At the end of July each year, an enthusiastic group of fans of Pinot Noir gather at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. Why are they there? To attend the International Pinot Noir Celebration.

2003 marked the 17th year of the celebration which was founded by Bethel Heights owners Ted and Terry Casteel along with their wives Marilyn Webb and Pat Dudley.

The event is held Friday through Sunday and includes tastings, seminars and tours.

A few years ago, many wineries began to pair up with local restaurants to host pre-IPNC dinners. Tickets to these dinners are almost as tough to get as tickets to the entire celebration. This year, I attended an "unofficial" IPNC dinner at Patricia Green Cellars in Newberg. Patty and business partner, Jim Anderson teamed up with Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat and Cory Schreiber of Wildwood Restaurant.

Guests arrived at the winery on a wonderful summer evening. We had been through a week of extreme heat, but this day was in the low eighties. Perfect for the evenings festivities.

We gathered on the newly built deck of Patty's home. Here we found sumptuous seafood appetizers (prawns, oysters on the half shell and other fruits of the sea. These were served with a wonderful Champagne, Lechere Brut Champagne Orient Express.

After a group photo on the lawn, we moved to the winery for a taste of the 2002 Patricia Green Cellars Sauvignon Blanc. This vintage is a blend of fruit from the estate vineyard and Croft Vineyard.

We were then off to the tented lawn for dinner. Check out the menu.