The Sugar Cube, Part Deux

Kir Jensen is a star, plain and simple.  She’s the locally (and soon to be nationally) famous baker and owner of “The Sugar Cube” food cart located at the Mississippi cart pod.  While she is an amazing baker, her real talent is that everyone LOVES her!  When we ran into her at Little T’s American Baker, two people walked off the street and into the bakery just to say “hi”.  She’s magnetic, charming, and most of all, she loves everyone and everyone loves her!

I know this is a wine blog, and there is no wine on this post, but the quality of the desserts at the Sugar Cube are so good they need to be mentioned.  Tonight we had the Ultimate Brownie sundae with vanilla bean ice cream, salted caramel, fresh “whoop” and an amarena cherry on top.  It’s the best $5.00 money can buy!

The Ultimate Brownie Sundae & The Best Cherry Pie Ever (no joke)

Eva had “The Best Cherry Pie Ever” and the name is not bragging- it is the best cherry pie you’ve ever had.  Seriously.

Other Portland blogs are already reviewing her newly opened cart (she opened today after a two month hiatus), including Eater PDX: www.pdxeater.com and www.oregonlive.com.  To quote the infamous Mugatu: “It’s that Damn Hansel, he’s so hot right now!”  Look for Kir Jensen on the food tv shows (she auditioned for the Food Network recently), bookstores, and blogs everywhere- she’s that hot!

That Kir Jensen Is So Hot Right Now!

The Sugar Cube

Mississipi Food Cart Pod
Weds-Saturday, 12-7, Sunday 12-5
www.thesugarcubepdx.com

Tomorrow night there is a “Wine Party 2010″ at the Doug Fir, sponsored in Part by Charles Smith Wines.  The party features over 70 wines with 17 winemakers, with some Washington heavy hitters including Gorman Winery, Mark Ryan, Trust, among others:

Wine and Rock n Roll? About time!

Barrel Tasting Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir- "It's Huge"

The standouts this weekend include individual wines within a tasting (vs. an entire tasting), if you want a SPECTACULAR bang for your buck Oregon Pinot Noir try the Arterberry Maresh 2007 at Garrison’s Fine Wines, it’s a steal at $22-$24.  We are also excited about Gorman Winery’s “Evil Twin” featured as a super pour at Storyteller Wines.  Gorman Winery is gaining cult status as a Washington gem.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Korkage Wine Shop

Wines of Argentina and Chile: Pascual Toso Sparkling (Chardonnay), Montes Classic Series Sauvignon, BlancAchaval Ferrer MalbecKaiken Ultra Cab, Bodega Norton Privada, Santa Ema Carmenere, featuring live music by Mindy Dillard, 6-8 pm, $10

Oscar Albert
Sangiovese, 6-8 pm, $7.

Thirst
TBD, 5-closing, free

Friday, February 26, 2010

Cork, NE Alberta
Southwest France and their Redolent Rouge, 4-7 pm, $10.

Cork, NW Lovejoy
Southwest France and their Redolent Rouge, 4-6 pm, $10.

Cornell Wine
Spain, 4:30-7 pm, $8-$16.

Every Day Wine
Italian Night II, 5-9 pm, $12.

Garrison’s Fine Wines
Oregon Pinot Noir Tasting:  Arterberry Maresh, Belle Pente, Scott Paul, Mckinlay, Adea, Dukes Family Vineyard, 5-8 pm, $20.

Gem Wine Cellar & Wine Bar
Closed for the move.

Great Wine Buys
The Pinnacle of Washington State Syrah:  Cayuse, Betz, and Sequel, reservations required, 5-7:30 pm, $35.

Hollywood Wine & Espresso
TBD, 5-10 pm, $10.

John’s Marketplace
Sparkling wine (blind), Fuente Milano 2008, Evening Land Pinot Noir and Gamay (both 2008), M. Chapoutier, Guardian Cellars, Chalk Line Red, 5-7 pm, $5.

