Episode 465 of I’ll Drink to That! was released recently, and it features Ken Wright, the founder and winemaker of Ken Wright Cellars, located in Carlton, Oregon.

Ken Wright moved to Oregon in 1986, and over that period of time a lot has happened for wine in the state. Single vineyard bottlings have proliferated, additional AVAs have been introduced, significant land investments have been made, and winemaking techniques have been adjusted. Ken witnessed and participated in a lot of that change firsthand, and this interview reveals a lot of his thinking about how today is different than yesterday in Oregon, and why. It is also notable how he goes about the discussion, because Ken has a vocabularly that is fluent in the chemistry of wine as well as the biology of vines. He makes links in this interview between, for instance, the geologic setting of a vineyard, the soil health of that site, the impact of those on the wine’s fermentation, and the taste markers of the total combination in the finished glass of wine. And he further addresses aspects like climate and exposure, making clear how those affect the process before the grapes are picked, as well as what the consumer finds in the wine in the end. It is rare that someone explicitly makes the links between, for instance, oxygen in vineyard soil and a taste later in the wine, but Ken does so here. If you would like to better understand the diversity of Oregon in its different areas, the mindset changes that have happened there over time, and how those play out in the actual wines you see available on a retailer’s shelf, this is a great summary.

Listen to this episode:

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I’ll Drink to That is the world’s most listened-to wine podcast, hosted by Levi Dalton. Levi has had a long career working as a sommelier in some of the most distinguished and acclaimed dining rooms in America. He has served wine to guests of Restaurant Daniel, Masa, and Alto, all in Manhattan. Levi has also contributed articles on wine themes to publications such as The Art of Eating, Wine & Spirits magazine, Bon Appetit online, and Eater NY. Check out his pictures on Instagram and follow him on Twitter: @leviopenswine

—foodie fun creating memorable flavor harmony

Eveline Chartier, June 4, 2024

Photo by Eric Malcolm

The perfect food pairing can make a wine sing!

The goal is to have the wine and food taste better together than on their own. In other words, the sum is better than its parts. A great food pairing will bring out favorable elements in your wine and vice-versa!

Today I will guide you through this part art, part science process.

We will discuss three of the most common approaches to pairing. Keep in mind that preferred pairings will depend on the person experiencing it – this is very subjective and personal.

The key elements in food and wine that I want to discuss for pairings are:

• flavor profile
• flavor intensity
• wine’s body/food’s weight

PAUSE! I don’t understand flavor intensity in wine.

Think of a wine’s intensity as its sound volume on the nose or palate – how loudly it speaks to you! Just like food, some wines have more subtle flavors and aromas (mild cheddar cheese) while others have strong flavors (blue cheese).

Lastly, remember you can start with the food and find a wine to pair with it or vice versa.

Complementary pairings

This approach attempts to match one or more of the food and wine elements discussed above. For instance, if the wine has an anise/fennel flavor, it may pair nicely with food flavored with dried fennel. This would be a flavor profile pairing. A full-bodied wine with high intensity flavors would make a good pairing for a heavier meal with strong flavors. This would be both a flavor intensity and a body/weight pairing.

Contrasting pairings

In certain circumstances, opposites attract! Offsetting key food and wine elements results in greater overall balance. In other words, instead of matching we use opposing food and wine elements.

A good example is spicy (aka hot), bitter, or salty food pairing well with wines with sweetness. The higher the spice, the sweeter the wine should be! A spicy dish could also pair well with a low intensity wine, as the wine doesn’t compete with the food and provides a respite from the food intensity. Lastly, high acidity wines pair well with rich foods. The acidity in the wine cuts through the richness (aka fat or starch), acting as a palate cleanser or a reset after every sip.

Regional pairings

“What grows together goes together.” Pizza or lasagna pairs well with an Chianti. It is a way of saying that wines from a certain region pair very well with regional food. I learned in Austria that a Grüner Veltliner complements a Schnitzel or Goulash swimmingly! These pairings work because they either complement or contrast the key elements!

Can we walk through a specific wine?

Pairing the featured wine

Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir 2022 from Willamette Valley, Oregon is fresh and bright, yet it has an enticing earthiness – a contrast in itself! It also has flavors of red fresh cherry, blueberry, and blackberry, with the added complexity of earth and an especially attractive mushroom note ending with a hint of ‘fresh leather’. It has a medium flavor intensity.

Fresh leather, huh?

(Yes, that note was to get a reaction out of you!)

In this case I would zone in on the most alluring note: the mushroom!

This led me to mushroom based dishes (complementary). Since this wine has high acidity, it can hold up to rich foods (contrasting). My mind goes to mushroom risotto, mushroom soup, stuffed portobello mushrooms. Since the wine doesn’t have pronounced intensity, I would not stuff the pepper with a strong flavored cheese such as feta or chèvre nor strong flavored foods or spices. I think those would clash with the wine’s elegance.

Now my mouth is salivating.

Mine too.

Okay, but you would never pair this with fish for example?

Actually, my favorite pairing with salmon is Pinot Noir.

This Pinot Noir is medium body, matching the weight and texture of the salmon (complementary). Salmon is also an oily fish, so the wine’s high acidity would cleanse the palate after every sip producing a refreshing effect (contrasting).

What could backfire here?

