Oregon's Oldest Wine Gala: Greatest of the Grape

Drinks newsletter

Tickets ($75) are still available for tonight's Umpqua Valley's 43rd Annual Greatest of the Grape gala from 7 to 11 p.m. at Seven Feathers Casino Resort and Spa in
Canyonville.

Related topics

Advertisement

Oregon's oldest wine gala began humbly, 43 year ago at the Douglas County Fair by Scott Henry, Richard Sommers and other Southern Oregon wine trailblazers. Now, the Greatest of the Grape is one of state’s snazziest wine celebrations.

The gala is hosted by the Umpqua Valley Winegrowers Association but open to wineries in the Illinois, Applegate and Rogue valleys too. The event in Seven Feathers' grand room has classically trained chefs preparing dishes matched to the best wine offerings from 28 wineries.

Seven Feathers Casino Resort
42.938969 ; -123.284492

Three professional wine judges evaluated one wine from each winery. Deborah Grossman writes for The Wine Enthusiast and Napa Valley Wine. Peter Mitham is the Northwest correspondent for Wines and Vines magazine. Clive Pursehouse is the editor of the Northwest Wine Anthem.

Their decisions will be announced tonight.

But the highlight of this event has always been the announcements of the People’s Choice awards. The more than 600 guests will cast their votes for their favorite wine and food pairings. Who would you choose?

The participating wineries are:

For information, visit www.umpquavalleywineries.org

Suggested by the author:
Advertisement

, Medford Wine Examiner

Journalist and consumer Janet Eastman demands better wine from Southern Oregon vintners. She drills hands-in-the-soil decision makers to deliver insight on their experiments and she tests the results in a bottle. Email janeteastman@mind.net.

Today's top buzz...