Portland Oregon Wine

Rosé Champagne Tasting!

Never before have there been so many different versions of Rosé Champagne offered to the world. The latest trend seems to be Saignée Rosés that are highly individual and often deeply vinous, riding the edge of red wine richness and complexity. On the other side of the spectrum are ever classic assemblage rosés with their timeless, unprecedented degree of elegance. Both styles have their place, and one is not superiour to the other (there are also some rosés that combine both styles). We invite you to come try 4 terrific examples of each this Friday! 8 Rosés from eight of Champagne’s finest growers (including some RARE appearances)
ranging from $50 to $100. Just $22/taster!

5:30-7:30 pm, $22

Every Day Wine

Remy Wines, Oregon

5-9 pm, $12.

Loire Valley

You might be thinking, Loire Valley… pass! This could be your first regret of the New Year. First the reds are perfect for this time between Winter and Spring. The whites are older or extended aged, so they have a greater texture and palate appeal than a summer white. For example, the 2005 Bregeon that spent 65 months aging prior to being bottled. This is just the start of the exciting wines to be tried this Friday.

2005 Domaine Raffault Chinon Les Picasses
2009 Domaine Baudry Chinon Clos Guillot
2009 Domaine C&P Breton Bourgueil Clos Senechal
2005 Dom. Bregeon Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie Reserve
1995 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie “Le L d’Or”

5-8 pm, $15.

No Tasting

TBD

5-7 pm, $5.

Spain on Parade: Four decades of Riojas!

5:30-7:30 pm, fee.

Mt. Tabor Fine Wines

Iberian Reds

Featuring wines from the great bargains of the world to the heady heights of the best.

4-8:00 pm, $15.

The Portland Bottle Shop

Northern Italian wine from distributor Grape Expectations

5-7:30, $10

TBD

4:30-7:30, $15

Storyteller Wine Co.

New arrivals from France!

New wines are arriving on Friday and I’m pretty excited about pouring them for you! There is a very wine savvy fellow in New York City by the name of Michel Robert Abood and I have been reading his posts and bantering with him electronically on various wine boards for years. Michel has an import company in NYC called Vinotas Selections and he sources beautifully priced wines from family farmers in France and Spain. This Friday we will be featuring wines from a couple of Michel’s producers in the Loire Valley. Now it is customary to toast new arrivals so the “super pour” on Friday will involve a bottle of champagne from one of Champagne’s very best winemakers, Cedric Bouchard. There will be a nominal fee for the “super pour” but the regular portion of the tasting will be free of charge. And even the “super pour” fee will be happily refunded with any purchase of a champagne made by Cedric Bouchard (and boy will we have lots of options of Bouchard bubblies to select from this Friday).

6-9 pm, free.

Vino

TBD

4:30-8 pm, fee.

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 4-6:30 pm, free

Wineup Wine Merchants

Obscure Italian Wines

5-7:30, $5 (waived with purchase)

Woodstock Wine and Deli

Washington Cabernet

This Friday we’ll taste and evaluate Washington State Cabernet Sauvignons and red blends based on Cabernet Sauvignon. We start by asking our salesmen from each of the best Oregon wholesalers to recommend only the finest wine in each price range, from about $10 to $30 a bottle, that they have to offer. Then we’ll taste the various submissions side by side with multiple tasting glasses within each price range. Along the way we’ll discuss the relative merits of the comparably priced wines. Our goal is to end up with the best wine in each price category from all those distributed in Oregon, and stock those wines at the Deli, so we can offer you the best buy for your wine money invested. After we spend a few weeks in Washington, we’ll then focus on California Cabernet Sauvignon based reds.

6:30 pm, $10.

