California Wine Institute Archives

Direct from Clarksburg, CA with Jody Bogle

AmCham Norway joined forces with California Wine Institute to welcome Jody Bogle of Bogle Vineyards for our first ever virtual wine tasting.

Members and partners gathered remotely to taste, discuss, and learn about four different Bogle Vineyards wines. Jody, a sixth-generation farmer – and third-generation steward of the vineyards – walked us through the history of the land, her memories of harvesting late at night with her grandfather, and her family’s commitment to sustainable wine production.

The planting of Bogle’s Petit Sirah vines in 1968 was a desperate attempt by Jody’s grandfather to compensate for a dead harvest of potatoes, and has now grown into over 2 000 acres of grapes. Bogle spoke proudly of the winemakers and staff at her vineyards, as well as their unique grading system that tracks grapes from field to bottle. Together, these contributions ultimately culminated in wines that achieved the accolades of Wine Enthusiast’s Winery of the Year for 2019, and California Green Medal Leader in 2018 for sustainable winegrowing.

Describing her family as ‘proactively sustainable,’ Bogle explained their goal of achieving 100% sustainable energy use through the installation of a wind turbine, as well as an incentive program for their producer partners. Gaining a more nuanced understanding of Lodi Rules, America’s original sustainable winegrowing program, participants discussed the importance of clean wines without additives and what impact, if any, the ‘natural’ wine movement is having internationally.

Select Bogle Wines have been present in Norway since 2013, thanks to importer Vinarius. Inspired by the success of this unique tasting, AmCham is already coordinating a similar June event – as well as contributing to California Wine Institute’s immense European Wine Tour visit to Oslo this autumn. Stay tuned!

Bogle Vineyards

Though the Bogle family has been farming in the Clarksburg region for six generations, their involvement in the wine business spans back 50 years. In addition to passing down a strong work ethic and dedication to quality, the success of Bogle over the years is rooted in the day-to-day involvement of the Bogle family.

Their line includes Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, and Pinot Noir. It also produces dessert wines in the style of Port with Petit Sirah. Their wines are imported to Norway by Vinarius.

Previous Gatherings

Bottle Shock, AVAs, Petite Sirahs, and Biodynamics!

January 31, 2020 No Comments

Featuring a diverse selection of wines from 12 US producers from California, Oregon, and Washington, AmCham hosted a masterclass tasting for the Norwegian press and industry experts at US Ambassador Kenneth Braithwaite’s residence, Villa Otium.

American Wine Club: Bonterra Tasting

September 13, 2019 No Comments

Visiting organic wine pioneer Bob Blue led the American Wine Club and AmCham members through an exclusive tasting of Bonterra Vineyards diverse range of organic and biodynamic wines. Founded in 1987, Bonterra is a rising star in the American wine industry and was named Wine Enthusiast magazine’s American Winery of the Year in 2016.

American Wine Club Summer Tasting

July 2, 2019 No Comments

To welcome the start of summer, AmCham Norway hosted a casual summer wine tasting for members of the recently formed American Wine Club.

Including wines from California producers Joel Gott, Mandolin, and Ferrari-Carano, guests were able to sample a broad range of wines while also sampling an assortment of pastries provided by Hotel Bristol’s new in-house bakery. Along the way, attendees deepened their understanding of California wines and had the opportunity to experience vintages from a geographically diverse array of producers from the Golden State.

Event summary

DREAM BIG!

Held in the spacious Oslo Konserthus Glasshuset, AmCham, the US Commercial Service, and California Wine Institute hosted Norway’s largest-to-date American wine tasting on March 13.

Over 50 representatives from almost 100 wineries flew into Oslo for the event as part of their European tour with California Wine Institute. The wineries offered a selection of over 400 wines, ranging from everyday wines to once-in-a-lifetime vintages, to a diverse crowd of AmCham members, government officials, journalists, wine importers, and food and beverage industry representatives from across Norway.

Lodi Seminar

The afternoon kicked off with an exclusive seminar on the Lodi appellation, an area located between San Francisco Bay and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The region has become known for its vast portfolio of interesting wines and the commitment of its winemakers to creative, cutting-edge, and sustainable winemaking techniques. The seminar was led by a panel of winemakers including Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 2018 Winemaker of the Year, Adam Mettler, Oak Farm Vineyards’ and Harney Lane’s Chad Joseph, and the director of the Lodi Winegrape Commission, Stuart Spencer.

The fully subscribed seminar walked participants through eight wines including a 2017 Acquiesce Grenache Blanc, 2018 Klinker Brick Albariño, 2017 LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyard Sangiovese Rosé, 2016 Turley Bechthold Vineyard Cinsault, 2016 Oak Farm Vineyards Grenache, 2016 Ironstone Rous Vineyard Zinfandel, as well as Adam Mettler’s own 2016 Michael-David Earthquake Zinfandel and Mettler Family Vineyards’ flagship 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon.

By the numbers

wine Producers

Different wines

Wineries new to norway

Grand Tasting

At the conclusion of the masterclass, guests streamed into Glasshuset’s second floor for the main event – the Grand Tasting! AmCham members joined food and wine industry representatives to mingle and sample wines with winemakers, brand ambassadors and sommeliers from across Norway and the United States. It was a record-setting year with 43 stands, more than 400 guests, and nearly 30 wineries presenting in Norway for the first time.

The tasting accurately represented California’s 89% share of American wine production, while still allowing guests to experience the different terroirs found in Oregon and Washington – the home state to a past winemaker of the year, and Norwegian favorite, Charles Smith.

US Wines on the Rise in Norway

American wine sales in Norway have increased considerably in the past two years, in part due to initiatives like these and the 2017 launch of US wines custom-made for the Norwegian market. In 2018, Vinmonopolet sold 3.6 million liters of American wine – a figure representing 5.3% of total wine sales in Norway and an increase of 4.5% from 2017.

AmCham sincerely thanks the US Commercial Service and California Wine Institute for their collaboration in making this event possible and the evening a roaring success!