MATT KRAMER

Oregonian Wine Columnist

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian Like a sonic boom that occurs only after a jet breaks the sound barrier, we're only now seeing the effect of the recession on wine prices. The wine business is not one that responds instantly to market fluctuations. It takes awhile for older stocks of wine -- initially offered by wineries at... Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian   Although I like to think that all of the wines recommended in this column are exceptionally good -- and, especially, good value -- it's rare that I can declare many as "benchmarks." Yet that is the great privilege of this week's selections: These are benchmark bottlings for their respective designations. In short,... Full story »

One of surprises of wine is not how wineries decide their pricing. (Much of it is ego, along with some hardheaded accounting.) Instead, the real curiosity is the sheer number of wineries out there. California has more than 3,000 and counting. Oregon, with almost one-tenth of California's population, has about 400. Washington has roughly 540. What these figures really... Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian This week's recommendations share two prominent features. One is a striking flavor purity. They are beautifully made wines that emphasize an almost digital delineation of flavors where nothing tastes muddy or blurry. The other is the decision not to use traditional corks. Instead, one producer uses a novel "glass cork" while the... Full story »

Bubble for bubble, says wine writer Matt Kramer, Oregon's Argyle Brut is the deal in high-quality sparkling wine around. But if you have $52 to burn, Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Brut non-vintage is simply a stunner.  Full story »

From a rain-soaked vintage that produced few bargains or real finds, come two pinot noirs worth hunting down: Domaine Drouhin's Oregon "Willamette Valley" Pinot Noir 2007 and Cameron's "Clos Electrique" Pinot Noir 2007.  Full story »

Two flat-out outstanding wines from Mount Eden Vineyards are among the finest examples of cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay grown in California. Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian The holidays loom and you want drink-now delights that don't dent the wallet -- and are easily found. These fill that bill perfectly and are much better than their prices suggest. Cotes-du-Rhone Villages 2007, Perrin & Fils: Cotes-du-Rhone Villages 2007 comes from just two vineyards and -- unusually for this appellation --... Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian Red is the order of the day --well, one wine is a sparkling rose, but it's made entirely from a red grape variety. All are ideal for winter drinking. What's more, they're meant to be drunk now rather than years in the future. Troon Vineyard Zinfandel "Kubli Bench" 2008: Oregon has no... Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian If you ever need proof of how wine has insinuated itself into what might be called "American normalcy," consider today's Thanksgiving table. Granted, not every Thanksgiving feast features wine. But many do, and certainly far more than even 20 years ago. Wine may not be as American as apple pie --but it's... Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian Oregon's stellar 2008 vintage is only now appearing on the shelves, just in time for Thanksgiving. And it has every likelihood of turning in one of the best across-the-board performances Oregon wine lovers have yet seen. Two 2008s follow --with more to come. Brick House "Ribbon Ridge" Gamay Noir 2008: The most... Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian Picking wines, like playing the horses, has its own particular demands. Sure, you can always play the favorites. But where's the sport? Where's the heart? And besides, you don't get much value when you bet on well-known favorites. The fix is in, as it were. The two wines recommended this week both... Full story »

Two wines -- Soave Pieropan 2008 and Clos de la Briderie "Vieilles Vignes" 2007 -- have something to say by virtue of their respective sites and some very fine, deferential winemaking. Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian Let's not waste any time or space. The two wines to follow, a red and a white, are rare offerings, combining as they do exceptionally fine quality at lower-than-usual prices for their respective levels of wine achievement. Bruno "Willamette Valley" Pinot Noir 2008: Let's put the most important information about this terrific deal... Full story »

By MATT KRAMER Special to The Oregonian I'm hard-pressed to recall the last time this column featured two wines by the same producer side by side. But the following wines, a red and a white, from the small Austrian family winery of Erich and Maria Berger are each so good and so different that recommending them both in one swoop... Full story »