“The Dirt” Oregon Wines on Broadway Tasting- Wednesday, February 1, 2012

bernard — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:03 +0000

From OWOB Press Release:

‘From the Alps to the sea’
Wednesday February 1st 5-8PM “The Dirt” on offbeat Northern Italian Wines

For all you dirt fans this tasting will take you on a trip through Italy from the Alps to the sea. We’ll be switching up the format a little bit so expect a couple changes when you arrive. Patrick will be pouring a selection of wines from the lesser know regions of Northern Italy. Don’t expect to see any wines from Piedmont in the lineup. We’re saving that for another time. Instead we are going to feature some of my favorites from Valle d’Aosta, Lombardy, Alto Adige, and Liguria. If you’ve never had wines made from Teroldego, Pigato, Mayolet, or Petit Rouge grapes this is your chance. To tempt you I’ve included a picture of Elisabetti Foradori’s vineyard at the base of the Dolomite mountains. Incredible! Hope to see you Wednesday the 1st at OWOB 5-8PM!

Dirt is presented by Patrick Benad and features wines from regions other than the Pacific Northwest. Dirt tastings are on the first and third Wednesday of every month.

Wine Tastings in Portland, Oregon: Thursday, February 2, 2012

bernard — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:02:58 +0000

Vista Hills Winery at Korkage Wine Shop Thursday

Thursday’s tastings in town:

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Korkage Wine Shop

This week’s featured Dundee winery, Vista Hills Vineyards, has a history of “best buys”, “top 100″s and medal wins. We’ve got their new releases for you to try along with Tim Roth’s fabulous 30′s and 40′s blues and jazz standards on his acoustic guitar. It will be a fun night!

2010 Treehouse Pinot Gris
2009 Fourmen Pinot Noir
2008 Treehouse Pinot Noir
2008 Tusculum Pinot Noir
2008 Piedmont Pinot Noir

6-9 pm, fee.

Thirst

Free tasting in the tasting room, weekly on Thursdays

5-8 pm, free.

Marcus Canby’s “Hustle and Desire” plus Portland, Oregon Wine Tastings: Saturday, January 28, 2012

bernard — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:35:32 +0000

Blazer Big Man Marcus Canby with 20 Rebounds Last Night!

According to former Miami University Head Coach (and previous Bob Knight Assistant at Indiana) Joby Wright, rebounding is all about “hustle and desire”. Marcus Canby exemplified a lot of hustle by grabbing 20 boards last night, and showed how unselfish he is by scoring 0 points! Amazingly, he had 20 rebounds in the 3rd quarter as the Blazers finally blew somebody out at the RG.

Today’s zinfandel tasting at E & R reminds me of a Canby-Like-Effort, with 3 (free!) famous zinfandel from California. Actually, the Robert Biale zin is not just famous, it is notorious for the “Black Chicken” zin. Make sure to ask about that story today! Along with the Ridge and Turley, the tasting at E & R sure has a lot of hustle and desire!

Saturday, January 28, 2011

Cornell Wine
TBD

We are Having a Zinfest!

We are tasting 3 of the the most iconic producers of Zinfandel in California – TURLEY, BIALE and RIDGE. Taste the difference in different wine appellations, coupled with different winemaking philosophies.

All Zinfandel does not taste alike, just some have taste! Free is a very good price! 10 wines, 0 charge.

2006 Po de Poeira Douro Tino (best deal in the Douro)
2007 Fattoria le Pupille Morellino di Scansano (SuperTuscan)

1-4 pm, free

Sineann

Longtime wine scenester Patrick McElligott will be on hand to pour Northwest Sineann: Pinot Noir, lusty red blends and the legendary Old Vine Zinfandel. FREE!

2-5 pm, free.

We’re pouring Matello Cuvee Lazarus Pinot Noir, Espelt Garnacha Old Vines, and more.

noon-5, free.

free.

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 12-5 pm

Wine Tastings In Portland, Oregon: Friday, January 27, 2012

bernard — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:03:32 +0000

Tonight is Your Chance To Drink Wines Made in Clay Pots at Storyteller Wine Co.!

Congrats again to the winner of our annual “Best Weekly Tastings” award Storyteller Wine Company. Since we LOVE self promotion, or self aggrandizement, or any kind of self that makes us look bigger and better than we really are, here is a snippet from this week’s Storyteller Wine Company newsletter that mentions-you guessed it-us!

