Decoded: Blending

Blending is essential for all wines.  It can be argued that if it were not for blending by way of cross pollination or grafting of rootstocks most varieties of grapes that wines were originally made from would have gone extinct at this point in time, replaced by a…

Decoded: Oregon Chardonnay

While Chardonnay takes a distant third place in plantings in Oregon (behind Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris), more interest, investment and development has continued to be behind growth and plantings of the grape to develop its market presence and the potential diversity of its stylings. Oregon Chardonnay runs…

Decoded: Eola-Amity Hills

While we’ve dedicated most of the month to decorating the Pinots from Oregon, Chardonnay is the third most grown grape in the Willamette Valley, and routinely compared to the Chardonnays of Burgundy – which can be credited to Robert Drouhin who “discovered” the potential of Oregon soil in…

Decoded: Chehalem Mountains

Last month saw the release of our Lot 627 Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir, a sub appellation of the Willamette Valley in the northwestern reaches of the region.  As always, Cam’s notes will speak well towards the wine, but let’s look deeper into the region itself. While Papa Pinot…

Decoded: Dundee Hills

In March of this year we released our Lot 586 Pinot Noir from the Dundee Hills sub-appellation of the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  While Cam’s video can tell you about the wine itself, let’s look at the AVA that pretty much started it all in Oregon. As stated…

Decoded: A Brief History of Moscato

You’ve emailed, you’ve called, you’ve made it the number one searched term on our site, you’ve begged us, pleaded with us, and even tried to barter with us, and all of your hard-fought desires and dreams come true.  Tomorrow.  Moscato d’Asti is back! Before you take up battle…

Wine Decoded: Oak vs. Stainless Steel

If you’ve ever purchased wine in a restaurant or wine shop where a Sales Associate was in tow, I’m sure you’ve heard time and time again the mention of oak aged or stainless steel aged in regard to the wines.  American oak, French oak, Hungarian oak, stainless steel,…

State of Oregon with "OR" overlaid on a vineyard photograph

It’s Oregon Wine Month!

To begin celebrating Oregon Wine Month here at Cameron Hughes Wine, we’d like to take a little time to discuss the ever-more-decorated state’s history and breakdown it’s Willamette Valley appellation. An overview: The story of Oregon Pinot and the Willamette Valley (in an organized fashion) begin with a…

Wine Decoded: Delineated

While there are many terms that your Sommelier may use that are familiar (i.e. apples, pears, lemon zest, etc.…), one that is commonly used but oft looked over by the consumer is the idea of delineated fruits or delineated characteristics in the wines. In my younger years I’d…