Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/343109
1 16 / the tasting panel / july 2014 ROUNDTABLE R ecently, I had the good fortune to share dinner with some of the most influential winemakers and producers from Oregon's Willamette Valley when they visited Washington, D.C. to promote their wines during the Pinot in the City event. However, what initially started off as a social engage- ment quickly turned into a lesson in passion and pride. The wine was flowing freely when I posed one simple question to the group: "What makes Willamette Valley so special?" Josh Bergstom and his wife, Caroline, own- ers of Bergstrom Winery, have been making wines in the Dundee appellation since 1999. Josh started off the passionate discussion with a straightforward remark. "For 50 years, our message has been consistent," proclaimed Bergstrom. "We are have been one community producing predominately one varietal: Pinot Noir." It's All in the Community Willamette Valley's Secret: by Scott Greenberg (above) Adam Campbell explains that the wine community in Willamette Valley is controlled by many small independent producers, not one or two large corporations. (left) Caroline and Josh Bergstrom have been producing wine in Willamette Valley for the past 15 years.