The Wine & Food Society of Orego

Holiday Wine Exchange

Dec 5

Oregon Gold Medal Wine Awards Dinner

at Portland City Grill

Oct. 9, 2010

Summer Porch Party, July 31

An Evening in Provence

Blakeslee Vineyard Event, July 25, 2010

Beaux Frères Event, June 12, 2010

1990 VINTAGE DINNER AT KINCAID'S FISH, CHOP, & STEAKHOUSE REVIEW

6:30PM, SATURDAY, MAY 1, 2010 121 SW 3RD AVENUE, Portland, Oregon 97204

According to The 1999 Wine Enthusiast Vintage Chart: 1990 was the best vintage for both Red Burgundy (95) and Champagne (94) out of all years from 1978 through 1999. No other vintage was even close. So it was only fitting we sampled 1990 vintage Champagnes with a horizontal tasting of 1990 Red (including 2 Grand Cru) Burgundies. Member Karl Mantei said "This is the best combination of Champagne and Wine we have ever had." And Karl should know. He is one of the original 10 members who started the Society in 1987.

We began with a reception comparing 1990 Pol Roger vintage Brut Chardonnay with 1990 Pol Roger vintage Brut and finally 1990 Dom Perignon. The Chardonnay got 8 fist place votes while the Dom received 5. Appetizers included Warm Brie with Macadamia Nut Crust, Bering Sea Red King Crab Cakes, and Pacific Tiger Prawn Cocktails. General Manager Kelly Miller generously offered to waive corkage fees and no charge for a room all to ourselves for the entire evening. I found two bottles of 1990 Mersault (Domaine Claude Vergurey) and added it as a "surprise" bonus with the Grilled Steak Salad along with a 1990 Beaune (Domaine Louis Latour, 1er Cru, Vignes Franches) and a 1990 Nuits Saint Georges (Domaine Clos de L'Arlot) . The Mersault was light caramel in color. Some said it tasted like sherry or fino from Portugal. The wine was materized and beyond its prime. However, it was drinkable and some even liked it enough for a second glass. The Nuits St. Georges was on the light side, hint of apricot, but otherwise rather one dimensional. On the other hand, the Beaune was comparatively complex and quite delicious. We had a choice of entrées: 5 took the Prime Rib (excellent), 4 went with Filet Mignon, 3 choose Sirloin Strip, and 1 Cedar Plank Salmon to go with a 1990 Gevrey-Chambertin (Domaine Marchard-Grillot) and a 1990 Vosne Romanee (single vineyard from Les Haut Maizeres, Domaine Prieure-Roch). 8 people liked the Gevrey (fig on the nose) and 4 people (including me) thought the Vosne Romanee was better.

Finally, a 1990 Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru (Mommessin) and a 1990 Bonne-Mares, Grand Cru (Laboure-Roi) with a dense 3-Layer Chocolate Lavender Cake. Both of these wines were spectacular and no one was willing to vote for one over the other. We had our first tie of the night. Both wines received 11 "first place" votes. We had two Prospective Members attend: Member Mark Lindau sponsored Trish Koser and Steve Lutz and Kimberly Mick sponsored Daniel Christofani . We hope to see both again. Final Analysis: Great Vintage Champagne, Great Vintage Burgundy, with Great Food and appropriate Reidel Stemware.

Warmest regards,

Jim Atwood, Chairman

Heitz Uncorked, May 22

Midweek Vinideus French Wines Tasting Event

On March 31^st a different kind of wine and food event was held at Vinideus Jazz Bistro at 4759c N. E. Fremont Street. “The Board has heard from many of our members about offering some lower priced event options so we thought we’d try hosting a mid-week, after work, more casual French wines tasting at one of our favorite neighborhood venues,” said event hosts, Mara Kershaw and Jim Galbraith.

