Oregon Wine

At wine festivals, wine enthusiasts gather together much like the assorted foodies and beer drinkers at big showcasing events. These events are enjoyable and sometimes gala affairs that run the gamut between personable and comfortable affairs to the more upscale and sometimes snobbish. While the idea of poking around at a wine festival may be intimidating, especially to the amateur wine enthusiasts, there is almost nothing to it.

To help you cope with the wine festival environment, let me give you a few rules to live by when you are hitting the scene.

• Rule 1: Get around. The festival, if it's any sort of festival at all, should have a large range of wines from local, state-wide, and beyond. See everything the festival has to offer.
• Rule 2: Don't be afraid to approach the Winery representatives. They are there to present their venerable vintages to YOU. They are there to REPRESENT the winery and answer your questions.
• Rule 3: Have fun. Find some favorites and come back for seconds. Meet new people and discuss the festival's showings. This is a festival, and the idea is to have a good time and find some great new wines.

For those of you looking for a great state for wine festivals, look no further than the most recent west coast wine culture darling, Oregon. As a region which values craftsmanship in it's wine, it's no surprise that it's a great place for wine, more so if you happen to be a fan of America's second best selling red wine, and the target of much praise in the hit movie Sideways, Pinot Noir.

As the festival scene changes from year to year, it's hard to say which events will be of quality any given year, but a good indicator is time. Festivals that have become an annual event are sure to be important to local wineries and thus are usually given proper attention.

A festival of note is the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival, which is in its 32nd year as of 2009. This much-respected late February festival is one of the premier events on the west coast. Don't let the seafood's position in the title fool you; the wineries across Oregon's 16 wine regions take the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival very seriously.

The late spring holds the Portland Indie Wine Festival, in it's 7th year as of 2009, and is a must-see Oregon wine festival. It is focused exclusively on smaller operations, artisan wine making, and mastery of the craft. Sponsored by the Indie Wine Foundation, this festival showcases the top 40 Oregon wineries.

Finally the World of Wine Festival, held in Gold Hill, Oregon is a great choice for wine lovers looking for festivals in the fall. Showcasing the delightful grapes grown in the south of Oregon, this wine festival (that also features a lot of jazz music) had over 40 participating wineries in 2009.