The front page of the New York Times Travel section today was a massive advertising campaign for the Willamette Valley-and I mean this in the best sense. Highlighting Brick House for the organic winemaking they have been practicing for 20 years, this article endorses several Oregon wineries and even shouts out to Thistle restaurant in McMinnville. This piece only reinforces the idea that the NYT has a major crush (bad pun) on our beautiful state. I'd buy up your favorite wines now, before the thick wallets from Wall Street plan their summer vacation in our backyard.
Read this!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Congrats Jennifer Jacobs
She's the lucky winner of the Portland Indie Wine Festival Tickets!
If you don't manage to make it to the festival next week, fear not. I'll have a full recap for you soon!
On a side note: If you live in the Portland area-check out Cafe Nell in NW. Not only is this one of the cutest restaurants in town-the amazingly curated Oregon wine offerings should be noted. Literally, looking at the bottles sitting on the bar is like taking a trip through the Willamette Valley and beyond. Lots of usual suspects and some new names too. Generally you can find a handful of these wines on any larger scale local restaurant, but definitely not this extensive. Check it!
If you don't manage to make it to the festival next week, fear not. I'll have a full recap for you soon!
On a side note: If you live in the Portland area-check out Cafe Nell in NW. Not only is this one of the cutest restaurants in town-the amazingly curated Oregon wine offerings should be noted. Literally, looking at the bottles sitting on the bar is like taking a trip through the Willamette Valley and beyond. Lots of usual suspects and some new names too. Generally you can find a handful of these wines on any larger scale local restaurant, but definitely not this extensive. Check it!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Fingers Crossed
Tomorrow we will announce the winner of the Indie Wine Festival Tickets! For those of you who have become followers of downpour, I thank you!
Stay tuned for some more yummy wine recaps. I have been enjoying some nice CA Pinots (I know, the horror), but I can't wait to share some of my thoughts!
Doing a comparison tasting on Sunday eve and will download after this.
Later!
Stay tuned for some more yummy wine recaps. I have been enjoying some nice CA Pinots (I know, the horror), but I can't wait to share some of my thoughts!
Doing a comparison tasting on Sunday eve and will download after this.
Later!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
C'est Vrai
I just stumbled upon an article I must have missed last week in FOOD DAY. I concur with the O. Stoller's JV Pinot is exceptional for the price, which is why I have several bottles sitting in my wine fridge. I'm suddenly thirsty....
WINE PICK
2007 Stoller JV Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($25): Doubters of the rainy 2007 Willamette Valley vintage will be surprised by the bright purity of fruit in this juicy, floral and flavorful pinot.
Raspberries, cherries, cranberries and red roses dominate the nose and palate; there's also a savory dried-mushroom element that makes this a worthy match for rich foods.
The endlessly spicy finish sizzles with cloves and white pepper. Named for the younger or "junior" vines on the Stoller estate, this is an affordable alternative to Stoller's higher-end pinot noir bottlings, which run from $40 to $100.
WINE PICK
2007 Stoller JV Estate Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($25): Doubters of the rainy 2007 Willamette Valley vintage will be surprised by the bright purity of fruit in this juicy, floral and flavorful pinot.
Raspberries, cherries, cranberries and red roses dominate the nose and palate; there's also a savory dried-mushroom element that makes this a worthy match for rich foods.
The endlessly spicy finish sizzles with cloves and white pepper. Named for the younger or "junior" vines on the Stoller estate, this is an affordable alternative to Stoller's higher-end pinot noir bottlings, which run from $40 to $100.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Four Graces Shout Out
As many of you might be as well, I am a subscriber to the weekly newsletter Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's popular site for sharing insider secrets for seeing, making, playing, going, doing etc.
Well I just got this weeks newsletter which is dedicated to wine. She has experts in the field respond to food and wine pairing questions. The majority of answers include foreign wines, Italy and France are well represented for wines that pair well with meats, pastas, desserts and salads. California producers get some love too. Oregon is only mentioned twice throughout the lengthy interviews. Where's the love?!!! Well, Goop does it's own endorsements at the end and calls out The Four Graces (just 1 of two wineries to get a mention)! What great exposure for this beautiful Oregon winery. You might remember when we cruised into this tasting room after Vino & Vinyasa.
I am so happy for these folks. Goop is read all over the world and undoubtedly this feature will have a positive impact on their business. Congrats!
Plug below:
GOOP reccomends:
The Four Graces
I’ve tried a selection of wines from The Four Graces Winery and they are something special. A husband and wife team, Steven and Paula Black bought the vineyard in 2003 and named their business after their four daughters. Based in Oregon, which is earning a reputation for producing excellent pinot noir, - as it is on the same latitude as Burgundy - all their pinots are sustainably farmed. Plus, they cover the spectrum of prices and start at a very affordable $29. Their Pinot Gris starts at $18.
Well I just got this weeks newsletter which is dedicated to wine. She has experts in the field respond to food and wine pairing questions. The majority of answers include foreign wines, Italy and France are well represented for wines that pair well with meats, pastas, desserts and salads. California producers get some love too. Oregon is only mentioned twice throughout the lengthy interviews. Where's the love?!!! Well, Goop does it's own endorsements at the end and calls out The Four Graces (just 1 of two wineries to get a mention)! What great exposure for this beautiful Oregon winery. You might remember when we cruised into this tasting room after Vino & Vinyasa.