Liner & Elsen
No tasting, fee.

Mt. Tabor Fine Wines
The 2010 debut of Italy’s Killer B’s! Always a HUGE favorite we’ll cover the B’s from Italy’s  Piemonte including Barolo, Barbaresco and Barbera.
4-7:30 pm, $18.

Portland Wine Merchants
4-8:00 pm, $15.

Storyteller Wine Co.
New Arrivals from  Italy, Germany, plus Super Pour: Gorman Winery “Evil Twin”,  6-9 pm, free.

Vino
4:30-8 pm, fee.

Vinopolis
More 2007 Rhones, 12-7pm, $12 (also Saturday, noon-4 pm, $10)

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 4-7 pm, free

Woodstock Wine and Deli
Cotes du Rhone Tasteoff, 6:30 pm, $10.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Cork, NE Alberta
El Corazon Winery from Walla Walla, 3-5 pm, free.

Garrison’s Fine Wines
Everyday wines, 1-4 pm, free

Great Wine Buys
2-5 pm, free.

Liner & Elsen
Head back to Italy with Fattoria Laila Verdicchio, Torricino Beneventano Falanghina, Compagnia di Ermes Cesanese di Olevano Romano, Rigoloccio Cabernet e Alicante, Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso, and Lanari Rosso Conero. noon-5, free.

Portland Wine Merchants
free.

Storyteller Wines
Even More New Arrivals, 12-5 pm, free.

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 12-5 pm

There was no running away from the successful marriage proposal at the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar last Saturday night...

Like the  Starlight Room in “The Bachelor” starring Chris O’Donnell, the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar featured a real live marriage proposal Saturday night.  Applause and cheers filled the air as the future groom knelt in front of his bride to be.  Eva said: “I’ve never seen that before!” and the Purple Cafe seemed to be the perfect place for a public proposal, with the lively and crowded bar full of happy patrons.

The bar features a large wine selection for beginners as well as afficionados

While there are four locations around Seattle, the bar did not feel like a chain as the wine list is personable, approachable, and educates patrons on different types of wine without dumbing down the list.    Whoever wrote the list has a sense of humor, the opening page states:

The wine

The Book says “the apple tempted eve”,

our book says “it must have been the grape”.

frivolous, intense, sexy, dirty, crisp, full-bodied, light-bodied, fruity, earthy, cherry, blackberry, grapefruit, apple, dry, oaky. we could fill this page with descriptors used for the juice, and it would only be the beginning…

from wines that pair naturally with food…

to the wines that are the show…

from here and around the world…

We had one of the numerous flight options, the “off the beaten path” red flight for $15 included wines from atypical areas including a Georgian (think Soviet Union, not Atlanta), the Skouras Aghiorghitiko Grecian wine, an Austrian and an Argentinian that was not a Malbec.  All very tasty and good matches with the appetizers.

Cool 12'' think steel doors

The decor is beautiful, a combination classic look with industrial steel front doors.  The place was packed with a wait for a table.  Yes, it is a “chain” with four locations, but we understand why the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar is so popular- it’s good.

One other pleasant surprise- they do NOT charge a corkage on your first bottle! If a wine bar can offer this, why can’t Portland bars/restaurants offer no corkage??

The Purple Cafe and Wine Bar
1225 4th Avenue
Seattle, WA, 98101

www.purplecafe.com

Great selection of wines at Kir

The tagline at Kir’s website reads:

Kir – a relaxed and intimate wine bar specializing in mostly European and eclectic wines, accompanied by seasonally constructed small plates.

I would add- “with the best tasting (and best value) wine pours in the city!”

Kir, the clear winner of the inaugural “Best Glass Pours” award, garnered votes for the wine selection, as well as the great hospitality and service.  In addition to the votes on www.portlandoregonwine.com, a review on yelp.com summed up the sentiment perfectly:

“Ahhhh Portland.  Places like this remind me of why I can never leave you…Where else can you enjoy a fabulous glass of wine while listening to alternative music and enjoying a small plate of French style food?”

