Metrovino… Top-Notch Wine Bar, Enticing Restaurant or a Whole Lot of Both?

Metrovino, located in Portland’s upscale and uber-trendy Pearl district, is a
serious restaurant first and an excellent winebar second. Or, is that serious wine bar first, and an excellent restaurant second? Actually, they’d both be correct. Go for the food, go for the wine, either way you’re sure to leave satisfied.

Co-owner and manager Todd Steele, moved to Portland from San Francisco bringing his love of food and wine with him. While working for Agrivino Wine Center, he learned about the Enomatic wine systems and a seed was planted. He nurtured the dream and in 2009, Metrovino took root in Portland’s Pearl District.

The Enomatic (invented in Tuscany in 2002) is a state-of-the-art wine preservation and serving system that eliminates waste, provides portioned-controlled servings, with an option for Wine Card technology, including software to create unique business solutions for customers. Metrovino’s bar features seven highly charged, temperature-controlled, argon-charged machines, that keeps great wines fresh for weeks, allowing the option to sell over 90 rare and unusual wines (including sparkling wine) by the taste (1.75 oz), glass (5.25 oz) or bottle, enabling near-limitless options for food and wine pairings. Glasses of wine range in price from $6-$60.

Recently, Metrovino’s Double Cheeseburger was selected by Willamette Week as Portland’s #1 Bistro Burger (out of 72 sampled), but Chef Gregory Denton, named The Oregonian's "chef to watch" in 2009, makes a lot more than just a mean burger. The refined yet rustic New American menu reflects a history of cooking, traveling and eating, incorporating Asian, Scandanavian and Northwest influences.

Check out the nightly five-course tasting menu, with seasonal favorites and wine flights. For more information and reservations, please call 503-517-7778 or visit www.metrovinopdx.com. For more updates, look for Metrovino on Twitter at @metrovino and Facebook at MetrovinoPDX. Try the food, try the wine. With award-winning food and some of the world’s finest wine at your fingertips, it’s an adventurous restaurant AND wine bar sure to make it onto your list of favorites.

A BIG RED Block Party You Don't Want to Miss

Come to Carlton's BIG RED Block Party … and make sure you come hungry!

On August 14th, from 2-7pm, Troon Vineyard and Cliff Creek Cellars are shutting down the street in front of the tasting room for some serious partying. Enjoy 'Big Reds' from Southern Oregon's Applegate and Rogue Valley and drool over the the southern-style grub from the Rib Slayer as he cooks up his BBQ magic while the Ian James Band from Portland entertains the crowd.  Surely a wine block party you don't want to miss! 

Aug 14th — 2pm-7pm
North Kutch Street, Carlton OR (in front of the Cliff Creek Cellars tasting room)
Includes two flights of "Big Reds" from Cliff Creek and Troon Vineyard
FULL BBQ lunch from the Rib Slayer
Live music by Ian James and Band
Special BRBP logo glass

Ticket price $25 in advance, or $30 at the door

This is an actual "block" party… they're really shutting down Kutch Street!

I know my teeth will be stained a deep shade of purple that day… because prior to this event, Sip with Me with will be tasting at the Taste of McMinnville AVA and then afterwards, will be heading directly to the Best of Oregon Food and Wine Festival in Hillsboro! Wine Wipes to the rescue!

The McMenamin Brothers are Doing a Whole Lot More Than Just Beer at Edgefield

When you think of Oregon’s wine country, you rarely think of Troutdale. A suburb of Portland, it’s more likely home to truck stops and outlet malls than to a winery. And yet, right there, at the mouth of the Columbia Gorge, lies a wonderful surprise that’s ready to grab you. McMenamins Edgefield Winery is located on the historic Edgefield estate, which was built in 1911 ironically as the Multnomah County Poor Farm and residence for indigent, elderly, disabled and mentally challenged people. Destined for demolition, the complex was purchased in 1990 by micro-brew pioneers Mike and Brian McMenamin, who not only restored the 74-acre parcel, but also breathed a whole new life into the old and tired frame.

With Edgefield’s close proximity to Portland and plethora of activities, I thought my family could make a day of it. We could stroll the grounds, taste some wine and grab a bit of lunch at one of the outdoor pubs. I dragged the husband and son along with me, only to discover minors aren’t allowed in the tasting room area at all. Really? How could you refuse entry to this face? Sending the family off to the park dejected, I resumed what’s becoming painfully habitual, tasting the wine with the company of no one but myself. Thank goodness I’m such good company.

