‘Wine’ Category
Next Page »Spanish Wine Tasting Dinner
on Thursday, March 8, 2012And now a trip to sunny Spain!
Spain is the third-largest producer of wine in the world. Winemaking is an essential part of Spanish history, as archaeologists have dated vines as far back as 4000 BC. However, it was not until recently that it became an important part of Spain’s economy and reputation. Since the 1950s, Spain’s economic independence has steadily increased, encouraging the development and exportation of wine. In 1996, restrictions on irrigation were lifted, further opening the industry for innovation and development.
Spain has a rigorous classification structure very similar to France’s. The classifications are (from most … Read the rest »
Spanish Wine Flight
on Tuesday, March 6, 2012Last month, in addition to bringing back wine tasting dinners, we introduced wine flights to our regular routine. The trial run, with Rhone-style wines, proved a success. It gave us a chance to share new wines with both our staff and our customers, and create a fun and educational conversation about those wines.
This month, we are continuing our exploration of traditional and contemporary European wines, but are heading to Spain! Spain is one of the oldest wine-growing countries in the world. Historians believe that varietals have been cultivated there for close to 3,000 years. In the late 19th century, … Read the rest »
Rhone Winetasting Dinner
on Monday, February 6, 2012
Four Courses – Four Wines $50
(and a real good time)
French Rhone wines come predominantly from two areas. The Northern Rhone begins just south of Lyon at Vienne and continues southerly to Valence. The northern tip of the much larger Southern Rhone is located around Montelimar and reaches down to Avignon before it forks westerly to Nimes and easterly to Cavaillon. Between the two is Clairette de Die. Janet and I will be vacationing in the region this spring and are yet to decide on the details of our trip so we decided to begin our adventure with you … Read the rest »
Ken Wright Wines Added To Our Fantastic Wine un-List!
on Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Ken Wright has been making wine in Oregon for twenty-six years. Over this period of time, the Wrights have established a reputation for creating exceptionally beautiful Pinot Noirs. They have mastered the art and science of winemaking, and as a result their fan base is vast and well-informed.
We are thrilled to be offering the following four of Ken’s wines on our wine list, all of which scored over 90 in Wine Spectator:
Abbott Claim Vineyard 2007 Pinot Noir: This vineyard is in the Carlton-Yamhill AVA. Here soils are high in sand and therefore offer the excellent drainage necessary for pinot … Read the rest »
Three Great Southern Oregon Wineries – and a fly-over on biodynamic farming
on Thursday, May 26, 2011The organization of AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas) in Southern Oregon is a little confusing. The Southern Oregon AVA was created in 2004 as a “super-AVA”, incorporating both the Rogue Valley and Umqua Valley AVA’s. Applegate Valley is a sub-AVA of the Rogue. Umqua Valley also has its own sub-AVA, the little known “Red Hill Douglas County, Oregon AVA”, which was clearly named by a committee.
For our current series we have selected two wines from Cowhorn Vineyard: a 2007 Syrah and a 2009 Grenache Rose. Cowhorn is a relatively young winery that has achieved remarkable success given their youth,
Join Us For Six Courses Of Fine Fare Paired With Seven Great Wines!
on Thursday, February 10, 2011
Every once in a while we like to do something really fun and special. This time we decided to collaborate with Tamarack Cellars of Walla Walla to host a dinner featuring Tamarack’s winemaker Danny Gordon and a great lineup of wines. Although Saturday night is a busy in the restaurant, we decided that it is worth clearing the decks in order to do something really great.We will feature seven wines paired with six spectacular courses prepared by Janet. As a special treat, noted jazz guitarist Dan Balmer will be on hand to serenade us while we eat and quaff. Danny
Three great Southern Oregon wineries – and a fly-over on biodynamic farming
on Saturday, August 28, 2010The organization of AVA’s (American Viticultural Areas) in Southern Oregon is a little confusing. The Southern Oregon AVA was created in 2004 as a “super-AVA”, incorporating both the Rogue Valley and Umqua Valley AVA’s. Applegate Valley is a sub-AVA of the Rogue. Umqua Valley also has its own sub-AVA, the little known “Red Hill Douglas County, Oregon AVA”, which was clearly named by a committee.
For our current series we have selected two wines from Cowhorn Vineyard… Read the rest »: a 2007 Syrah and a 2009 Grenache Rose. Cowhorn is a relatively young winery that has achieved remarkable success given their youth, and
Tasting Wines from Tuscany
on Thursday, March 25, 2010
On Friday, March 26th and April 2nd, we are featuring a selection of four wines from Tuscany that Janet will be pairing with some really great food. Four courses, four wines, $40, for goodness sake, don’t miss it.
We will start with a 2008 Vernacciadi San Gimignano by SanQuirico. This wine is crisp, dry, and refreshing with perfect acidity.
Next we’ll try a CastellodiBossi 2005 Chianti Classico made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. This juicy Chianti offers fruit, tannins and body that reach an elegant balance that carries through to the lingering finish. It’s the … Read the rest »
Women In Winemaking – Bergevin Lane Vineyards
on Saturday, November 7, 2009It seems only natural that we begin this series with Bergevin Lane Vineyards from Walla Walla. Annette Bergevin and Amber Lane are a couple of spirited, fun-loving, irreverent cute chics who make great wine. (As anybody can tell by meeting Janet, David is a big fan of cute chics.) Together with their winemaker Steffan Jorgenson, who brings a world of experience to his craft, Bergevin Lane practice a somewhat restrained style, coaxing extraordinary elegance from their wines. Bergevin Lane Vineyards is a sister stream in the world of wine to the Bethany’s Table freestyle approach to food and hospitality.
We … Read the rest »
Tempranillo By Alejandro Fernandez (& Eva)
on Wednesday, October 21, 2009A New Age of Women Winemakers
Quintessential Spanish Excellence
Tempranillo by Alejandro Fernandez
October 23rd & 30th we are moving from Multi-Generational Wineries to Multi-Generational Families Making Wine, and beginning with a focus on Women Winemakers. Alejandro Fernandez has turned over the job of making wine to his daughter Eva.
Previously we have featured Spanish wines because of the excellent value they afford. While the wines produced from Tempranillo grapes by Alejandro Fernandez are not inexpensive, they are nonetheless true to this theme. These are truly great wines.
Because we are working with a single varietal, Janet must be especially … Read the rest »
