2009 Pinot Peeks Out

I am proud to announce that the 2009 Willamette Valley Pinot noir is now available at the following fine restaurants and retailers. (I will make the formal mailing list offering as soon as I have a break from deliveries and daddy duties.) In the meantime, find it here: Laurelhurst Market

Navarre

Bar Avignon

Garrison's

Blackbird

Tina's (Dundee)

Ponzi Wine Bar (Dundee)

Thistle (McMinnville)

Cafe Uncorked (McMinnville)

Portland Bottle Shop (Sellwood)

Del Inti

New Seasons Sellwood

New Season Cedar Hills

New Seasons Raleigh Hill

New Seasons Happy Valley

New Seasons Concordia

Division Wines

Vino

Noble Rot

Lincoln

Winestock (Oregon City)

Park Kitchen

Wildwood

St. Jack (also has Riesling ON TAP!)

2009 Pinot at Vino!

First chance to taste the '09 my friends. This Friday (tomorrow for those who haven't been paying attention). It's a sit-down tasting with my whole lineup of wines alongside Sauv blanc and Pinot from Patricia Green Cellars. This is pretty special for me seeing as it Patty was my first teacher on my winemaking path. And, did I mention that the '09 Pinot will be available to taste and purchase For The First Time! (oh, I see I did mention it earlier, well, twice is nice . . . ) 4:30-8:00

Bring your own snacks or feast

VINO 137 SE 28th Av Portland, Or 97214 ph: 503.235.8545 email: vinobuys@qwestoffice.net

Riesling on Tap All Summer Long!

Need some brightening up on a rainy Portland Spring evening? You need look no further than Kir Wine Bar. The lovely Amalie just converted her two beer taps to wine and she commissioned Love & Squalor to create a special Riesling for her to pour by the glass and carafe ALL SUMMER! (yes, I'm a bit excited) This is a unique blend of Riesling from three sites throughout the Willamette. It has just over 1% residual sugar which is well-tempered by a good whack of natural acidity. Green apple and zingy citrus all the way to the finish line.

Remember - Kir has an exclusive on this juice, so get on down there and give it a whirl.

Plate & Pitchfork Lineup

I am very excited to be invited back to play on the farm with the awesome folks from Plate & Pitchfork. These events are always a cool experience, and they support local food and food education charities. This year will be just like hanging out with family for me. I am paired up with the hep cats from Bar Avignon  and Din Din Super Club (not yet family, but soon to be I hope) and will be pouring my wines alongside winemaker Chris Williams, my friend and sort-of boss at Brooks Wines. Come join the party. Tix go on sale next week and it ALWAYS sells out fast. Listing is below. Buy tix here. Saturday August 6 at Viridian Farms Chef Jeremy Eckel from Bar Avignon and Chef Courtney Sproule from Din Din Supper Club Wine from Brooks and Love & Squalor. Reception with beer tasting from Widmer Brothers Brewing. Dinner begins at 5 pm - $125 per person

Memorial Day Weekend Event

If you are planning a trip to The Valley this Memorial Day Weekend, you will have a chance to taste Love & Squalor in Dundee, Oregon. I will be pouring Love & Squalor wines (including the new 2009 Pinot noir) and the new Behemoth Red Blend alongside a handful of other micro producers. Meet the winemakers! Eat some food! Buy some wine! Details follow:

Memorial Day Weekend Press Wine Bar | Dundee, OR | Saturday, May 28th + Sunday, May 29th | 11-4pm | $20 tasting fee includes heavy snacks and 5 wineries Directions here

Hope to see you there.

Sunny Rays of Riesling

I've been hearing a lot of grumbling and whining of late, mostly the 'it's so cold I'm going to die' and 'will the sun ever shine again in my lifetime' variety. I have a solution and it is liquid. Not to get all Robert Louis Stevenson on your butt, but bottled sunshine is better than none at all. Our particular form of refreshing sun comes in a Riesling bottle and smacks of fresh fruit, zingy minerality and, of course, a bit of alcohol to warm your insides.

There are three new opportunities to get some a drop of summer into your mouth right away. Randy and Nancy at Bar Avignon are fronting up this Wednesday (1/26) with Dungeness Crab and Riesling all night. The crabs this season are delicious and the sting of the sea pairs dramatically with the zing of the Riesling. Love & Squalor is also back on the big blackboard at Kir (NE 7th & Burnside). We hope we can hold our own among Amalie's lovingly curated list of European values and wonders. This week also trumpets our return to the Heathman Restaurant. Riesling is a great foil to Chef Philippe's NW/French cuisine - the best Happy Hour menu in town. Now get out there and bag some Riesling Rays!

Wine Press NW Reviews

Both recent Love & Squalor releases are reviewed in the latest edition of Wine Press Northwest. In addition, the magazine's editor, Andy Perdue, chose the 2009 Love & Squalor Riesling for his "dream case" on his Wine Knows blog. Here are the reviews:

Love & Squalor 2009 Riesling, Willamette Valley, $18 Recommended: Roza peaches, dusty golden delicious apples and pineapple aromas funnel into an expressive and juicy assortment of Elberta peach and Honeycrisp apple flavors. (185 cases, 11.4% alc.) Still available locally or mail order

Love & Squalor 2008 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $24 Excellent: Matt Berson, assistant winemaker at Brooks, shows he paid attention during his times at J. Christopher, Patricia Green and Dr. Loosen with this blend of Temperance Hill, Winter's Hill and Left Coast vineyards. Toasty oak leads into notes of black cherry, plums and violets with nutmeg and milk chocolate accents. There's more smoky plum and sweet cherry pie among the flavors, backed a structure that's easy drinking. It's capped by cherry skin tannin. (175 cases, 13.3% alc.) Sold Out. Look for the new release this summer

What Up with WineUp!

I was just driving around industrial Portland with a case of wine in my trunk when I happened upon this strange purple door. Turns out behind that door is where the force of nature known as Wayne WineWizard has his secret lair. Wayne runs wine tours, has an online and storefront wine shop, and maintains a website with all sorts of crazy content - including a heap of winemaker interviews. I just casually wandered in the door and was sucked into Wayne's vortex. He was wheeling and dealing and interviewing me, that's right, on the spot. Here are the results. That's also the lowest price on my Riesling anywhere. Get it before Wayne WineWizard turns me into a rabbit.

Wizardly Interview

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.