Fortunately Janelle was attending to me in the tasting room, because in addition to her vast knowledge, she was also pretty okay company too. She told me about some of the ghost stories the old building carries. A lot of people have lived and died on these grounds and a lot of people now do a good deal of drinking here—the result is stories are bound to surface. Janelle told me when the McMenamin brothers first started making wine, they had to shovel the grapes through the window, as there wasn’t even a door to the cellar yet. The winemaking team put the wine into kegs instead of barrels, as that’s what they had on hand. Hey brothers, have you seen this article on wine kegs? It could very well be the trend of the next generation and perhaps it’s time to revisit the past to keep moving forwards. Hmmmm.

Edgefield sources fruit from Washington and Oregon to produce a number of wines, which are not available in retail but can be found at various McMenamin’s locations. Look for Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling, sparkling wine, Dry Rosé, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, white Pinot Noir, another Riesling done in an ice wine style and a couple of port-style wines from Zinfandel and Syrah as well.

McMenamin’s Edgefield property is more than just a winery to visit on your way to the scenic Columbia Gorge or to Mt. Hood… it’s a destination. Come stay a while and discover the hotel, spa and soaking pools, brewery, distillery, restaurants, bars, a theater, golf courses, gardens and an intimate and outdoor summer concert venue with some of the hottest names in the music biz. Stop in for a glass and stay for an experience; but keep in mind, make your reservations early. I’ve tried to stay in their hotel on two separate occasions only to find it disappointingly full each time. Until we sip again…

Cheers!

Get Ready to Drink and Tweet #PinotNoir (and vote #WV)

If your idea of a Tweet-up or Twitter tasting is a bunch of nerdy people sitting around their basement drinking wine, then you're about to be proven wrong (yeah, I'm talking to you). Events are taking place all over the country; in wineries, wine bars, wine shops and individual's homes—and not one of them could be considered nerdy. For one night only, people everywhere will be drinking and tweeting… and Pinot Noir will the common connection bringing them all together. Since people are excited about wine in general and seem to enjoy having a platform to share their thoughts with other like-minded people, Twitter events like these have opened the door to a whole new way of communicating about wine.

The biggest and greatest online #PinotNoir Twitter tasting is looming anxiously on the horizon (this Thursday, July 15th) and I’m really looking to the Willamette Valley to show the world the bounty of wines this fair region produces. I may be somewhat biased as I have the pleasure and privilege of consuming a good deal of the tasty and hedonistic fermented juice coming out this area and I’ll tell you first hand, there’s a whole lot more great wines than swill.

The soil’s fertility can be traced to a foundation of old volcanic and sedimentary soil and the massive ice age floods that occurred approximately 15,000 years ago, periodically flooding the area, depositing the land with silt, rich volcanic soil and non-native rock.

Oregon has many different wine regions, but the state’s most popular and abundant is the Willamette (rhymes with damnit) Valley, also home to 70% of the population. The area, located at the foot of the Oregon Coast Range, is named for the river that runs through it and the fertile valley stretches from Eugene in the South to the Columbia River just north of Portland.

As an AVA (American Viticultural Area), the Willamette Valley is 150 miles long, up to 60 miles wide, is the state’s largest and includes six sub-appellations: Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton District and the newest addition, Chehalem Mountains. Oregon wine pioneer David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards, was the first to cultivate and commercially produce Pinot noir and Pinot gris in the Willamette Valley, earning him the nickname “Papa Pinot”. The Valley now hosts approximately 200 wineries and grows over 12,000 acres of wine grapes.

Open a bottle of your favorite Willamette Valley Pinot noir on Thursday, July 15th from 5-7pm PT and share our secret with the world—there’s over 200 to choose from. Make your vote count and don’t forget the #WV hashtag!

Here’s a list of hashtags my buddy Joe Herrig of Suburban Wino put together for you to include with your tweets, you don’t need to memorize the list, just keep it handy for a cheat sheet. But remember, all you really need to know is #WV – go Willamette!!

