May is Oregon Wine Month, and the Oregon Wine Board is welcoming it in style with “Unwine’d”, a major event in Portland on Sunday, April 29^th.  More than 85 wineries and over a dozen restaurants will be showcasing extraordinary wine and food, casting a spotlight on the incredible breadth and depth of Oregon’s fertile, vibrant landscape.

Unwine’d is being held at Portland’s Left Bank Annex, from 3pm-6pm. Trade and Media early access is from 2pm-3pm.  Tickets are just $50 and can be purchased through the Oregon Wine Board’s website.

ConsciousWine is honored to have been invited and is especially proud to participate in Unwine’d, and to join our colleagues in celebrating not just the overall growth and success of Oregon’s wineries and farms, but specifically the growing and thriving community of organic and biodynamic farms and vineyards.

To demonstrate just how spectacular these wines are, ConsciousWine’s Jeffrey Weissler will be pouring at least two exceptional wines from Cowhorn Vineyards located in Jacksonville and Dominio IV located in McMinnville.

Don’t miss a chance to see Jeff Weissler in person, sharing and talking wine.  Jeff is an expert on wines made from organic, biodynamic grapes and a passionate advocate for what’s happening in Oregon.

Come to Unwine’d on April 29^th and say “hi”!

In Blog Roll, Conferences, ConsciousWine, In The News, Jeff's Blog, Media, Sustainable Practices, Tasting Wine, Winery Events | Tagged with biodynamic, education, events, Food Related, oregon, organic wine, sustainability, Travel, willamette valley

Dundee, Oregon is the heart of Willamette Valley wine country. Between Newberg and McMinnville on Highway 99 things slow down as single lanes each way pass through businesses and wineries to the left and right. Waiting to be discovered are a few magical hot spots. My favorite Dundee discovery is The The Red Hills Market at 115 7th Street.

Amazing baked goods, a great wine stash, wood fired pizza from scratch, Stumptown coffee, hand-crafted sandwiches, local meats, cheeses, a passion for local, an outside with seductively comfortable wine stave chairs and a community centric atmosphere are the manifestation & passion of owners Jody & Michelle Kropf, Chef Shiloh Ficek, and a fun, engaging, knowledgeable staff.

I moved into the area this past July. Where to hang out was question number one. Within a month of exploring, Red Hills Market was part of my routine, and half-a-year later it hasn’t let up. Whether it’s coffee and internet time, lunch and meet up with some winemakers, or chill over pizza and beer (or for a bottle of wine from their wine wall), my left arm has kind of been replaced by The Red Hills Market! It’s been pure pleasure to have Jody and the gang doing there thing so close to home.

Having said all that, they’re a big part of our upcoming contest for a trip to the Willamette Valley. Jody has a traveling pizza oven and he’ll be bringing it out to Youngberg Hill Winery (where the trip winners) will be staying for the opening night dinner of the trip.

Since good things often attract other good things, there’s another gem to be discovered on the 2nd floor above Red Hills Market. That comes in the form of the Wine Country Cooking Studio. Chef and owner Wendy Bennett has just opened this spot for offering the community cooking classes. On the final night of our May 1-3 Willamette Valley Sweepstakes, Wendy will be leading a 3 course participatory cooking class that will include wines from Brooks Winery!

When you’ve got Dundee, Oregon on your calendar, go out of your way to eat & hang out at The Red Hills Market. They’ve got that passion for local, organic, sustainable, vital, quality products that makes for a perfect marriage with ConsciousWine.

