King Estate Winery
Encyclopedia
King Estate Winery is a winery
located southwest of Eugene
, Oregon
, United States near the community of Lorane
. Matt Kramer
of The Oregonian
considers King Estate the benchmark producer of Pinot gris
(aka Pinot Grigio) in the country. While the winery also makes Pinot noir
and limited amounts of Chardonnay
, it is mainly credited with bringing the Pinot gris grape varietal into national consciousness.
The winery was founded in 1991 by Ed King, Jr. and his son, Ed King III. The estate itself, at 1033 acres (4.2 km²), is Oregon Tilth
Certified Organic and includes 465 acres (1.9 km²) of organic vineyards, as well as 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of fruits, vegetables and flowers. The visitor center features a restaurant and wine bar. Complimentary wine tasting and winery tours are available as well as full lunch and dinner menus that incorporate estate and locally grown organic ingredients.
In the 2007 edition of Wine & Spirits magazine's annual restaurant poll, a survey of only the top Zagat rated restaurants across the United States, King Estate Pinot gris was the number one ranked domestic wine in the Pinot gris/Pinot grigio category, and number two overall in the category, the highest rank for an Oregon producer in the 18-year history of the poll.
one of the most rigorous and stringent certifying bodies in the United States. The estate is 1033 acres (4.2 km²) and with 465 acres (1.9 km²) planted to grapes is recognized as the world's largest contiguous organic vineyard. In 2005, King Estate was recognized by Oregon Tilth as the Organic producer of the year.
. King Estate's New American Cuisine King Estate Pinot Gris Cookbook and New American Cuisine King Estate Pinot Noir Cookbook were written in conjunction with the 13-part New American Cuisine television series broadcast by PBS and other public television stations nationwide. In 1997, New American Cuisine was nominated for the prestigious James Beard
Award for best national cooking series. The cookbooks contain recipes contributed by world-renowned celebrity chefs including Alice Waters
, Roy Yamaguchi
, Charlie Trotter
, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten
.
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
located southwest of Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States near the community of Lorane
Lorane, Oregon
Lorane is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located on Territorial Road about 20 miles southwest of Eugene; it is 13 miles northwest of Cottage Grove. The community is near the headwaters of the North Fork Siuslaw River in a valley in the foothills of the...
. Matt Kramer
Matt Kramer (wine writer)
Matt Kramer is an American wine critic since 1976. He is a columnist for The Oregonian, was a columnist for The New York Sun before its demise in 2008, and previously for Los Angeles Times, and since 1985 is a regular contributor to Wine Spectator...
of The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
considers King Estate the benchmark producer of Pinot gris
Pinot gris
Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
(aka Pinot Grigio) in the country. While the winery also makes Pinot noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
and limited amounts of Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
, it is mainly credited with bringing the Pinot gris grape varietal into national consciousness.
The winery was founded in 1991 by Ed King, Jr. and his son, Ed King III. The estate itself, at 1033 acres (4.2 km²), is Oregon Tilth
Oregon Tilth
Oregon Tilth is an American nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting and advocating organic food and farming, based in Corvallis, Oregon...
Certified Organic and includes 465 acres (1.9 km²) of organic vineyards, as well as 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of fruits, vegetables and flowers. The visitor center features a restaurant and wine bar. Complimentary wine tasting and winery tours are available as well as full lunch and dinner menus that incorporate estate and locally grown organic ingredients.
In the 2007 edition of Wine & Spirits magazine's annual restaurant poll, a survey of only the top Zagat rated restaurants across the United States, King Estate Pinot gris was the number one ranked domestic wine in the Pinot gris/Pinot grigio category, and number two overall in the category, the highest rank for an Oregon producer in the 18-year history of the poll.
Sustainability
King Estate Winery is Certified Organic by Oregon TilthOregon Tilth
Oregon Tilth is an American nonprofit membership organization dedicated to supporting and advocating organic food and farming, based in Corvallis, Oregon...
one of the most rigorous and stringent certifying bodies in the United States. The estate is 1033 acres (4.2 km²) and with 465 acres (1.9 km²) planted to grapes is recognized as the world's largest contiguous organic vineyard. In 2005, King Estate was recognized by Oregon Tilth as the Organic producer of the year.
Culinary
King Estate has always highlighted the importance of producing food friendly wines and has established a fine-dining restaurant on the estate which sources organic ingredients from the estate gardens. During the 1990s King Estate published two cookbooks, each of which focuses on recipes designed to pair with their two core varietals, Pinot gris and Pinot noirPinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
. King Estate's New American Cuisine King Estate Pinot Gris Cookbook and New American Cuisine King Estate Pinot Noir Cookbook were written in conjunction with the 13-part New American Cuisine television series broadcast by PBS and other public television stations nationwide. In 1997, New American Cuisine was nominated for the prestigious James Beard
James Beard
James Andrew Beard was an American chef and food writer. The central figure in the story of the establishment of a gourmet American food identity, Beard was an eccentric personality who brought French cooking to the American middle and upper classes in the 1950s...
Award for best national cooking series. The cookbooks contain recipes contributed by world-renowned celebrity chefs including Alice Waters
Alice Waters
Alice Louise Waters is an American chef, restaurateur, activist, and author. She is the owner of Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its organic, locally-grown ingredients and for pioneering California cuisine.Waters opened the restaurant in 1971. It has consistently ranked...
, Roy Yamaguchi
Roy Yamaguchi
-Biography:Yamaguchi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan but now lives in the U.S. State of Hawaii.After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, he spent time in Los Angeles in apprenticeships at L'Escoffier and L'Ermitage under the late master chef Jean Bertanou....
, Charlie Trotter
Charlie Trotter
Charlie Trotter is a chef and restaurateur.-Biography:A graduate of New Trier High School, Trotter started cooking professionally in 1982 after earning a degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. For the next 5 years, he worked and studied in Chicago, San Francisco at...
, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Jean-Georges Vongerichten is a French chef. He was born in Alsace, France, in 1956 and now resides in the United States of America. Vongerichten commands restaurants in culinary capitals Las Vegas, London, Paris and Shanghai, as well as New York's Jean Georges restaurant...
.
See also
- Justin King (guitarist)Justin King (guitarist)Justin King is an American musician and artist from Eugene, Oregon, recognized as a pioneering guitarist for his percussive "tapping" playing style which consists of a variety of influences ranging from Flamenco to Celtic music...
- Organic wineOrganic wineThe most widely accepted definition of Organic wine is wine made from grapes grown in accordance with principles of organic farming, which typically excludes the use of artificial chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides....
- Oregon WineOregon wineThe state of Oregon in the United States has established an international reputation for its production of wine. Oregon has several different growing regions within the state's borders which are well-suited to the cultivation of grapes; additional regions straddle the border between Oregon and the...
- Pinot GrisPinot GrisPinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
- Pinot NoirPinot NoirPinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...