I just found out that Storyteller Wine Company has, for the second time in four short years of existence, won the award for “Best Wine Tastings in Portland” over at the PortlandOregonWine website. The award is based on votes received from hardcore wine lovers throughout the Portland area (and beyond I’m guessing) and we are honored to even be considered for the title. To celebrate the victory we will be “getting extreme” this Friday evening.

The “getting extreme” part involves drinking wine from clay pots! Cool! Check out other great tastings tonight below, cheers!

Friday, January 27, 2011

Blackbird Wineshop
TBD

Cork, NE Alberta

Indigenous Italy
Jan. 27 * 4-7pm * $12 tasting fee

Drop in tasting, no reservations needed

If you’re intrigued about what historical grape varietals taste like, I encourage you to join us this Friday, as we’ll be pouring Schioppettino alongside four other indigenous Italian varietals that have serious histories of their own. The lineup will go from North to South and touch on 5 of the 30 main wine regions that make up the state of Italy.

Here’s the plan for Friday’s pours: Schioppettino from Friuli, an example of the ‘Eccellente Marzemino‘ grape from Veneto (to quote a famous line from Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni), the little lovely Pelaverga Piccolo from Piemonte, the Piedirosso grape from Campania whose name means ‘red feet’ and Uva di Troia grown in Northern Puglia near the town of Troia (named for the legendary Greek hero, Diomedes, who destroyed the ancient Troy and then founded this Italian town later).

While experts dispute the true number of grape types still growing in Italy, modern day wineries are bottling somewhere between 800 and 1200 different indigenous Italian varietals. This Friday’s tasting will just scratch the surface, but still should illuminate the opportunities for the Italian wine explorer.

Friday’s tasting is from 4pm to 7pm and we encourage you to come early this week, as the Blazers tip off at 7pm and we want to watch the game too! $12 tasting fee* (cork club members receive 2 complimentary flights). Drop in tasting, no reservations needed.

CorksCru

TBD

5-7 pm, $5

Cornell Wine

South/Southwest of France

4:30-7 pm, $8-$16.

Every Day Wine

Italy- small vineyards

5-9 pm, $12.

Foster and Dobbes

This Friday, January 27, from 4:30 to 6:30, winemaker Jim Prosser of J.K. Carriere Wines will be here to share. While most of our tastings feature range and variety, this one will focus on Prosser’s three very different – and we think masterful — expressions of pinot noir: the J.K. Carriere 2009 Provocateur WV Pinot Noir, 2009 Vespidae WV Pinot Noir, and 2009 Antoinette Limited Bottling Pinot Noir.

From vintage, to vineyard, to grape, to the name on the label, Prosser is nothing if not deliberate. Corporate escapee, world traveler, and one of Outside Magazine’s “25 Coolest People” in 2004, Prosser relies on personal experience and taste rather than popular notions during his winemaking process. He says, “We like our wines, like our friends and our dinner guests, to be vibrant in character, generous in spirit, acidic in wit, balanced in consideration of opposing tastes, and above all else… real.”

Stop by, chat with the winemaker himself, and let us pair a cheese plate with some of these pinots. Commence: weekend!

4:30-6:30 pm, free.

Bordeaux

Its been a long time since we have done Bordeaux, let alone Bordeaux varietals. This Friday we will pour a select group of Bordeaux, three representing a mini-vertical of a particular producer. Bordeaux seems to be a flagship wine of anyone’s cellar and with all of the press on the recent vintages (2009, 2005, 2000), along with increase in world wide demand the prices of escalated beyond the grasp of many. Yet, there are always wines hidden away from the critics eyes that provided great drinking pleasure along with age ability.

2009 Chateau Aney Haut-Medoc
2005 Chateau Aney Haut-Medoc
1996 Chateau Aney Haut-Medoc
2005 Chateau Gombaude Gillot Cadet de Gombaude Pomerol
2005 Chateau Boutisse St. Emillon

5-8 pm, $15.