#CA (California)
#NC (North Coast)
#MN (Mendocino County)
#AV (Anderson Valley)
#SO (Sonoma County)
#RR (Russian River Valley)
#GV (Green Valley of Russian River)
#SN (Sonoma Coast)
#NV (Napa Valley)
#CN (Los Carneros...yes, we know it's Sonoma AND Napa.)
#CC (Central Coast)
#SC (Santa Cruz Mountains)
#MO (Monterey)
#SLH (Santa Lucia Highlands)
#SLO (San Luis Obispo County)
#SB (Santa Barbara County)
#SM (Santa Maria Valley)
#SY (Santa Ynez Valley)
#SRH (Sta. Rita Hills)
#OR (Oregon)
#RV (Rogue Valley)
#WV (Willamette Valley)
#CM (Chehelam Mountains)
#DH (Dundee Hills)
#EA (Eola-Amity Hills)
#MC (McMinnville)
#RB (Ribbon Ridge)
#YC (Yamhill-Carlton)
#WA (Washington State)
#NY (New York)
#FLX (Finger Lakes)
#VA (Virginia)
#FR (France)
#BU (Burgundy)
#CDN (Côtes de Nuits)
#CDB (Côtes de Beaune)
#CCH (Côtes Chalonnaise)
#NZ (New Zealand)
#CO (Central Otago)
#MT (Martinborough)
#ML (Marlborough)
#CAN (Canterbury)
#WP (Waipara)
#BC (British Columbia)
#ARG (Argentina)
#CL (Chile)
#SA (South Africa)
#GM (Germany)
#IT (Italy)

For more information about Thursday, July 15th's larger than life Pinot Noir Twitter event, visit these blogs:
Vinotology covers New Zealand
The Oregon Wine Blog Talks Smack
#PinotNoir Hashtag Decoder Rings on Suburban Wino
Breaking it Down on Wine Tonite

Discover Aliens, Ghosts and Great Wine in McMinnville

McMinnville, Oregon—home to Linfield College, the Evergreen Aviation Museum, the largest annual UFO gathering in the Pacific Northwest (second in the country to Roswell, NM) and a fantastic wine bar or ten. Though I didn’t see any aliens in town that day, I did hear the voice of McMinnville’s past luring me to the couple of tasting rooms I hadn’t yet visited and found myself magically bellied up the bar at the NW Wine Bar.

General Manager Jonathan Trusty (JT) described the NW Wine Bar as a tasting room and bottle shop on steroids, which was a fairly accurate description. Located in a spectacularly renovated historic location, with high ceilings, stained glass windows and comfortable seating, the NW Wine Bar’s all pumped up, featuring 25 different Oregon wines (the company produces) from 15 wine growing regions and 55 vineyards. Wines are offered by the sip, glass, flight, bottle or case and a tempting menu of small bites, grilled Panini sandwiches, soups, flatbread pizzas and desserts are available to make the experience complete. JT spoke passionately about being able to open whatever bottle he thinks may dazzle a particular guest, knowing he can then add it to the tasting menu of by-the-glass pours for other guests to enjoy as well.

The NW Wine Company, founded by winemaker Laurent Montalieu (of Solena Grand Cru Estate) in 2003, produces nearly 85,000 cases for over 25 different clients out of the old Mrs. Smith’s pie factory. The wine production facility utilizes some of the most innovative winemaking equipment in the US, including two receiving lines to process the fruit at warp speed, two Europress destemmers, 100% temperature and humidity controlled barrel rooms, rare rotary fermentors and a Ganimede fermentation tank that harvests and utilizes the energy produced in the fermentation process (something I’m still not sure I understand).

The wine bar focuses on educating guests about Oregon wine and JT is as generous with his knowledge as my Jewish mother is with food. While JT tasted me through his vision of the NW Wine Company, it was as if the wines all came together to tell a cohesive, synthesized and colorful story of region, winemaking style and limited production wines that have been crafted, nurtured along and allowed to reach a potential they could never have reached otherwise.

It’s for all these reasons (and more) NW Wine Bar is a must visit on your McMinnville wine tour… exquisite wines, a hospitable staff and a chic, contemporary, yet historic venue to enjoy it all in. One tiny caveat, be ready to shell out more than just a couple of bucks for perfection.

