Winderlea Vineyard and Winery

Vandenberg Riesling, Tatomer

Mark Andrew from Roberson Wine talks about Vandenberg Riesling from Tatomer.

One of Tatomer's favourite sites is Vandenberg, named after the adjacent air force base. Following fermentation in stainless steel tank the wine ages in neural oak barrels, getting what Graham refers to as 'the Austrian treatment.' Hints of petrol on the nose, with lime fruits on the palate and a silky finish.

Graham Tatomer’s career in wine started back in high school and after he worked the holidays at a local winery all the way through college (in Santa Barbara), he decided that he had found his career path. Drawn to the brightness and acidity of the Germanic varieties (especially Riesling), it wasn’t long before Graham sourced fruit from some old Riesling vineyards and began making wine under his own label, having plenty of success selling his bottles to an enthusiastic local market.

One day it occurred to him that, despite his love for the variety, he had very little experience of tasting the great Austrian and German examples of Riesling. So, he cobbled together enough dollars to taste the best that the old world had to offer – the wines were so good that he stopped making wine immediately and moved to Austria. Over the next few years he darted back and forth between life as assistant winemaker at Emmerich Knoll in the Wachau, and working as a sommelier in California. The Austrians were so impressed with Tatomer that they offered him a hectare of vines if he would stay and commit himself to working for them. However by the end of the 2006 harvest, Graham knew that he wanted to come home and put everything he’d learned into making top flight Riesling and Grüner Veltliner from the handful of old vine sites he knew in Santa Barbara.

Jancis Robinson on Oregon Chardonnay

Prolific wine-book author Jancis Robinson, MW, attended a chardonnay luncheon at Nick's Italian Cafe in McMinnville prior to the International Pinot Noir Celebration, where she was keynote speaker. Here's a taste of what Robinson had to say about Willamette Valley chards and the 2007 vintage. For more about Jancis, visit jancisrobinson.com. Video by Katherine Cole, wine columnist, The Oregonian and MIX magazine: .