Aged Guigal Côte Rôtie vs. Hermitage

1995, 1997, 1999 Vintages

Is it a vertical? A horizontal? It’s both! The name Guigal looms large in the Rhône valley especially in the north, Syrah country. Although one of the biggest domaines, their commitment to quality is unwavering and their Côte Rôtie and Hermitage can last decades. Last summer we drank these appellations side by side, same vintage and it was illuminating. Years in the bottle had peeled back the curtain of tannins and raw power revealing the underlying terroir characteristics. It was such a cool experience that we’ve decided to share. $30. Limited availability – Tasting is non-reservation, so first-come, first-served.

Michael Rhodes of Vine Merchants Distribution Group pours wines from Southwest France… including Martinolles Blanquette sparkling wine, Philemon Gaillac, Cros Marcillac VV, Laffitte-Teston Madiran, Mas del Perie Cahors.

5-7 pm, $5.

No Tasting

Mt. Tabor Fine Wines

We’ve got a nice blend of three new release 2010’s, a stellar new 2009 and two very strong, classic 2008’s. 2010, as mentioned before, shows great promise. The wines are lower in alcohol than in recent memory while maintaining good balance and concentration from very long “hang time”. Hang time is the amount of time the grapes mature on the vine and in 2010, because of a very cool summer, the grapes hung extra long which enhances texture, length and concentration. 2010 had some of the longest hang time ever. The wines are not big, lush and forward. Out of the box they remind me of 2007, with maybe a bit more of everything. But like 2007, which has gone from panned to now considered one of the classics, the wines will need a bit of bottle age to flesh out. In the long run we’re in for a great vintage to buy and cellar. All of the 2010’s that we’re pouring are the “little” wines from the wineries offering them. The first releases, so to speak. All three are great values. I picked the three because they are all showing well right now and, like the 2010 Broadley, ready to go. The Cameron 2009 Arley’s from the Abbey Ridge Vineyard is awesome. It’s seamless from start to finish and, at just over 13 alcohol, has none of the heat in the finish that some 09’s have. Carabella continues to make solid wines in very small quantities. I’m a huge fan of their Pinot Gris and Chard and this estate Pinot Noir from the great 2008 vintage is sublime. I thought we had poured the 08 Beaux Freres “Beaux Freres Vineyard” before but after checking I see that we have not. If you’re a B F fan you simply have to have the 08 in your cellar. On February 1st this wine will become a “library release” and the price will go from $75 to $90! If you want the wine buy it in the next few days.

THE LINEUP

2010 Cummings Road, Yamhill- Carlton District $20
2010 Ayres, Ribbon Ridge- Eola Hills $21
2010 Patricia Green, Reserve $23
2008 Carabella, Estate/ Chehalem Mountains $37
2009 Cameron, Arley’s Leap/ Dundee Hills $39

PREMIUM POUR ($7) 2008 Beaux Freres, Beaux Freres Vineyard $75

That’s it for now. We’re headed for a terrific 2012 Pinot buying year considering all of the great 2010’s to be released. And the good news is that 2011 seems to be cut from the same mold. Let’s face it, lower alcohol Pinots with great flavor concentration is just about perfect!

4-8:00 pm, $15.

The Portland Bottle Shop

Dani from D’Vine Wine Imports – details to come

5-7:30, $10

BORDEAUX! Taste through a selection of new releases & some well aged Beauties!!

4:30-7:30, $15

Storyteller Wine Co.

J. Christopher and wines in clay pots!

If you drop by Friday night you will get a chance to try wines made in amphorae clay pots, white wines that have been made like red wines with extended skin contact and red wines grown on the slopes of volcanoes. The two main focal points will be the ultra rare extended skin contact Vermentino from Antonio Perrino in Liguria (1 case made it to Oregon) and the latest release from Jay Somers, the 2009 JJ Pinot Noir.

