Thanksgiving weekend in Oregon

Has it been two weeks already? You might think I should post more often, but really I'm saving you from the worst of my posts.

Such as the one I wrote and never posted last week about my experience pouring wine at a winery this past Thanksgiving weekend, then later my experiences tasting at two different places.

I even mixed in some historical information about the beginnings of the Thanksgiving wine weekend tradition here in Oregon, when most local wineries hold open houses.

But it was dull. Really dull. So off to the virtual trash it goes.

Instead, let's just say I enjoyed pouring wine for a day at the winery where I worked this fall. The crowd was mostly fun, and there was the expected happy drunk person who confused me for someone she'd been talking to. Not that she noticed, as she carried on the conversation. Good stuff.

And I had an odd experience tasting at another winery where the flagship wine smelled like bank aids, which makes geeks shout out the word "brett!" only confusing newcomers not familiar with this controversial yeast and the smells it can create.

Who knows what caused the smell. Without a test, we can only speculate. But it wasn't pretty and I tried my best to be gracious and back away carefully. Friends I brought to this place weren't thrilled. But we had fun.

Tasting note for tonight is something initially lackluster that, on day two, might be showing some potential. That is, considering you can still get it for less than $7 a bottle by the case. It's the 2005 Seven Terraces Pinot Noir Marlborough, the second label of Foxes Island.

On night one, the wine is a bit confected smelling, with an odd herbal streak that makes me think this comes from highly cropped vines. In the mouth, it's a bit harsh and cola marked and generally unattractive. On night two, the wine is similar at first. But with some time in the glass there's a pretty fruit and earth aroma, even perfume. Yet the taste is still simple and charcoal chunky, with a slightly bitter grapefruit pith note and tangy acidity.

What to make of this? At the original $18 price, this is dreadful. For $7, it's not bad. But you can do better. Though a close out is hard to pass up, this ain't worth the liver.