Patrons choose from a chalkboard menu (I never know any of the wines, it's half the fun!)

The proprietor Amalie has a tremendous range of glass pours including many choices of each:  sparkling, whites, roses, reds, dessert (even good Lambrusco!).  Even without a wine aeration system a la Metrovino, Amalie pours only fresh wines and has an even better selection than Metrovino with very affordable prices.  Most glass pours are between $6-$9 each, and taste like $30+ wines.

The wines are great, (and great value), but the kicker is these are wines you have never heard of and are primarily European.  Basically, Amalie’s palate is so good she picks out unique wines that are perfect with the small plate menu.  In my opinion, the expertise of the wine buyer at restaurants and bars is under-rated, as a great wine buyer can transform the experience for patrons without customers even realizing why the meal was so excellent.

The small space (you can see the kitchen) with candles, mirrors and a cozy bar

The place is intimate, simple, quintessentially “east side” and charming.  Most importantly, Kir Wine Bar is synonymous with “quality”.

Kir Wine Bar

22 NE 7th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 232-3063

Storyteller Wine Company's storefront reminds me of Patrick Swayze's Roadhouse- rustic and fun

Michael Alberty, owner of Storyteller Wines, describes his path to wine shop owner as an unusual one- he was a national college debate champion, ran a morning deli shift, was a book editor and also barista who was constantly “trying to keep grunge artists who now make millions of dollars from stealing the European music magazines off the newsstand.”  He now operates the wildly popular (albeit cozy) wine shop in John’s Landing.

Why the name?  Alberty describes on his website:

Over the past few years I learned that I really love going out and finding great wines that have an interesting story to tell. I found that a great wine almost invariably had an entertaining story behind it. I also found a lot of boring, “corporate” wines that may have had a cute animal label and slick marketing but the story behind it was as soulless as the juice in the bottle. But being in a traditional wine retail setting I found myself constantly having to grapple with those wines while attempting to be all things to all customers. Those days are over. Now I look forward to being an advocate for good wines that tell an interesting story about where they come from. These will be wines where the passion of the winemaker and the fruits of their skills are evident in every glass. I truly believe that behind every great bottle of wine there’s an even better story.

Michael certainly tells the stories, sometimes about the winemakers, sometimes about the grape varietal, but there is always a fun story or two in his newsletter. The latest newsletter describes the history of petit meunier (i.e. the “Miller’s grape”), and how the winemaker from Honig Schlucht worked at Portland’s own Papa Haydn for ten years.

From the newsletter:

As you might have guessed by the name and location, this is not your average winery. Honig Schlucht (ho-nig shlookt) is proudly described right on the label as a “Teutonic wine company.” On the back label they even have an official endorsement from Ewald Moseler, a legendary Portland-based importer of German wines. When is the last time you saw a wine importer endorsing someone else’s wine like that? Purely rhetorical, the answer is “never.” Ewald’s endorsement is an indication that Barnaby and Olga seek to make red wines in the Germanic tradition of gracefully lighter body and significantly lower alcohol levels. To steal a line from the Drouhin family, the Tuttles are combining Oregon soil and German soul. Heck, their wines are even housed in long-necked Alsatian/German-styled hock bottles.

Scott Paul pours his Burgundy imports and his Oregon label at a recent tasting

While Michael’s storytelling abilities are great, he garnered many votes for the quality of his Friday night and Saturday afternoon free tastings.  Last Friday, celebrity winemaker Scott Paul poured his Oregon wines and Burgundy imports at Storyteller Wines, which ranged in price from $18-$69- all free.  In addition, Michael opened two (of only 6 on the west coast) of a $150 white burgundy for a super-pour for only $10.

A $150 Burgundy at a Friday Night Tasting? Wow!

Despite the relatively small size of the shop, there is a great variety of good value wines.  In addition, the prices seem to be slightly cheaper than other local wine shops (the 2008 Haden Fig Pinot Noir sells here for $18, and we have seen it for $20 at another shop).

