Thanksgiving Tastings

Hey all, so sorry for the lack of postings. Harvest was great and I'll tell you more about that later. I did want to let everyone know that I will be pouring 2009 Riesling and the last of the 2008 Pinot this Wednesday at the brand new Hawthorne New Seasons store, 2-5pm. If you can't drop by for that fun, come on down to The Valley this weekend and taste my wine along with those of Brooks Handcrafted Wines - my employer. Lotsa wine, cheese, music and kitty cats to be had - Fri/Sat/Sun 11-5. Directions at brookswine.com See you there!

Portland Monthly Knows Good

Thanks to Portland Monthly magazine and Amalie, proprietor of Kir Wine Bar, for the nice mention in the latest ish.

The Budget Oenophile

Amalie Roberts, owner of the intimate Kir Wine Bar in Northeast Portland, is known for her eclectic taste in affordable wines. We asked her how to find value in Oregon’s traditionally pricey wine market.

Is it getting easier to find bargain Oregon wines? There is a new trend here toward lower-priced, entry-level wines, which is positive as long as we don’t lose the taste profiles that make us “Oregon.”

What characteristics do you expect from great, inexpensive wines? Purity of fruit, qualities of the varietal, and a sense of place. I love Patricia Green Cellars’ ‘Dollar Bills Only’ pinot noir ($17) and the Commuter Cuvée pinot from Grochau Cellars ($15).

Where do you find the best value? Whites and rosés. Matt Berson of Love & Squalor—he’s a winemaker to watch—makes an excellent pure Riesling for $18. I like Matello’s pinot rosé ($15) and J. Christopher’s ‘Cristo Irresisto’ (a show-stopper at $12).

What are the best places in Portland to drink value wines? I’m a huge supporter of Bar Avignon, Southpark, and Vino Paradiso for knowledgeably selected and reasonably priced local wines.

Link to the whole issue here

Off The Leash

The new releases are going gangbusters in the Portland area. Look for Love & Squalor at these fine establishments: New Seasons Seven Corners New Seasons Sellwood New Seasons Cedar Mill New Seasons Raleigh Hills New Seasons Concordia Higgin's Kir Navarrre Noble Rot Del Inti Ringside East Vino in Sellwood Park Kitchen Great Wine Buys Ned Ludd Garrison's Wildwood Paley's Place Tina's Pastaworks Hawthorne Vinopolis Blackbird Heathman Mt. Tabor Fine Wines QFC Mt. Tabor Farm Cafe Dundee Bistro Storyteller Wines Secret Society Wine About it

I am getting the wine out to new spots every day. Send me a note if there is someplace you'd like to see the wines near you.

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Winter's Hill Tasting Next Week

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Hey There - Hope you can make it out to this tasting - Five Wineries/One Vineyard - only 45 minutes from Portland.

Cheers -

Matt

The Terroir of Winter's Hill expressed by 5 Winemakers June 26 11-5pm Winter’s Hill Vineyard 6451 NE Hilltop Lane, Dayton OR 97114 Taste wines made by 5 different winemakers using grapes grown in Winter’s Hill Vineyard. $10 tasting fee.

In addition to making estate wines from their vineyard in the Dundee Hills, Winter's Hill Vineyard sells grapes to other wineries in the region. For the first time, we are bringing those wines and winemakers together for a public tasting. Compare and enjoy the similarities and differences between the wines while nibbling on food pairings selected by the winemakers to accompany their wines.

Anne Amie Vineyards makes one of the few single vineyard designated Pinot Gris wines in Oregon, using fruit from Winter’s Hill Vineyard. Winemaker Thomas Houseman worked with Winter’s Hill fruit at a previous winery, and since coming to Anne Amie he has put his own stamp on the wine.

Matello owner and winemaker Marcus Goodfellow has worked with Winter’s Hill fruit for more than 10 years. That kind of long-term working relationship has tremendous value to both the vineyard and winery, as both can learn from each other as they work to improve the quality of the wine.