As if going from day to night (so if you decide to do this tour, I’d actually recommend going here first), I next found myself in the Golden Valley Brewery unable to both peel the patrons off me or get the bartender’s attention while I stood there aiming to taste their two house wines. Eventually, I was poured a glass of 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from Golden Valley Vineyard in a granny wineglass (small and thick), but the first swirl sadly revealed chunks of cork floating around in it. When I pointed this out to the bartender, instead of pouring me a new glass, he took a spoon and fished the cork out for me… so kind. After all that buildup, the wine unfortunately tasted overly oaked (or was it over-corked?).

The 2006 Oregon Big Red was an unmemorable blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese, Grenache and Pinot Noir. The Golden Valley Brewery’s wines are both made by prominent winemakers whose wines I’ve often enjoyed, however, these I did not. I perused the menu and determined the wine’s not what people come here for. If I choose to visit this place again, I’ll be sure to order some pub food and stick with the beer (they looked mouthwateringly deeelish), you should too. Until we sip again…

Cheers!

Getting Intimate with The Winemakers

When three strong women winemakers join forces for a night to show their private label, very limited production wines, people come out of the woodwork. Such was the case this past Tuesday at Alu Wine Bar in Portland, Oregon, where the crowd was thick with those eager to taste wines from Kelley Fox Wines, Ghost Hill Cellars and 1789 and steal a few moments with each of these impressive women.

Kelley Fox of Kelley Fox Wines was pouring her 2007 Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir, which sells for $40 retail. Kelley has been making wines for the past decade, most recently with Scott Paul Wines in Carlton, Oregon. In 2007, she purchased fruit from famed Maresh and Momtazi Vineyards to craft Pinot Noir under her own label, producing 100 to 500 cases annually.

Kelley Fox Wine’s 2007 Momtazi Vineyard Pinot Noir was very light, elegant and seemingly delicate in structure. Bright acids were complemented by moderate alcohol in this thin and almost translucent wine. The flavors were well integrated, with cranberries, black cherries, graham and violets composing the primary profile. This wine was classic Burgundian in style, restrained with a genuine expression of fruit and a tribute to minimalistic winemaking techniques. In a word… exquisite.

Next up was Rebecca Pittock-Shouldis of Ghost Hill Cellars with her version of 2007 Pinot Noir. When not making wine for Ghost Hill Cellars, Rebecca also manages the Trappist Abbey Wine Warehouse, is co-founder of Northwest Wines to You and is a Staff Sergeant in the Oregon Air National Guard… unlike a French wine bottle, you won’t see dust settling on her. Ghost Hill Cellar’s name commemorates a spirit from the Gold Rush period who’s said to still roam the land searching for his lost gold. The 2007 vintage (retailing for $38) was produced using grapes from the Bayliss-Bower Estate Vineyard. The wine possessed more intensity than Kelley’s, with darker fruit characteristics, including juicy plums, sweet blackberries and even some currants. This wine seemed to have a higher alcohol level, indicated very ripe fruit, and I detected both earthy and mineral qualities, softened and balanced by a feminine fragrance of rose petals. A deliciously drinkable wine.

The last woman standing was Isabelle Dutartre of 1789 showing her 2007 Pinot Noir from Eastburn Vineyard on Parrett Mountain, east of Newberg. Isabelle has a long history of winemaking in France and the United States, and since 2001, she’s been busy creating the wines for De Ponte Cellars in the prestigious Red Hills of Dundee. The name 1789 is a tribute to Isabelle’s French nationality, referencing the date of the French Revolution, and she said it also reflects her own personal revolution as well. The 2007 1789 Pinot Noir (at $48) was as powerful and graceful as an Olympic gymnast. It was slightly jammy with red raspberries and cherries while layers of Vanilla Coke and truffles came through adding thought-provoking complexity. I enjoyed the broad, velvety mouth as the acids and tannins, in perfect balance, competed for space on my tongue.

Opportunities to explore wines from extremely small producers like these are a rare and special treat; Alu did a fantastic job showcasing them. Alu provided a chic yet friendly tasting space, cozied up with a warm fireplace, low wood ceilings and rustic brick walls. The wines were properly ordered from light to heavy and low to high acid/alcohol, allowing the beauty of each to be revealed without taking anything away from the next. Check out your local wine bars for special winemaker events like these. Besides tasting extraordinary wines not widely available, you get the chance to mingle intimately with the winemakers, gaining a greater understanding of and further appreciation for the wine that filled your glass. Until we sip again…

Cheers!

Photo by Robert Canaga of Oregon Wine and Music Project