I am so happy for these folks. Goop is read all over the world and undoubtedly this feature will have a positive impact on their business. Congrats!
Plug below:
GOOP reccomends:
The Four Graces
I’ve tried a selection of wines from The Four Graces Winery and they are something special. A husband and wife team, Steven and Paula Black bought the vineyard in 2003 and named their business after their four daughters. Based in Oregon, which is earning a reputation for producing excellent pinot noir, - as it is on the same latitude as Burgundy - all their pinots are sustainably farmed. Plus, they cover the spectrum of prices and start at a very affordable $29. Their Pinot Gris starts at $18.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Here's Your Chance
The city is all a buzz around the Indie Wine Festival this year. With a new very hip location and 40 winemakers not to be missed (national judges concur), this will be the place to BE May 8th. The pricetag is something to be swallowed ($75), or not...IF DOWNpour fans become fans of Oregonwine.com on Facebook, you are automatically entered to win the pair. All you have to do is get on Facebook and befriend Oregonwine.com, send a message or comment that you want the tix and keep your fingers crossed. A random drawing will be held April 30th.
BONNE CHANCE!!!!!
BONNE CHANCE!!!!!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Indie Wine Festival-Wines Announced
Check it out...I am SO excited to go to this...let me know if you are interested in being my date!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OK, we've picked the wineries for
the Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival this year
...and they're more amazing than ever
Forty wineries made the cut -- they're gearing up to pour at the festival
Portland, Ore. (4/2/2010) - The sixth annual Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival announced the names of the 40 Oregon craft wineries selected to pour their artisanal wines at the festival's Grand Tasting, to be held Saturday, May 8th from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. in inner Northeast Portland. The 40 wineries will pour eighty-one wines in a Portland-appropriate spot - the spacious (13,000 square feet) industrial-chic Bison Building (recently home to a circus!). Plenty of room for fantastic wine as well as fantastic food served by 15 of the city's top restaurants.
"Our judges were blown away by the quality of the wines this year," said Lisa Donoughe, PIWF founder. "The 2007 vintage was a stunner vintage, and really a sleeper. The weather at harvest was such a question mark, and our winemakers stepped up to the challenge brilliantly," adds Donoughe.
Selected Wineries:
(listed in alphabetical order)
Ancient Cellars
Angel Vine
Antica Terra
Arborbrook Vineyards
Artisanal Wine Cellars
Barking Frog Winery
Big Table Farm
Blakeslee Vineyard Estate
Capitello Wines
Carlton Cellars
Coeur de Terre Vineyard
Cubanisimo Vineyards
de Lancellotti Family Vineyards
Domaine Margelle
Dukes Family Vineyards
Durant Vineyards
Et Fille Wines
Genius Loci
Gresser Vineyard
Iota Cellars
J. Scott Cellars
Johan Vineyards
Kandarian Wine Cellars
Le Cadeau Vineyard
Lenné
Luminous Hills/Seven of Hearts
Merriman Wines
Monks Gate Vineyard
Quady North
Ribbon Ridge Vineyard
Ribera Vineyards
RR Winery
Thistle Wines
Velocity Cellars
VIDON Vineyard
Sno Road Winery
Vitae Springs Vineyard
Wahle Vineyards & Cellars
WildAire Cellars
Wy'East Vineyards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OK, we've picked the wineries for
the Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival this year
...and they're more amazing than ever
Forty wineries made the cut -- they're gearing up to pour at the festival
Portland, Ore. (4/2/2010) - The sixth annual Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival announced the names of the 40 Oregon craft wineries selected to pour their artisanal wines at the festival's Grand Tasting, to be held Saturday, May 8th from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. in inner Northeast Portland. The 40 wineries will pour eighty-one wines in a Portland-appropriate spot - the spacious (13,000 square feet) industrial-chic Bison Building (recently home to a circus!). Plenty of room for fantastic wine as well as fantastic food served by 15 of the city's top restaurants.
"Our judges were blown away by the quality of the wines this year," said Lisa Donoughe, PIWF founder. "The 2007 vintage was a stunner vintage, and really a sleeper. The weather at harvest was such a question mark, and our winemakers stepped up to the challenge brilliantly," adds Donoughe.
Selected Wineries:
(listed in alphabetical order)
Ancient Cellars
Angel Vine
Antica Terra
Arborbrook Vineyards
Artisanal Wine Cellars
Barking Frog Winery
Big Table Farm
Blakeslee Vineyard Estate
Capitello Wines
Carlton Cellars
Coeur de Terre Vineyard
Cubanisimo Vineyards
de Lancellotti Family Vineyards
Domaine Margelle
Dukes Family Vineyards
Durant Vineyards
Et Fille Wines
Genius Loci
Gresser Vineyard
Iota Cellars
J. Scott Cellars
Johan Vineyards
Kandarian Wine Cellars
Le Cadeau Vineyard
Lenné
Luminous Hills/Seven of Hearts
Merriman Wines
Monks Gate Vineyard
Quady North
Ribbon Ridge Vineyard
Ribera Vineyards
RR Winery
Thistle Wines
Velocity Cellars
VIDON Vineyard
Sno Road Winery
Vitae Springs Vineyard
Wahle Vineyards & Cellars
WildAire Cellars
Wy'East Vineyards
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