If you glazed the salmon with teriyaki or hoisin sauce. As this is a dry wine, these sauces are sweeter than the wine, ergo breaking the rule that the wine needs to be sweeter than the food.

Okay, I am starting to understand this!

I will leave you with this: don’t be afraid to play around with pairings. Consider it a fun exploration! I have definitely flubbed the odd pairing. It can be tricky, particularly if you don’t know the wine. Luckily it IS just wine! Worst case scenario you choose another wine, or you finish the food then have the wine with cheese for dessert! No stress! Yay!

Ken Wright Cellars Pinot Noir 2022 from Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA

Style: New World Medium Body Red

Varieties: 100% Pinot Noir

This wine’s fresh and bright elements are beautifully contrasted by its earthy elements. It has fresh red cherry, blueberry, and blackberry, with the added complexity of earth and an especially attractive mushroom note ending with a hint of ‘fresh leather’. The tannins provide just enough grip to enhance the body without offsetting the elegance of the wine.

Best pairings: Mushroom Risotto, Mushroom Soup, Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, Cedar-Plank Salmon, Pork Tenderloin, Soft or Semi-soft Cheeses: Brie, Havarti, or Gouda.

Serving Temperature: 14 degrees Celsius

Price: ~$37 (including 5% tax and shades of grape discount – for subscribers)

Serving Tips: Just enjoy!

SHOP KEN WRIGHT CELLARS PINOT NOIR

Oct 17, 2023

The winery tells me that all the 2021 single vineyard wines will be released over the next few months. Carter and Canary Hill may already have sold out. It’s worth a special salute to Ken that his prices have barely budged in years and a further discount (down to $55) is offered to club members. As always with young wines, let ‘em breathe!

Here are my notes and scores:

Ken Wright 2021 Bonnie Jean Vineyard Pinot Noir

Young as it is this wine already has the rich, dense and expressive aromas of a wine with a half decade behind it. The alcohol remains low, which allows more subtlety and elegance across the entire 2021 portfolio. Lightly cooked cherries, baking spices and delicate touches of floral highlights cut across the palate. One fifth of the barrels were new. The youth shows mostly in the edgy tannins, which will smooth out with another couple of years in the bottle or aggressive aeration.

679 cases; 12.8%; $65 (Yamhill-Carlton) 92/100

Ken Wright 2021 Carter Vineyard Pinot Noir

Tart, racy raspberry fruit shines here, backed with juicy acids that mix Meyer lemon and blood orange. Beautifully defined and precise, this wine should cellar quite well indefinitely. Meanwhile, decant it and enjoy it for its ebullient youth.

667 cases; 13.3%; $65 (Eola-Amity Hills) 92/100

Ken Wright 2021 Savoya Vineyard Pinot Noir

This fresh and berry-laden wine bursts forth with a mix of rhubarb, cranberries and raspberries. The acids are softened and smooth, underscoring a palate-prickling hint of jicama. Complex and captivating, this elegant wine continues to expand and add layers as it breathes open.

503 cases; 13.2%; $65 (Yamhill-Carlton) 93/100

Ken Wright 2021 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir

Now more than three decades since it was first planted, the Shea vineyard is as iconic in Oregon as any site can claim to be. Dozens of wineries seek these grapes, and it’s a pleasure to see what a veteran such as Ken Wright can do with them. He keeps the alcohol low, yielding a bright, savory, spicy wine anchored in brambly berries and tannins reminiscent of herbal tea. Complex and a bit unyielding, this is a wine to aerate aggressively if you are planning to drink it any time soon. Tasted on the second day it was slowly gaining volume. My 3/3/23 Wine of the Week.

1432 cases; 12.8%; $65 (Yamhill-Carlton) 94/100

Ken Wright 2021 Canary Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir

Among the oldest vines (planted 1983 in Ken Wright’s single vineyard series, Canary Hill also benefits from its Pommard clones. It’s juicy and fresh, crisply defined with flavors of just-picked wild berries backed with vivid citrus. Aging in 20% new French oak puts a lightly toasty frame around it, nicely balanced against the ripping acids. I would guess its best days are a half decade away.

608 cases; 13.5%; $65 (Eola-Amity Hills) 94/100

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Ken Wright Cellars 2021 Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, $38

August 30, 2022 by Great Northwest Wine

The Wright family creates this Chardonnay from two of their estate sites — Haakon Lenai Vineyard, a Dundee Hills site owned by Cody and Marque Wright, with Savoya Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton owned by founder Ken Wright and his soccer-coaching wife, Karen. Both vineyards are certified organic, and clone 548, which has found a home at each site, forms the foundation of this 50/50 blend of vineyards. That Djion clone, known at KWC as the “Cruz Clone,” has a reputation for low yields and high aromatics, the latter quality helps explain the remarkably tropical nose that hints at guava, mango, pineapple and jasmine. And yet, the eight months in neutral French oak adds a very light note of butter. On the palate, it’s deliciously brisk with its citrusy theme. There’s lemon oil, then a return of guava ahead of a food-friendly finish of lemon pith and jasmine. Such complexity and remarkable mouthfeel, in part from eight months on the lees, makes it a fun yet serious example of Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley. And as part of the Oregon Promise® movement, it is guaranteed to be 100% from the American Viticultural Area listed on the bottle.

Rating: Outstanding! — 94 points

Production: 135 cases

Alcohol 13%

Buy this wine