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Faces& Forums S.F. Tastes Wine NEWSMAKERS S From Willamette Group's first Bay Area tasting stars Pinot Noir an Francisco, Calif.—Almost 500 consumers crowded into the Presi- dio's Golden Gate Club on Sept. 11, each paying $65 to sample Pinot Noirs and other varietals poured by winemakers from 70 Willamette Valley vintners. That crush followed an afternoon session that drew me- dia and about 300 members of the trade. "Pinot in the City" marked the first time the Willamette Valley Wineries Association (WVWA) had descended en masse on San Francisco, following previous road trips to Seattle and New York. WVWA executive director Sue Horstmann, who organized the event, said the association schedules two traveling shows per year, with Chicago on the map for next spring. With its 194 winery members producing some 70% of Oregon wine on an estimated 15,120-plus acres, the Willamette Valley in the state's northwest quadrant is largely re- sponsible for Oregon's fame as a cool-climate producer of artisan Pinot Noirs. Participating wineries paid $500 to pour a maximum of three wines. The wineries were responsible for transporting their bottles. Each winery was personally represented by its winemaker, owner or principal. "This was not a distributor event," Horstmann stressed. Behind the tables, many of the vintners emphasized that theirs are multi- generational, family operations. —Jane Firstenfeld 28 WINES & VINES NOVEMBER 2012 Ed Fus of Angel Vine Winery pours Pinot in ad- dition to some warm-weather wines. Derek Einberger is the winemaker and vineyard manager at Patton Valley Vineyard. Rob Stuart talks about his R. Stuart & Co. Win- ery and Wine Bar located in McMinnville, Ore. Shirley Brooks of Elk Cove Vineyards takes a break between the trade and consumer events. Brian O'Donnell runs Belle Pente Vineyard, established in 1994, with his wife Jill. Boedecker Cellars winemaker Athena Pappas' small fermentations use indigenous yeasts.