You may be asking yourself why a J. Christopher Pinot Noir would be considered extreme? Well, it is made with left over barrels from basically every vineyard Jay worked with in 2009. Those vineyards produced some of Jay’s best wines ever, garnering all sorts of crazy scores from publications like the Wine Advocate. The JJ, however, does not sell for 30.00 to 50.00 a bottle like the single vineyard wines. No, the JJ is an extreme deal at 15.00. We poured a blind sample of this wine at last Friday night’s tasting and people consistently guessed it would cost 30.00 to 40.00 a bottle. We had one person suggest 24.00 and that was the only guess under thirty bucks. Drop by Friday evening any time between the hours of 6:00 and 9:00PM if you would like to try the JJ for yourself!

6-9 pm, free.

Vino

Spanish

Spanish wines sound so good right now. Wines that practically shout warmth, richness, and the earth where they’re grown. Maybe it’s the sun outside that’s got me in the mood. Or perhaps it’s my unending wanderlust. Could be the fact that I just found out the “man bun” is the new look for certain hipster-ish types. Although that only makes me need a drink of whatever is set in front of me. The man bun. Really?? Better to think of Spain, I say. Even better to drink of Spain, whatever reason moves you. As always tomorrow at VINO we’ve gathered together some truly wonderful, character-filled bottles of Iberian produce. Things that I promise you’ll love (hint: if you want to love them more, grab some Olympic Provisions Rioja Chorizo to bring along) and will enhance your personal and edible well being. Just wait. One sip of these and the reason for the wine love will be self-evident….
* 2007 LUNA BLANCA Toro Tempranillo $10.95
* 2007 CUATRO PASOS Bierzo Mencia $11.95…90 pts- Wine Advocate
* 2009 CASA CASTILLO Monastrell $14.95…90 pts-Wine Advocate
* 2004 BODEGAS VALDEMAR Rioja Reserva $17.95…90 pts-Wine Advocate
* 2006 BODEGAS GUELBENZU Vine de la Tierra “Azul” $18.95
And then your bonus rewards come calling….
* 2006 ISIS Montsant $22.95
* 2007 CASAL NOVO Mencia “Valdeorras” $24.95..91 pts-Wine Advocate
* 2004 CIMS DE PORRERA Priorat “Solanes” $34.95….91 pts- Wine Advocate

4:30-8 pm, fee.

The Wine Cellar
TBD, 4-6:30 pm, free

Wineup Wine Merchants

Spain

5-7:30, $5 (waived with purchase)

Woodstock Wine and Deli

The Best Chiantis in Oregon Part III

This Friday we’ll keep going on Italian Chianti in depth with our final week #3. We want to try the best of wines offered by the many wholesalers in Oregon in each price range. Last week we tasted a selection of $20 to $30 wines. For the final week we’ll do $10 to $30 bottles of last minute wines that didn’t fit into the first 2 weeks. We learned quite a bit the last 2 weeks and our goal is to find the finest wine in each price range so we can offer you the best buy for your wine money invested. The next categories we’ll focus on in a few weeks will be mid-priced red wines from Washington and then California.

6:30 pm, $10.

Winner! 2011 “Best Weekly Tastings” – Storyteller Wine Company

bernard — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:52:14 +0000

While Lady Gaga Won 4 MTV Music Awards, Storyteller Wine Company is the 2011 Winner of "Best Weekly Wine Tastings" in Portland!

Our first announcement for the portlandoregonwine.com’s “Best of 2011″ awards goes to the hands down winner of “Best Weekly Tastings”- Storyteller Wine Company located off Macadam Avenue in Portland. Week in, week out “Head Storyteller” (a.k.a. @headstoryteller) Michael Alberty crushes it with fantastic tastings.

All-Star Winemakers at Storyteller Wine Company! (Kelley Fox, Rebecca Marie Pittock Shouldis, Isabel Dutartre and Eva!)

Often winemakers are pouring the wines, including the likes of local wine celebs Barnaby and Olga Tuttle of Teutonic Wine Company, Kelley Fox (Kelley Fox Wines), Scott Paul (Scott Paul Wines), Maggie Harrison (Antica Terra), Tyson Crowley (Crowley Wines), and of course potentially the Best Looking Winemaker Marcus Goodfellow of Matello Wines!

