bjornson

Building #Björnson – Eola-Amity Hills #winery opens tasting room

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In the heart of the Eola-Amity Hills, between Salem and McMinnville, a new tasting room has opened on Bethel Heights Road, a welcome addition to the popular Polk County neighborhood.

Opening July 1, the Björnson Vineyards tasting room is a dream realized for owners Mark and Pattie Björnson. Having met in college, the couple discovered they shared a desire to live in the country, plant an orchard and raise a big family. After a month-long bike trip through Europe that included stops at many small wineries, the plans for their land changed into establishing a vineyard, building a winery and, now, a tasting room. (Click here to read the rest of the article on Oregon Wine Press.)

Townshends Fernet

Introducing Oregon’s First Fernet

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Intriguingly aromatic and bitter, fernet is typically somewhat an acquired taste. In fact, it?s one of those beverages most of your friends probably say they don?t like. But maybe that?s all the more reason to drink it. Much like a hoppy beer or peaty Hyland Scotch, it takes a bit of work to develop a lasting relationship with the bitter and boozy fernet ? and by work, I mean repeated tastings. To learn?more about Oregon’s first fernet, read the complete article on Oregon Wine Press.

Q Restaurant and Bar Makes its Mark in Portland

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Q menu items
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Q Restaurant and Bar has been reborn in the rubble of VQ. Well, down the street and around the corner. Located in the financial district of downtown Portland, on the corner of SW 2nd and Taylor, Q Restaurant and Bar is poised to take over where VQ left off and continue the long history as one of the city?s foundational eateries.

With the same chef, much the same staff, and many of the same menu items, Q will have a familiar feel to most. But under new ownership by Mazen and Katherine Hariri, and in a new location, there?s no quandary about it. You?ll appreciate the hat tip to the former establishment and at the same time embrace the legacy they?ve just begun to build.

Chef Annie Cuggino (with 22 years of experience at VQ), along with sous chefs Victor Martinez (who started out as a dishwasher and rose through the ranks) and Natalie Gullish, are embracing their new-found freedom in the decked out spectator kitchen. While the family of regulars will still find old favorites like bacon-wrapped dates, butter lettuce, poached egg and house bacon salad, osso bucco, and of course, the chocolate Nocello souffl?, Chef Cuggino will continue to work with the season and local purveyors to satisfy and delight her patrons by turning out Northwest inspired dishes.

Of course we?ll all miss the classic and historic brick building with its luxurious garden dining we?d come to know and love. But the new Q is sure to invite the same loyal patrons and power lunch crowd and is destined to become your new favorite hang out. The atmosphere is inviting and full of warmth, it?s elegant without being stuffy. While the wood-paneled bar is cozy with low ceilings and just a touch of austerity, the friendly bar staff, well appointed cocktail menu and wine list, and large storefront windows provide the perfect pick-me-up.

Q cocktail menuThe wine list, curated by Wine Director Amanda Winquist to reflect the vision of Q, is locally-focused and Northwest dominant, with a generous nod to the more traditional wines of California and Europe. The by-the-glass program is balanced and well thought out and includes two Oregon wines on tap, one of which is a barrel of St. Innocent Freedom Hill made exclusively for Q. If wine isn?t your thing, choose from six local draught brews or get lost and found in the extensive and creative cocktail menu with heavenly drinks like the BFD, You Only Live Twice, and the Peaceful Protest.

Open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week, as well as for weekend brunch. Visit q-portland.com/ for more information or to reserve your place at the table. You?re in for a treat.

Let’s Meet at Accanto for Dinner, Shall We?

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Accanto_ ChefChris(Portland, OR) — Accanto,the hip and stylish neighborhood Italian restaurant in Southeast Portland, is all about fresh, seasonal Italian food, wine and cocktails. Simple yet sophisticated, with the warmth and welcome of a true neighborhood corner caf?, now Accanto has?announced their new Executive Chef, Chris Frazier. Frazier’s?diverse and distinguished background is bringing a new level of creativity to the kitchen, where his authentic, approachable, and grounded style shines.

Over the last decade, Frazier has been a lead member of several of the most celebrated Italian kitchens in both New York and San Francisco, including 3 years as Chef de Cuisine at DellAnima and L?Artusi in New York, and a similar turn opening Locanda in San Francisco. Rounding out his background are turns at Del Posto (one Michelin Star), Bouchon Bakery, managing the hearth at Saison (two Michelin Stars), and a stint as Chef De Partie of Momofuku Ko (two Michelin Stars). He returned to his hometown and took the helm at Accanto in May 2016, reimagining the entire menu and infusing the restaurant with fresh energy and perspective. In his free time, Frazier enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together, especially old scooters.

Accanto?s new menu demonstrates Frazier?s extensive knowledge of classic Italian cooking techniques, from perfectly simple Roman-style pastas to house-made charcuterie, and exceptional entr?es that showcase the best ingredients of the season. Highlights from Chef Chris? menu at Accanto include:

? CRUDO di CAPESANTE – Scallop carpaccio, cr?me fr?iche, lovage and cured egg yolk
? ROASTED BEETS – House made ricotta, radicchio, rhubarb, cocoa nibs, bee pollen, licorice and saba
? PEACHES – Seared with chorizo, basil
? BUCATINI alla’MATRICIANA – House guanciale, rosemary and pecorino
? CAVATELLI con PECORA – Braised lamb neck and rib, mint, ricotta and english peas
? CAPELLINI con ARAGOSTA PICCANTE – Lobster knuckle and claw, garlic, anchovy, calabrian chili, dandelion greens, shaved lobster roe, bread crumb
? POLLO al DIAVOLO – Roasted summer squash, arugula and honey agrodolce
? GRASS FED OREGON BISON – Top sirloin steak with seared cherries, slow roasted cipollinis and shallots, smoked gorgonzola

Accanto is open for dinner daily (Sunday-Thursday 5:30-9:30pm and Friday-Saturday 5:30-10:30pm) and open for Brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10am-2pm.

