The International Pinot Noir Celebration is an annual midsummer event taking place in the Pinot centric hamlet of McMinnville, Oregon (in the heart of the Willamette Valley). I attended three years consecutively in the wee early years of this now, 24 year running, celebration of all things Pinot Noir, aka the IPNC, and hadn’t been back in about sixteen or so years since. It was like old home week connecting with producers and friends I hadn’t seen in over a decade, sharing in our mutual Miles-like passion (think Sideways) for this mesmerizing and seductively sensual grape with dozens of delish wines, lots of great and educational activities, and the gorgeous surroundings of McMinnville’s Linfield College campus where the event is home based. Continue reading »