Jerry Murray has made wine in New Zealand, Germany, and the United States. He is now winemaker and vineyard manager for Patton Valley Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. He also posts on his own blog, Vintners Voice.

Farmer in the vines

The heroes of the vineyard

By Jerry Murray

April 28, 2008

I think our culture needs to rethink just who we designate as our role models and heroes. We are constantly bombarded with images of people who are famous for simply being famous, and I think this attitude is spilling over into food and wine.

We have television networks that have elevated chefs to celebrity status. Chef Gordon Ramsey gets as much air time as Brad Pitt, it seems. The same thing is happening in wine, too. We are developing a culture of rock-star winemakers.

I am not saying that chefs or winemakers don’t deserve the praise and attention they are getting. Both professions require serious commitment, and both promise lifestyles centered on long hours in less-than-glorious working conditions. No, I don’t have anything against chefs and winemakers finally getting their due, but I do wonder how long they intend to hog the spotlight and deny it to those who make them look good.

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Jerry Murray has made wine in New Zealand, Germany, and the United States. He is now winemaker and vineyard manager for Patton Valley Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. He also posts on his own blog, Vintners Voice.

Start at the beginning with wine

Tasting notes

By Jerry Murray

April 17, 2008

As I was tasting through some barrels this morning, I tried to think of what I might blog about for Culinate. My mind was racing with ideas: sustainable viticulture, the work of growing wine, the migrant-labor situation, the “making” of wine. Though all of these topics are dear to me, I wanted to start with something a little “softer” and less controversial.

I was pulling a little wine out of the barrel with a thief and letting it flow into my glass before going into the winemaker’s ritual of swirling, sniffing, swirling, sniffing, swirling, sipping, sucking, and spitting. I just couldn’t figure out what to write about. Then it hit me: Start at the beginning.

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