The Red Hills Market
115 SW 7th
Dundee, Oregon
971.832.8414

In Jeff's Blog, Restaurants, Wine & Food | Tagged with events, Food Related, oregon, Travel, willamette valley

MY FAVORITE WINE

Twenty plus years ago, when I first tried Barolo, I was greeted by an earthy, leathery, mouthful of tannic dirt that made my teeth, lips and gums stick together in a way that made me want to run for cover. It was the least friendly wine I had tasted to date. Continue reading “What’s Jeff Weissler’s Favorite Wine?” »

In Basic Wine Enjoyment, Jeff's Blog, Wine & Food, World | Tagged with Food Related, Travel

Do you speak Italian? I can’t say I do, but I have a big thank you to make to an Italian gentleman, Duccio Morozzo della Rocca (Managing Director of The Olive Bureau). Duccio is also a journalist and writes for a wine review publication called, “Vite, Vino e Qualità”. The article linked below appears in their September Issue. Continue reading “ConsciousWine on “Vite, Vino e Qualità”” »

In Interviews, Jeff's Blog, World | Tagged with articles, Italy, media, organic, Travel

The first time I visited Cowhorn Vineyards (in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley), I was particularly drawn to the diversity in the ecosystem of which they’re a part. Specifically, the mountains behind the vineyard, the river across the road, and the vines coming alive out of a dried river bed. It felt like the overall eco-system was vitally supported while farming was in action. I remember looking up at one point, and co-owner Bill Steele said, “That’s a golden eagle with a 6 foot wingspan.” Continue reading “Vineyards for the Birds” »

In Jeff's Blog, Storytelling, Wineries | Tagged with events, oregon, Travel

It’s official, I’ve been a resident of the Willamette Valley for two weeks now.  If you ask me where my home is, I still have to think twice. I’m so buried in boxes that saying, ”I feel moved in,“ could be months of away. Perhaps my priority should be unpacking, yet the urge to explore and discover is something I can’t resist. Continue reading “Willamette Valley Discoveries” »

In Jeff's Blog, Restaurants, Storytelling | Tagged with oregon, Travel

Natural wine… is a topic of hot debate. What exactly is it? How do you qualify it? Is there a certification for natural wine?

It is defined differently depending on who you’re talking to. Natural Wine is not a legal term, and has no certification. On May 23, 2011, in midtown Manhattan, a brand new, exciting business called The NY Wine Salon conducted a well attended public event. The goal was to dig deeper and add some clarity to the conversation around natural wine. Continue reading “Natural Wine” »

In Demystifying Natural Wine, Digging Deeper, Jeff's Blog, Natural Winemaking | Tagged with events, new york, Travel

I am a “big picture” kind of person and, I like to ask questions. It has gotten me into trouble in the past (such as with the wine maker at my first winery job, who probably interpreted my questioning as a challenge to his wine making abilities), but I have learned a lot from asking what I can of whomever I meet in the wine world. Truly, the dumbest question is the one that never gets asked. Continue reading “Questions and More Questions” »

In Guest Bloggers, Jeff's Blog, Sustainable Practices, World | Tagged with sustainability, Travel

I was on the Appalachian Trail near Black Furnace State Park, in the vicinity of Harrisburg, PA. I had just gotten off a bus and stepped directly into 90 degree temperatures, 90% humidity and a persistent rain. Having never really hiked before, my NY trained brain had a goal of ten miles per day. With fifty pounds on my back, I bounced along the rocky trail, made even more interesting by the countless roots criss-crossing the path. Continue reading “What Inspired ConsciousWine: Part 2” »

In History, Jeff's Blog, Storytelling | Tagged with Travel

My Mom & Dad went to Italy two years in a row when I was 12 & 13. That led to a bottle of wine on the dinner table every night. In high school, I was blessed with a mythology teacher who dated a friend of my Mom. This friend was French… and of course, she could really cook! One night a group of high schoolers were over at the teacher’s house. His gal friend made a multi-course extravaganza, and the teacher went to his wine-cellar to gather up a wine to go with each course. This was the beginning of our “Wine & Food Society.” Each of five very young adults would con their moms into making a food course. Our host (the mythology teacher) would gather the appropriate viticultural partners for those courses and off we would go. We met monthly. The following summer, I spent six weeks (through the same mythology teacher) in France, Italy, and Spain on a trip sponsored by the American Institute of Foreign Study. Without knowing it, I was an in-training sommelier, and getting my career started as an enthusiastically contagious communicating wine evangelist.

In History, Wine & Food, World | Tagged with touring, Travel