reason – its wines compete with Burgundy’s best. Domaine Serene’s Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay and Evenstad Pinot Noir have both been rated number one in the world by Wine Spectator, while the winery itself won Wine Spectator’s highest honor in 2018, its Distinguished Service Award.

As Oregon wine country continues to make a name for itself on the global stage, isn’t it time you started offering its wines to your customers? Contact Mancini Beverage today to place your order.