Maggie Harrison Tasting Her Internationally Acclaimed Antica Terra Pinot

In addition to the SPECTACULAR weekly tastings, the big bonus is Michael Alberty usually charges very little or nothing for the tastings! As the name implies, Michael carries wines with a story, and are usually fairly “natural” from smaller producers that you usually do not find at the big box stores. Congratulations Storyteller Wine Company!

Storyteller Wine Company

5511b Hood Ave

Portland, OR, 97239

503-206-7029

www.storytellerwine.com

Patricia Green is In the House! Plus, wine tastings in Portland, Oregon: January 21, 2012

bernard — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:49:56 +0000

Willamette Valley Royalty at E & R Today! Patricia Green is In the Hizzy!

Today is clearly the best Saturday tasting of 2012, with numerous shops bringing out some big guns. E & R is hosting a winemaker event with Patricia Green (of you guessed it- Patricia Green Cellars) and Anthony King of Lemelson today, do not miss that one! Also, the rising (dare we say “cult”) winery Corazon is at Great Wine Buys today, also with the winemaker Spencer Sievers. Plus the usual good stuff at Liner and Elsen, Storyteller Wine, Bob Loblaw…

Cheers!

Saturday, January 21, 2011

Two Cool Oregon Winemakers Live! patty green of patricia green cellars and lemelson vineyards winemaker anthony king,
this saturday, january 21 from 1-4pm join winemakers
patty green and lemelson vineyards winemaker
anthony king as they each pour
5 or 6 of their new wines. it’s free!
and we will have special discounts for purchases!

2007 Chateau St. Martin de la Garrigue Tradition
2009 Domaine Joncier Rose

1-4 pm, free

El Corazon is In The House!

All the way from Walla Walla, Spencer Sievers, the poster-boy for friendly fun-loving winemakers, wants to pour you his goods, the immensely popular El Corazon Cab Franc, Malbec, and Syrah. Tiny production Washington reds that crackle with intensity. FREE!

2-5 pm, free.

I will have these wines open for tasting Saturday for a $3.00 fee for all 8 wines but…4-5 pm Wines are not in stock at the store, … but are available for ordering. All 8 wines for just $3.00…

1) Medici 2004 East Block Pinot Noir $21.99
2) Medici 2005 East Block Pinot Noir $21.99
3) Medici 2003 Block I & II Pinot Noir $21.99
4) Medici 2006 Block I & II Pinot Noir $21.99
5) Sineann 2010 Red Table Wine $22.99
6) Sineann 2009 Abondanté Columbia Valley Red $22.99
7) Sineann 2010 Merlot -Champoux $22.99
8) Sineann 2010 Old Vine Zinfandel $36.99

France Again: Dom. Mavette Blanc, Vins Auvigue Mâcon Davayé, Bénédicte et Hubert Montigny-Piel Clos Saint Fiacre Rosé, L’Audace du Domaine des Forges Anjou, and Yves Cheron Côtes du Rhône.

noon-5, free.

12-5, Always free and exciting!

Storyteller Wines

We will be closing early on Saturday but rest assured there will be something open for you to try if you drop by. And who knows, because of my joy over having a shortened day, I might just be in the mood to wheel and deal.

12-? pm, free.

Eva and the Best Named Woman In Portland, Stephanie Sprinkle of E & R Wine Shop

Oregon’s Special Election for the 1st Congressional District and Wine Tastings in Portland, Oregon: Friday, January 20, 2012

bernard — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:01:20 +0000

The Nation's Eyes are on Oregon for the 2012 Special Election in Congress

We received the voter’s pamphlet and ballot for the 1st Congressional District Special Election, and are going to send it in today. Who to vote for? Does it really matter? According to the political pundits across the country it does indeed matter! This election, according to experts, will be a litmus test for the elections in November for the rest of the country, a “Barack-O-Bama-Meter” (I just made that up!) to see if the country believes in the President’s policies.

This is the first mention of politics on this site, and possibly the last! One more thing: check your facts before believing any emails from either party as there are many misconceptions out there (see the 3.5% sales tax on home sales). FactCheck.org seems to be pretty good at clearing misconceptions up.