Cottonwood Winery is a boutique winery making wines from several of Oregon’s best vineyards. Winemaker Aaron Lieberman and Russell Gladhart of Winter’s Hill worked together at Amity Vineyards in the mid 90’s and have remained friends ever since. It is a pleasure to work together again.

Love and Squalor Wines are made by proprietor Matt Berson. As an assistant winemaker at several well known Oregon wineries he made wine from vineyards across the Willamette Valley. That knowledge serves him today as he blends Pinot Noir for his own label.

Winemaker Delphine Gladhart of Winter’s Hill works almost exclusively with fruit from Winter’s Hill Vineyard. She is looking forward to tasting the wines that other people have crafted using the same building blocks.

Special 5-pack savings! All five winemakers have selected one of their wines for inclusion in a special five bottle pack at 15% off.

Winter's Hill Vineyard www.WintersHillWine.com cellardoor@wintershillwine.com 6451 Hilltop LaneDayton, OR 97114 503-864-4538

Drinkin' Squalor at Plate & Pitchfork

Just wanted to let you know that I will be serving Love & Squalor wines at my first Plate & Pitchfork dinner in August. Tickets got on sale tomorrow morning on their website http://plateandpitchfork.com/dinners.aspx The excellent chefs of Nostrana and Lincoln restaurants will be cooking using the products of Champoeg Farm in St. Paul (where the dinner is being held) not far from Portland. Joining me in the the lubrications will be Justin of J. Daan winery. Details are below:

Sunday, August 22 at Champoeg Farm in St. Paul, Oregon

Chef Cathy Whims from Nostrana and Chef Jenn Louis from Lincoln & Culinary Artistry

Wines from Love & Squalor and J. Daan Wine Cellars

Dinner begins at 5:00pm - $125 per person

Hope you will consider joining us.

L&S in the Oregonian Wine Guide

Once again, the Oregonian, in its great wisdom, has smiled upon Love & Squalor Riesling in the bi-annual wine guide. Katherine Cole, the staff wine writer, and three other industry professionals, weigh in on perfect picnic pairings. Ms. Cole herself picks the '08 as a minerally and melony accompaniment for the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. Thanks for the nod. I will need to try that match-up real soon.

Read the full article here.

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New Releases: Get Them Here First!

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I am very pleased to announce the pre-release offering of the new Love & Squalor wines. You can order them via eMail at buywine@loveandsqualorwine.com. I will be pouring these beauties this coming Memorial Day weekend at Brooks Winery in Amity (just south of McMinnville). Please come and say hello between sips.

The 2009 Eola Hills Riesling is drinking great, even in its youth. It is a bit drier than previous vintages but still shows forward apple and citrus fruits, a tropicality in the mid-palate and  a long wet finish. $18/bottle.

2008 was a banner year for Oregon Pinot, and the Love & Squalor 2008 Pinot noir bottling is surely taking part in that parade. Floral and forest notes lead into a dark and rich beginning. The middle spreads wide across the tongue, coating with cherry, black tea and finishes with bright complexity. This is my finest effort yet and I hope you will agree. $24/bottle.

As always, I will extend a 10% discount on orders of 6 or more bottles. I also have a bargain four-pack  - 2 Riesling + 2 Pinot for only $80 + shipping. Or try the six-pack deal - 3 Riesling + 3 Pinot for only $110 + shipping. Please see last year's order form on this blog for more clarification. 2009/2010 L&S Order Form

Thank you for your continued enjoyment of Love & Squalor. May we have the opportunity to toast together soon.

Cheers-

Matt

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It's In The Bottle

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Here are are Frank and Stephen packing cases on the bottling truck. Weather be damned, we managed to get all of the Love & Squalor wines into their final homes. Now they will rest up after their tiring journey and come to your table fresh and ready to drink with your meal.