There were many votes for “Wine Shop of the Year”, but Storyteller Wines was the clear winner of our poll, with voters citing the quality tastings, great newsletter and friendly proprietor as reasons for their votes.  Plus, Jancis Robinson tweets him occasionally for wine advice…

Storyteller Wine Company

5511-B SW Hood Avenue
Portland, OR, 97239
503-206-7029

Sign up for the newsletter at: www.storytellerwine.com

Sonoma vs. Napa Tasting at Great Wine Buys- Put Your Gloves On!

France and Italy are popular this week, with Barbera at Cork, Italian at Everyday Wine, Loire Valley at Garrison’s among others.  Great Wine Buys sounds like a fun tasting with Napa vs. Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon- can you tell the difference?  I don’t know if I can…

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Korkage Wine Shop
6-8 pm, $10

Thirst
TBD, 5-closing, free

Friday, February 5, 2010

Blackbird Wine Shop
TBD

Cork, NE Alberta
Red Values from Chile, 4-7 pm, $12.

Cork, NW Lovejoy
Barbera for Every Budget, 4-6 pm, $12.

Cornell Wine
Oregon Other than Pinot Noir, 4:30-7 pm, $8-$16.

Every Day Wine
Italian Night I, 5-9 pm, $12.

Garrison’s Fine Wines
Loire Valley, Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc, 5-8 pm, $18.

Gem Wine Cellar & Wine Bar
Wines of Tuscany Including Chianti Classico, 5-8 pm, $15.

Great Wine Buys
Villages of Languedoc- Roussillon, Frances best “bang for your buck”, 5-7:30 pm, $15.

Hollywood Wine & Espresso
TBD, 5-10 pm, $10.

John’s Marketplace
Mostly reds, 5-7 pm, $5.

Liner & Elsen
Great Wines from Tuscany! 5:30-7:30, fee.

Mt. Tabor Fine Wines
TBD, 4-7:30 pm, $15.

Portland Wine Merchants
4-8:00 pm, $15.

Storyteller Wine Co.
Burgundy and Banter with Scott Wright! 6-9 pm, free.

Vino
Bordeaux Blast! 4:30-8 pm, fee.

Vinopolis
Tuscan Twists, 12-7pm, $10 (also Saturday, noon-4 pm, $10)

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 4-7 pm, free

Woodstock Wine and Deli
New Releases, Great Buys, and Maybe a Surprise, 6:30 pm, $10.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Cork, NE Alberta
Wine 101 Class, 4:30-6:30 pm, $35 per person, call for details, 503-281-2675

Garrison’s Fine Wines
Everyday wines, 1-4 pm, free

Great Wine Buys
Napa vs. Sonoma Cabernet including: Chevalier, William Hill and more, 2-5 pm, free.

Liner & Elsen
French and Italian wines from Admiralty Beverages, noon-5, free.

Portland Wine Merchants
free.

Storyteller Wines
New Arrivals of Note! 12-5 pm, free.

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 12-5 pm

Wine Critics Robert Parker, Andrea Immer Robinson, Jancis Robinson, and Gary Vaynerchuk hanging out at the (controversial) Playmobil Wine Bar (photo courtesy of De Long's Wine Info, www.delongwine.com)

PORTLAND, OR – After years of controversy surrounding various wine rating systems, www.portlandoregonwine.com unveiled a new system that factors in value and price as well as quality. Co-founder Bernard Gehret: “(Robert) Parker’s 100 point scale has always been rife with controversy for a reason, it’s not “blind”, and doesn’t factor in price or value. Jancis’s (Robinson) is a 20 point scale, and really, WTF is a 20 point scale? Our system factors in the necessary QPR (Quality-Price-Relationship) as well as an overall 100 point rating.”