Now, back to WINE! The wine shops in town are back in full swing, and there are at least 14 really good tastings out there tonight! The Qupe vertical at Cork really got our attention, and there is a huge sale at E & R tonight with Kermit Lynch wines (always and forever, our favorite).

Good luck with the elections, and on a personal message to Dan Savage: we are definitely NOT voting for Rick Santorum!!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Blackbird Wineshop
TBD

Cork, NE Alberta

Qupe Vertical

Our first epic tasting of 2012 is this Friday, starting at 4pm and going until we run out of these very special bottles. We encourage you to come early so you get to taste all 6 wines. Our plan is to taste the newest release of Central Coast Syrah from 2009 which includes some fruit from Qupe’s Bien Nacido vineyard where the winery is located along with fruit sourced from other sites in the area. Then we’ll show you the 2007 bottling of the single-vineyard Bien Nacido Syrah. We’ll finish it off with a run of 3 vintages, from 2004 to 2006, of the more select Bien Nacido Hillside parcel that sits above the Qupe winery. If we’re lucky, we’ll receive a sample of the just-released 2008 Bien Nacido to also show, barring more snow in the pass slowing down its arrival! Truly a special tasting and great opportunity to see how these gamey Rhone-style Syrah bottlings really unfold with some age. $12 tasting fee* (two complimentary flights per cork club membership). Drop in tasting, no reservations needed.

CorksCru

TBD

5-7 pm, $5

Cornell Wine

Oregon Pinot Noir

4:30-7 pm, $8-$16.

Tasting of 10 sale wines

6:30-8:30, $5 (refundable with purchase)

Every Day Wine

No tasting

Foster and Dobbes

TBD

4:30-6:30 pm, free.

Through the snow, ice and rain I will be here all this week. Especially on Friday for this tasting when I pour the perfect reds for these cold winter days. The first wine is a monople for Jadot in Pommard. The vineyard is enclosed by a stone wall covered in vines. The second wine is a Bandol from Provence, predominately Mourvedre. The third wine in the flight is a Corbieres made from 100+ year old Carignan vines in Corbieres. Then we will try the newest release from Cameron Winery, the 2009 Arley’s Leap. This is the younger vines (still 20+ years old) of Abbey Ridge planted from the Clos Electrique clones of the estate vineyard. Lastly, we will try the not your typical wine from the Veneto. This is a Bordeaux blend made in the home of Amarone; comprised of Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc.

2006 Louis Jadot Pommard 1er Clos de La Commaraine
2007 Domaine Tour du Bon Bandol
2009 Maxime Magnon Corbieres Campagnes (100 year old vines)
2009 Cameron Pinot Noir Arley’s Leap
2007 Loredan Gasparini Venegazzu della Casa

5-8 pm, $15.

2009 Oregon Pinot Noir

A well-endowed vintage that’s drinking great already. Shea Wine Cellars, J. Christopher, Soter, Thomas and an older vintage for the bonus. $17

I will pour Obscure Italian White Varietals and some Bargain Red Bordeaux

5-7 pm, $5.

What’s Happening in Washington? A taste of Washington State Cabernets and blends.

5:30-7:30, fee

Mt. Tabor Fine Wines

SPICY, PEPPERY REDS FROM FRANCE’S RHONE VALLEY

Just back from a fantastic, relaxing, waist expanding vacation and ready to rock. This week we begin our 2012 tasting schedule with Rhone reds. These are just great wines at all different price points and I think they are the best values in the world of red wine today. 2010 is offering some delicious wines, both red and white, from all over Europe. The Rhone’s are big and full of flavor but are not heavy handed in any way and have beautiful balance. So far I’m a huge fan of the vintage. The Chateauneuf premium pour comes from vines planted in 1896! Talk about craggy, old vine, depth and intensity, this is a relative bargain at $55. I truly love every wine in this lineup. So come welcome us back and any sort of weight loss suggestions will be gratefully accepted!

4-8:00 pm, $15.

The Portland Bottle Shop

German Rieslings

5-7:30, $10

NEW WORLD! California, Washington, South America & more!!