Vinideus co-owner, Diane Pierce greeted everyone with heavy appetizers specifically paired with five exceptional (tasting and price point) French wines poured by her Galaxy Wines distributor representative, Tony Raynor. The event was very well attended by 13 of our WFSO members who invited an unprecedented 12 guests to enjoy the evening with us. Throughout the event we were treated with:·

--A 2007 Patient Cottat (100% Sauvignon Blanc) from the Loire Valley ($16) paired with citrus shrimp and Gruyere cheese.·
--Next was a tasting of a 2007 Marc Bredif Vouvray (100% Chenin Blanc) also from the Loire Valley ($22), which paired well with Blue Costello and St. Andre triple cream brie.·
--Our third wine was a 2008 Domaine de Valmoissine (100% Pinot Noir) from the Coteaux du Verdon region in the south of France. At $22, this wine was incredible.

Diane paired this pinot with an excellent salmon dish and charcuterie meats.·
--This was followed by a 2008 Cotes du Ventoux Rhone (75% Grenache, $25 Syrah and only $15), served with olive tapenade, charcuterie and pâté.·
--And lastly a 2005 Chateau Haut Rian (Premiers Cotes de Bordeaux: 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc at $16) served with decadent chocolate desserts.

It was difficult for everyone to choose just one or two favorite wines of the evening as they were all very good—especially when priced so affordably. So when you’re in the mood for a great glass of wine with a bite to eat, a late evening port and dessert, or perhaps some live jazz on the weekends or dinner with close friends, Vinideus Jazz Bistro has it covered.

Abacela Winemaker's Event

April 10, 2010

BRAZIL GRILL Earl Jones, MD, owner and former winemaker of Abacela travelled all the way from Winston (near Roseburg), Oregon to attend our event.

Abacela had just been named one of the "Hot Small Brands of 2009" by Wine Business Monthly magazine. And this was one helluva "Hot Evening". It was our first event at Brazil Grill, Oregon's only true Brazilian Style Steakhouse. This Brazilian Churrasco style restaurant featured authentic Rodizio Service. Owner, Manager Henrique Konzen graciously waived corkage for Members of our Society making an already good deal an absolute bargain. Brazil Grill food was a terrific match for Abacela wines. But the restaurant was very noisy; which made it very difficult to talk about wine.

Tasting 12 wines may have been another factor. In fact, we opened 23 bottles of wine for 16 members.We started with 2008 Abacela Rosado which has received both "Platinum" and "Best Buy" ratings from Wine Press Northwest. This was a great starter wine. Then we sampled the 2008 Abacela Viognier as we proceeded through the Salad Bar of 16 freshly made salads. Both wines were delicious. Then 1 Magnum each of both the 2003 and 2004 Abacela Merlot as we proceeded through the Hot Bar of Black Beans, Bean Stew, Rice and Potatoes. Both vintages were balanced and well made. But I thought the 2004 was better than the 2003. And the 2004 costs $5/magnum less than the 2003 - wonderful! We had disks on our table which were red on one side and green on the other. We enjoyed 2006 Abacela Cabernet Franc (which can actually sit up and beg for meat), 2007 Abacela Granacha (fruity, delightful and rated "Excellent" by Wine Press Northwest), and 2007 Dolcetto (good but not as great as the others, in my opinion) as we turned the disks on our tables from red to green and began enjoying unlimited quantities of 12 deliciously rotisseried meats carved table-side. All the meats were excellent. However, I must admit I made a mistake not having meat with the merlots.

Then the Big Hitters: 2005 Abacela Syrah Reserve (hearty, intense, and concentrated), 2005 Abacela Tempranillo Reserve (which is excellent and captured #54 on The Wine Enthusiast's List of the Top 100 Wines of 2009 earning 95 points; but still tannic compared to the 2000 vintage), and the great 2000 Abacela Tempranillo Reserve (from my cellar and expletive excellent) with more meat, Ground Beef Empanadas and Parmesan Crusted Polentas. For Dessert we enjoyed Brazil Grill's Famous Cinnamon Roasted Pineapple with tastes of 2009 Abacela Blanco Dulce and 2006 Abacela Port. We had "appropriate" Reidel Stemware. However, Reidel recommends Tempranillo be drunk in a similarly shaped but smaller glass than the Bordeaux style glass. I felt the tempranillos were better in the larger glasses.

Kindest regards,

Jim Atwood, Chairman

Talbot Vertical Tasting Event at the Davis Street Tavern

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Click for Full Review

Duckhorn Merlot Uncorked

Event Reviews and Photos 2010