What is a “QPR” Wine? Simple, according to Gehret: “It’s a wine that tastes more expensive than it actually costs.” According to this system, an example is the new Haden Fig 2008 Pinot Noir which sells for $18. “The Haden Fig tastes like a $30 wine, but it only costs $18, so that’s a QPR rating of +$12. That’s the kind of wine we’re looking for.”

The new system combines the QPR Rating with the (now) universal 100 point scale. The first number in the rating is the 100 point rating, and the second number is the QPR rating based on subjective perception of cost and value. Going back to the Haden Fig Pinot Noir, it’s rating would be “89-90/+12″.

“We’re looking for the best overall combination of score and QPR rating, and we love the wines that are the cheapest, have good quality, and are a good value for the money”. Gehret also comments on critics of the subjective system: “Of course it’s all based on each individuals’ perception of value, and it’s impossible to measure that, but hey, it’s better than one man deciding what we should all drink isn’t it?”

Based on an extensive statistical analysis, scored wines rated in one of four quadrants or categories: Good Score/Bad QPR, Bad Score/Bad QPR, Bad Score/Good QPR, and Good Score/Good QPR. This is represented by:

The best "QPR" wines are in the upper left corner

Examples of four rated wines outlined here:

4 different wines are represtented on the chart

The “Most Desirable” Wines in the NE Quadrant is what we are looking for- wines that have good quality ratings combined with excellent value.

The “Trophy Wines” (NW Quadrant) may actually taste great, but because of their typically higher price point they are not considered good value.

SW Quadrant “Avoid!” Wines are both low scoring on quality and on QPR

Finally, the SE Quadrant “Acceptable” may not be very expensive or highly rated but are drinkable without breaking the bank.

The founders of Portlandoregonwine.com, Bernard and Eva, are consistantly focused on finding good QPR wines for their readers:  “We love sharing our ‘finds’ with everyone, and feel a responsibility to have 100% integrity in rating the wines.”

An alternative to the 100 point rating system...

"Oregon Indie" Winemaker Marcus Goodfellow from Matello Winery

If you love french wines, especially Burgundy, this is a great weekend for you!  Garrison’s has a burgundy tasting (including a $70 white burgundy), and Matello Winery (not French, Oregon) will also be tasted at Garrison’s and Storyteller Wine.  Matello Winery is getting some serious pub- we’re seeing them written up everywhere as a “Great Value” and great tasting wine, we can’t wait to try for ourselves!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Korkage Wine Shop
Zinfandel, Joel Gott, Folie A Deux, Charles Krug, St. Francis, Terra D’Oro, Live music by Rychen, 6-8 pm, $10

Oscar Albert
Sizzling Syrah’s, 6-8 pm, $15

Thirst
TBD, 5-closing, free

Friday, January 29, 2010

Blackbird Wine Shop
TBD

Cork, NE Alberta
Great New Spanish Values, 4-7 pm, $10.

Cornell Wine
Cabernet and Blends, 4:30-7 pm, $8-$16.

Every Day Wine
Russell Creek Winery, Walla Walla, WA, 5-9 pm, $15.

Garrison’s Fine Wines
The Varietals of Burgundy, 5-8 pm, $18.

Gem Wine Cellar & Wine Bar
Wines of the Rhone Valley, 5-8 pm, $15.

Great Wine Buys
No tasting

Hollywood Wine & Espresso
TBD, 5-10 pm, $10.

John’s Marketplace
All Dry Spanish Reds, 5-7 pm, $5.

Liner & Elsen
No tasting

Mt. Tabor Fine Wines
TBD, 4-7:30 pm, $15.

Portland Wine Merchants
4-8:00 pm, $15.

Storyteller Wine Co.
Reininger Winery, 6-9 pm, free.

Vino
Northern Italian Reds, 4:30-8 pm, fee

Vinopolis
Spanish Treasure, 12-7pm, $10 (also Saturday, noon-4 pm, $10)

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 4-7 pm, free

Wine/Unwind
Vina Zaco Tempranillo Rioja, 6 pm

Woodstock Wine and Deli
South Africa, 6:30 pm, $10.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Cork, NW Lovejoy
No tasting

Garrison’s Fine Wines
Everyday favorites including the 2008 Matello Pinot Noir, 1-4 pm, free

Great Wine Buys
Piedmont Reds, 2-5 pm, free.

