Sacred Drop 
Join us at Origin ’13: Feasting with the Chehalem Mountain and Ribbon Ridge AVAs
Posted on July 30, 2013
Many times, the wineries come to the city, simply because it is easier for patrons, like you and me, to taste their wines. Why not take a break from the city and come out to the nearest wine country area to you to enjoy the sweet smelling air, the beauty of the vineyard and a chance to try some of the best wines Oregon has to offer. Chehalem Mountain and Ribbon Ridge are the closest wine area to Portland, within a 30 minute drive, you could be enjoying some of the best views in the country, not to mention eating some of best foods Portland has to offer.
On Saturday, August 10 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., this AVA is putting on a great event featuring the food as much as the wine. It will be held at Arborbrook Winery next to Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg at 17770 NE Calkins Ln in Newberg, OR 97132.
These tickets include the food AND the wine, so it’s a steal at $60. You must be 21 and over to come.
It will feature the Chefs of:
EaT: An Oyster Bar with The Parrish
Bollywood Theater with Coquine
Wildwood Restaurant
Subterra
Olympic Provisions
The featured Wineries include:
A Blooming Hill Vineyard, Adelsheim, Alloro, Anam Cara, ArborBrook, Artisanal, Beckham Estate, Bergstrom, Bernard Machado, Blakeslee, Carabella, Chehalem, Cooper Mountain, Colene Clemens, Dion, Elk Cove, Gresser, Hawks View Cellars, K&M, Longplay Wine, Le Cadeau, Raptor Ridge, Redman, Rex Hill, ROCO, RR, Tresori, Trisaetum, Vidon, Volare, White Rose
You can purchase your tickets here: http://www.chehalemmountains.org/origin
What pairs well with Tango music, a great steak and a group of friends? Malbec, of course!
Posted on June 17, 2013
When you think of Argentina, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Tango, the Andes Mountains and a phenomenal steak? What would you pair with all of these things? For me, it would be a Malbec from Argentina.
While at the Wine Blogger’s Conference in Penticton, British Columbia, I had the chance to sit down with Jon Staenberg of Hand of God wines. Jon talked to me about how it all started for him in the wine industry with Hand of God wines. Join me as I interview the self proclaimed, “Minister of Sunshine” and his journey with Hand of God wines.
For more information or to order these wines, please visit http://www.handofgodwines.com or follow them @handofgodwines on Twitter and Facebook.
Cheers!
Looking forward to #WBC13! A preview of the Wine Blogger’s Conference in British Columbia
Posted on June 2, 2013 1 Comment
As the week progresses, you may see a few #WBC13 twitter handles taking over the wine world, this stands for Wine Blogger’s Conference 2013. This conference is being held in Penticton in the middle of the beautiful Okanagan Valley wine-growing region of British Columbia.
Here, as a wine blogger, this is a unique opportunity to try wines from the hosting region, learn more about visiting sponsor regions and to catch with and learn from fellow bloggers. While this conference will be smaller in size from previous conferences, there is a great line-up of activities and learning opportunities. From this, I have mapped out my areas of focus that you can look forward to learning about in the upcoming months.
– Wines of Uruguay, Uruguay may not be as well known as a wine-making region like its neighbors, Chile and Argentina but is starting to make a name for itself though its Tannat grape variety. Tannat is to Uruguay as Malbec is to Argentina as Carmenere is to Chile. Uruguay is a region with rolling hills and prairies, a cooling Atlantic ocean breeze, rainfall equal to that of Oregon and more vineyard acreage than Oregon, this is a land of possibilities. It is also been ranked, in the 2005 Environmental Sustainability index of Yale and Columbia University, as the purest vineyard environment in the world. I can’t wait to learn more and share it!Â
– D.O. Rueda, well-known in Spain, but not as well known outside of Spain. Having lived in Spain, I had the chance to try the amazing white wines made with Verdejo, an amazingly aromatic and tropical delight in the nose and mouth, which has become one of my favorite white varietals to date.  Rueda, is a wine-making region in the Castilla y Leon region, between Rioja and Ribera wine regions in Northern Spain. It is also near the border with Portugal, where the river Duero runs through it. This Spanish region is quickly becoming known for it’s amazing quality at an affordable price. I’m looking forward to tasting the wines again.
–  New Wines of Greece, Greece is among the oldest wine-producing regions in the world and yet I have not had a chance to try their wines. When I think of Greek wines, I think of pine or rather Retsina, which is a white wine (or rose) that derives its unique flavor from the pine resin used to seal the wine vessels. Greece has so much more to offer,therefore, the name “New wines of Greece.” Greek wine producers  are now re-inventing classics, exploring up and coming grape varieties, new terroirs and new winemaking techniques, I am really looking forward to seeing what Greece has to offer.Â
–  Wines of British Columbia, last but not least, a region I had never thought about until I attended the last Wine Blogger’s Conference in Portland, when they announced this year’s WBC. A land of over 60 varietals of grapes over 5 wine growing regions within British Columbia. They make everything from Merlot to ice wine!  Who knew that there were over 215 wineries just north Washington and Montana! This is why there are Wine Blogger’s conferences, because when you think you know it all, there is just so much more to learn!
These are just a few of areas of interest that caught my attention, I’m sure there will a lot more that I will write about. Stay tuned! See you at #WBC13!