4:30-7:30, $15

Storyteller Wine Co.

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Comparative Tasting: 2007 and 2009.

2007 and 2009 represent two very different vintages when it comes to weather. This Friday evening we will be tasting wines from each of these vintages to get a better idea of what those differences mean in the bottle. The spotlight will be squarely on the newly released 2009 Cameron Arley’s Leap Pinot Noir and a special library release from Michael Stevenson, the 2007 Stevenson-Barrie Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. Other wineries that will have bottles in this tasting include Scott Paul Wines, Beaux Freres and Grochau Cellars. Amazingly, there will be no charge for this tasting. I hope you are able to join us as this should be a very interesting tasting.

6-9 pm, free.

Vino

TBD

4:30-8 pm, fee.

The Wine Cellar

Tasty Spanish Gems

4-7 pm, $10 (free with purchase)

Wineup Wine Merchants

Victoria From ODOM Southern Will Be Pouring Wines From Argentina

Layer Cake Malbec
Alamos Torrontes
Don Miguel Gascon Reserva Malbec
Argento Bonarda
Graffinga Pinot Grigio

5-7:30, $5 (waived with purchase)

Woodstock Wine and Deli

Best Chianti in Oregon

This Friday we’ll keep going with Italian Chianti in depth. This will be week 2 of Friday Night Wine Tastings featuring this category. We want to try the best of wines offered by the many wholesalers in Oregon in each price range. We’ll go from about $10 to $30 a bottle. Last week we tasted a selection of $10 to $20 wines. This week we’ll taste from $20 to $30 Chiantis. We learned quite a bit last week and found 4 to maybe 5 wines out of 8 that we’ll consider for our wine shelf set. Our goal is to find the finest wine in each price range so we can offer you the best buy for your wine money invested. We may even go for 1 more week of Chiantis and try to bring back a few of the he best from each previous week to end up with our final Chianti selection. The next categories we’ll focus on in a few weeks will be mid-priced red wines from Washington and California.

6:30 pm, $10.

E & R Wine Tasting Class and Tastings for Thursday, January 19, 2012

bernard — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:47:52 +0000

Wine Tasting Class at E & R Tonight, It's a Good One!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

E & R Wine Shop

Tasting Class! Call E & R for details (or see calendar on the right side bar of this site)

Korkage Wine Shop

Mia Sonatina Cellars

You’ve heard of startup companies that kickoff in their garage? Well that’s where it all started for the founders of Mia Sonatina Cellars before they opened in 2007! They make only 1200 cases a year – so I doubt you’ll find them in your grocery store. Up from Amity to visit, come on out and try this boutique winemaker’s old world style red wine lineup. You’ll also enjoy live music by Rychen “The Lone Guitar”:

2006 Allegro
2007 Pinot Noir
2007 Merlot
2008 Cabernet Franc
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
2006 Crescendo

6-9 pm, fee.

Thirst

TBD

5-8 pm, free every Thursday in the Bistro

Saturday’s Wine Tastings in Portland, Oregon: January 14, 2011

bernard — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:08:15 +0000

Bringing Sexy Back

For some unknown reason I have the TV on to Fuse watching the top Justin Timberlake videos, perhaps I’m waiting for the upcoming snow storm or I’m just plain bored. Regardless, there are only two good tastings I can find today, Liner and Elsen and Great Wine Buys both have free tastings this afternoon. Keep your eyes out for some seriously good special tastings over the next few weeks, will keep you posted.

Saturday, January 14, 2011

Cornell Wine
TBD

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

We’re going Down Under for some sunny and fun Australian wines. A bit of Shiraz, some blends and even a Rhone-style white to spice up the winter blues. FREE!

2-5 pm, free.

FROM ITALY: Giordano Lombardo Gavi di Gavi, Primosic Malvasia, Fattoria Laila Verdicchio, Bisceglia Aglianico del Vulture, Flavio Fanti La Palazzetta Sant’Antimo Rosso, and Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto di Dogliani.

noon-5, free.