The 2009 Willamette Valley Riesling $18 (200 cases) is once again 100% sourced from the Brooks' Eola Hills Vineyard - old-vine and biodynamic. This year sees a return to a more minerally wine, bracketed with tropical fruits and varietaly typical apple and citrus. It is a bit drier than previous years but is still packed with plenty of fruit.

2008 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $24 (175 cases). Wow! The '08 vintage is a doozy. This wine is sourced from Temperance Hill, Winter's Hill and Left Coast Vineyards. The wine is brimming with dark cherry and bramble with a delicate floral overtone. A real mouth-filler, the fine tannins coat and the gentle acid carries the finish to a long linger.

As usual, I will send out a formal release invitation, but the wines are available for pre-order now. Just get in touch with me.

Thanks to the hard-working bottling crew, the timely label printers and cork makers, and, especially, to Chris Williams and Janie Brooks-Heuck at Brooks Wines

Aquariva Restaurant Hosts Love & Squalor

Chef Andy Arndt and the friendly crew at Aquariva (at the Avalon Hotel on Macadam) are hosting me for a casual tasting tomorrow, Wednesday, starting at 5pm. If you've never checked out this spot, this is a nice opportunity. It's a beautiful room on a quiet stretch of the Willamette. The kitchen is focused on regional Italian dishes and locally sourced ingredients. Chef Arndt does a daily fresh sheet complete with wine pairings. Hope you can make it.

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Love & Squalor In Print!

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The 2006 Love & Squalor Pinot noir (the maiden vintage) is one of only nine Oregon wines featured in Robert Parker's new book - Parker's Wine Bargains; The World's Best Wine Values Under $25. While we may not always agree with the world's most valuable tongue, we think this inclusion was a very smart choice. The wine is listed as a product of Ransom Wine Company as this was before the Portland Wine Company was established. While the '06 is long gone, and the '07 has just left the building, the 2008 Pinot is just finishing its journey to the bottle. The final blend (Temperance, Winter's Hill and Left Coast Vineyards) is marrying and will be bottled at the end of this month. Expect an early summer release. The price will be a bargain as always - the same price Parker paid for his taste of the '06 - $24

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Love & Squalor in the Press

Love & Squalor 2008 Riesling was featured in yesterday's 'Celebrate Oregon Wine' Oregonian pull-out section. It was one of six wines chosen to pair with your Thanksgiving turkey. Both Jeff Moore (Wildwood) and Stefan Hansen (Sel Gris) recommended it. "This is Matt Berson's third vintage and a wonderful example of what ...Oregon riesling can be. . . . I love the versatility of this wine - it's a perfect balance of fruit and acidity". Read the whole article here.

 

Here Comes The Riesling

10/22/2009

Well, so much for regular updates and posts. We've been up to our necks in ripe Pinot noir grapes, and haven't had the time, nor the unsticky hands, to type. The 2009 Harvest is good. The late heat and brief rainless window led to a spike in ripeness and a quick scramble to pick everything before the weather went to crap. I don't know that it will be a classic vintage, but the sugars are nice (if a bit high) and the flavors seem deep so far. We (Brooks and Love & Squalor) brought in about 100 tons of freshly picked grapes in the span of 4 and a half days. Needless to say, we didn't get a lot of sleep. We did let a little bit hang through the rains, and it still looked good coming in, although not necessarily better than the earlier pick.

Now we're in a punchdown holding pattern. Managing all of the fermentations and enjoying the aromas and textures of juice turning into wine. You are welcome to swing by the winery and experience this yourself, but be forewarned, you may be pressed into labor.

Tomorrow, as this post's headline alludes, is the first of two big Riesling days. We've got the press nicely cleaned and are ready to receive Riesling from four sites, including the newly purchased Brooks Eola Estate Vineyard (formerly Eola Hills Vnyd) some of which will become the 2009 Love & Squalor Riesling. We'll be running the press nonstop to capture all that delicious nectar so we can put some fresh and pure wine on your tables. Prost!