Where August is lazy and foggy, September is too ambitious. September goes back to school shopping and finding cardboard boxes marked “sweaters”. My advice? Fight him as long as possible.
To help you on that front, I offer you these six tips for attracting stars, treading grapes, helping others, and most of all, enjoying a glass of wine in your withered garden.
Party with the Stars at Brooks Wine
What could be more fun than snuggling up in a blanket while gazing at the stars and learning fun facts about astronomy? Do it while drinking a good wine, that is.
Brooks Wine is hosting theoretical astrophysicist Ethan Siegel for an evening of stargazing and star learning. Siegel, famous for his kilt and his Big Bang Theory expertise that doesn’t include Jim Parsons, is an entertaining speaker who will catch his eye.
Tickets are $60 each, which includes snacks and pours of astronomy-themed Brooks wines such as Ara Riesling and Rastaban Pinot Noir. While the winery welcomes picnic blankets and camping chairs, dogs and those under the age of 21 will not be allowed. Order your tickets through the winery’s website.
7:30-10:30 pm September 3, Brooks Wine, 21101 SE Cherry Blossom Lane, Amity, brookswine.com or 503-435-1278.
2020 Ermisch Cellars Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir ($45, 13.7% ABV)
Here’s a fantastic pinot noir that goes unnoticed by Willamette Valley wines because it’s made in Bend, Oregon.
It’s bursting with aromas and flavors like blackcap raspberries, black tea, lemon zest, and a saline note that’s as refreshing as an ocean breeze. It also has that rare combination of high acidity and robust tannic structure. Highly recommended.
elixirwinegroup.com/oregon/ermisch-cellars or 541-388-5330.
Celebrating Hispanic Roots
Seven Oregon winery owners and winemakers with a shared Hispanic background come together to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins on September 15.
Each winery offers special wine selections from September 10 to 30 to commemorate this event. 10% of all sales will be donated to Ahivoy, a nonprofit organization that provides Willamette Valley vineyard managers with educational and career opportunities.
The wines are available for purchase through the Celebrating Hispanic Roots website.
Participating wineries are Alumbra Cellars, Atticus Wine, Beacon Hill Winery, Cramoisi Vineyard, Gonzales Wine Co., Parra Wine Co. and Valcan Cellars.
Participating wineries will also partner with chef Javier Santos to host a six-course dinner at Subterra Kitchen and Cellar on Sunday, September 11. Tickets are $160 and Chef Santos will donate a portion of the proceeds to Ahivoy.
celebratinghispanicroots.com
2021 Stargazer Lily Verdejo ($28, 13.3% ABV)
Red Lily Vineyards in Jacksonville has a big hit on their hands with this Verdejo, a white wine grape perhaps best known from Spain’s Rueda region. Aromas and flavors such as white peach, tangerine, lemon-lime zest, honeycomb, rosemary and toasted almonds are accompanied by a medium-bodied mouthfeel and surprising acidity.
Based on this effort, wineries in the Applegate Valley should consider planting more Verdejo.
redlilyvineyards.com or 541-846-6800.
Treading grapes in the Willamette Valley Vineyards
Willamette Valley Vineyards is hosting the 31st Annual Grape Stomping Championship and Oregon Harvest Celebration at its property in South Salem Hills.
The stomping competition features teams of two: one person stomps the grapes for three minutes while the other collects the juice in a jug. The championship showdown between the winners of Saturday and Sunday will take place on Sunday, September 25 at 5:00 p.m.
The weekend champions will win wine, a gift certificate and an overnight stay in one of the winery suites. This year, there will also be a grape stomping competition for kids ages 12 and under. Bring an umbrella for that one.
General admission tickets are $25 and team registration is $65.
11 am-6 pm, September 24-25, Willamette Valley Vineyards, 8800 Enchanted Way SE Turner, www.wvv.com or 503-588-9463.
2021 Scenic Valley Farms Hop Chardonnay ($30, 13.9% ABV)
Winemaker Gabriel Jagle combined Citra hops and Chardonnay grapes to make a dry-hopped wine that, at first glance, should scare beer and wine drinkers alike. But it works.
With aromas of lanolin, honey, chamomile and lemon curd, I thought I was about to drink a chenin blanc from the Loire Valley in France. The palate didn’t do much to convince me otherwise. The wine tiptoes to the edge of dry territory with flavors like ripe nectarines, wet rocks, and a hint of juniper.
It’s worth driving to the Scenic Valley Farm tasting room in Gervais to try this wine. I’m told Division Wines in Portland will also have it in stock soon.
escenicavalleyfarms.net or 503-393-6227.
— Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at [email protected]. To read more of his coverage, visit oregonlive.com/wine.
Source: www.oregonlive.com