25th anniversary IPNC to be held this July

The International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) will celebrate 25 years this July 29-31.

The program format remains the same: half of the attendees travel to a vineyard for a seminar and lunch while half stay on campus for a program. The next day, the order is reversed.

The on-campus program looks great: Moderator Eric Asimov of the New York Times will lead an all star panel of winemakers to discuss the influence that “cross pollination” and the exchange of ideas between peers and regions have had on the evolution of Pinot Noir.

The panelists will be: Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat; Dominique Lafon of Domaine des Comte Lafon and Evening Land Vineyards; Veronique Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin and Domaine Drouhin Oregon; David Adelsheim of Adelsheim Vineyard; and Larry McKenna of Escarpment Vineyards.

On Friday night, there will be a tasting of the 2008 vintage Pinot Noirs from participating wineries; on Saturday evening, the 2009 vintage.

Food is also a focus at IPNC. The Saturday night Salmon Bake is well known, with wines flowing freely and all the tasty food you can eat. Friday night’s grand dinner will be prepared by Philippe Boulot and his colleagues from the Multnomah Athletic Club and the Heathman Hotel; Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place; Ben Bettinger of Beaker & Flask; Robert Reynolds of his eponymous Chef’s Studio; and John Taboada from Navarre.

The on-campus lunch will be prepared by a first and second generation team: Nick Peirano and his daughter Carmen and her husband Eric Ferguson on one day; or Stephanie Pearl Kimmel of Marché and her son in law Rocky Maselli, of Osteria Sfizio on the other.

At each winery, lunch will be prepared by one of 14 top area chefs.

Sunday brunch feature sparkling wines and a wide range of fine food.

The price for all this grand food and wine is $975 and does not include lodging. ONLY 100 tickets remain for this event.

This year, there are two add-on events. An interesting panel will explore wine aging. Aged Pinots from Domaine Comte Armand and Maison Camille Giroud, The Eyrie Vineyards, and Ponzi Vineyards will be tasted. Burghound Allen Meadows will moderate the discussion. This is a Saturday afternoon seminar limited to 50 people and is not included in the full ticket price. Cost is $150.

Also offered is a wine and cheese pairing seminar with expert Laura Werlin. Each attendee will also get a singed copy of her wine and cheese paring book. Also Saturday afternoon and limited to 50 people, this seminar will require an additional $100.

Additional tickets to the Salmon Bake are available for $150.

On Sunday afternoon from 1-4:30 p.m., the best value of the weekend takes place. This is a walk around tasting of all the wines featured at the IPNC, with all 70 winemakers pouring. A large spread of food from some of Portland best purveyors is also included. Ticket price includes an IPNC logo Oregon Pinot Noir glass. Price is $150. Plenty of tickets remain for this wonderful tasting.