Liner & Elsen
New World Delights, noon-5, free.

Portland Wine Merchants
free.

Storyteller Wines
New arrivals from Cameron, Honigh Schlucht and Matello! 12-5 pm, free.

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 12-5 pm

Solid lineup of Soter Vineyards Wines

If you are lucky enough to find the Soter Vineyards tasting room (on a day where they forgot to put up the sign), you’ll be greeted by the host at the beautiful tasting room with sparkling wine in hand.  Totally worth the frustration in finding the place, as the taste of the wines are directly proportional to the degree of difficulty in finding the tasting room.

Winegrower Tony Soter is famous in winegrowing circles for his consulting in Napa Valley for over 21 harvests, consulting for big boy wineries like Shafer and Spottswoode among others.  A native of Oregon, Tony Soter moved back to his native land an released his first vintage in Oregon in 1997, a Brut Rose sparkling wine.

The 2006 Beacon Hill Pinot was our favorite, why did you sell it Tony? Say it ain't so!

The Wines:

2005 Brut Rose Sparkling Wine

We were most excited to have this wine prior to the tasting as it was this very wine that motivated us to go to Soter.  Unfortunately, at the tasting it seemed flat (but still “good”).  Last week a good friend shared a bottle with us, and it was crisp, lively, full of life and one of the best sparklers we’ve ever had.

Price: $48-$50
QPR Rating: -$8/90-92
Availability: Whole Foods, Soter Vineyard

2007 North Valley Pinot Noir

Similar to the Brut, we have tasted this wine before, and it proved to be a very consistent and straightforward “slightly better than entry level” Pinot Noir.  Soter’s goal is to make this wine a 100% Oregon product including grapes and barrels.  Strawberry, smoke, and creme brulee are strong on the nose, with a hint of saccharine on the finish.

Price: $27
QPR Rating:  -$7/85-86
Availability: Soter Vineyard

2006 Beacon Hill Pinot Noir

In the April 2008 issue of Food & Wine magazine, Lettie Teague described the 2006 Beacon Hill Pinot as “Tight”.  What a difference two years make, as this wine was clearly our favorite of the day.  We immediately smelled roses, fennel seed and a swimming pool! (Possibly from the minerality in the vineyard?)  Dry, high acids, soft tannins and a long luxurious finish gave us an “Ah-ha” moment of tasting a special wine.  Unfortunately, Tony Soter sold this vineyard in 2005 and this is the last vintage from Beacon Hill.  Hopefully he didn’t sell the wrong vineyard…

Price: $45
QPR Rating: $0/92-94
Availability: Soter Vineyard

2006 Mineral Springs Pinot Noir

Compared to the Beacon Hill, the Mineral Springs is more new world in style, with a meatier (pancetta?), slightly vanilla and spice nose.  Also dry with high acids, it’s bigger on the attack but hollower on the mid-palate.  Also very good, but $15 more expensive than the Beacon Hill.

Price: $60
QPR Rating: -$15/90-91
Availability: Soter Vineyard

2005 Little Creek Proprietary Red

The grapes are listed as from Tony Soter’s personal property in Napa Valley, and it clearly has a Napa bouquet of black cherry candy necklace.  A blend of primarily Cabernet Franc, it tastes like a Cabernet Sauvignon but only has 10% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  Very good, and probably a fair deal if you are in Napa at $75, but we’re not, so the QPR rating is low.

Price: $75
QPR Rating: -$30/90-91
Availibility: Soter Vineyard

Playing Ball With Mack, House "puppy"

Clearly, Tony Soter is producing world class wines, as all of the wines we tasted were excellent.

Soter Vineyards: www.sotervineyards.com