Get Your Calendars Ready: Announcing the 2016 “Dinner in the Field” Events Schedule!

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If you?re anything like me, you?re already thinking about summer. A time of the year when?long summer days seem to go on forever, and evenings are filled with dinners that encapsulate all the flavors of the season, exciting your senses with every flavor. We?share time with friends and family lingering into the colorful sunset with glasses of wine in hand and conversation and the memories of dinner drifting into the air, as the warmth of that connection matches the warmth of the sun on your backs.

It may just be February, and the days still cold and dreary gray, but it?s never too early to be thinking about the bounty of the upcoming summer. In fact, all the more reason. And since Field and Vine Events just released their 2016 Dinner in the Field schedule, it?s?just the right time?to be planning for it. Check out this list of?amazing events from Spring through Winter, that include some of the Willamette Valley?s best farms, wineries, breweries and cideries, and get your planning underway. There?s certainly so much to look forward to.

April 12th ?-SE Wine Collective with Pitch Dark Chocolate
May 14th ??Kestrel Barn with Owen Roe
May 21st ??Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm & Vineyard w/Portland Cider Company
June 4th ?-AlexEli Vineyards with Portland Creamery
June 11th ??St Josef?s Estate Vineyard & Winery
June 18th ??King?s Raven Winery
June 26th ??Pete?s Mountain Vineyards
July 9th ??Stoller Family Estate with Chef Jaco Smith of Lechon Restaurant
July 16th ?-WillaKenzie Estate w/Goldin Artisan Creamery
July 23rd ??Lange Estate Winery with Portland Creamery
July 30th ? Lee Farms with Methven Family Vineyards
August 6th ? Christopher Bridge Winery
August 13th ? Fiala Farms with Erath Winery
August 20th ? Beckham Estate Vineyards
August 28th ? Rare Plant Research Center and Villa Catalana Cellars
September 3rd ? Fir Point Farms with Ecliptic Brewery and Ribera Wines
September 10th ? Terra Vina Wines
September 18th ? Alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch with AlexEli Vineyards
September 24th ? Ardiri Winery & Vineyards
October 22nd ? Stoller Family Estate
November 5th ? Rosse Posse Elk Farm and Forest Edge Vineyard
December 3rd ? Dobbes Family Estate
December 1oth ? WillaKenzie Estate

For more information, and to purchase your tickets, visit their website here.

Sol?na Estate Unveils Their New Yamhill Tasting Room

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Sol?na Estate opened the cellar doors to their warm, inviting and stunning new tasting room in Yamhill, Oregon on June 21st, 2015.

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Boasting an enormous fireplace and surroundings of weathered wood and stone, the tasting room seems to?natrually bring the outdoors in. Set amidst the owners vineyard estate, Danielle Andrus Montelieu and Laurent Montelieu offer a homey feel for visitors and club members alike.?The grand?3,500 square foot tasting facility?features a private Members Only lounge, a commericial kitchen for events, a wrap-around patio and barrel room.

Laurent Montelieu is not only making gorgeous Estate Pinot Noir, guests will also enjoy Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon (sourced from select Washington and Southern Oregon vineyard sites).

Sol?na Estate?s roots are deep. Beginning in 1999 as an engagement gift to each other, the story goes that instead of registering for china, the couple registered for Pinot noir clones to plant their ?Wedding Vineyard? instead. The 80-acre vineyard, located in Yamhill Carlton AVA is biodynamically farmed

In 2004, the first commercial vintage of Sol?na Estate was released and in 2009, they started construction of their new winery which they would eventually sell to the Jackson family in 2014. Moving just up the road to their charming lakeside location, Sol?na continues to make the same exceptional wines and offer the same generous hospitality, while the wines are now made at the Estate?s custom winemaking facility in Dundee.

Sol?na is open daily from 11-5, stop by for a taste, pull up a comfy chair, and stay for a while.

Unique Tasting Room Offers Wine Lovers a Latin Twist in Walla Walla

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Italy and Spain Come to Walla Walla with the Opening of the ?Latin Corner? Wine Tasting Room

WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON (June, 2015) ?Walla Walla isn?t just about Bordeaux and Rh?ne-inspired wines anymore.

With the opening of the Latin Corner, a unique shared tasting room in the heart of downtown Walla Walla, wine lovers can now experience?Italy and the Spanish style wines without making the trek to Europe.

Located at the corner of 2nd Street and E Rose Avenue, at the heart of Walla Walla?s bustling tasting room center, the Latin Corner offers an elegant setting for learning and tasting through Northwest grown Italian and Spanish varieties. Visitors can discover the charms of Albari?o and Rosato, the depths of Tempranillo and the nuances of Nebbiolo, and even experience the only true Amarone-style wine made in America.

The Latin Corner showcases the winemaking prowess of Gino Cuneo, a 25-year veteran of Italian-style winemaking, and Doug McCrea, a Northwest pioneer of Rhone and Spanish varieties, both using fruit from unique Washington vineyards. The tasting room offers guests a flight that includes the Italian-style wines of g.Cuneo and the Spanish inspired wines of Salida.

?There is no other tasting room in Walla Walla quite like the Latin Corner.?, explains Cuneo, proprietor of g.Cuneo Cellars and founder of the Latin Corner. ?We craft Northwest interpretations of classic Italian and Spanish wine varieties and styles from fruit that displays the individual terroir of selected sites in the Yakima Valley, Horse Heaven Hills and Wahluke Slope appellations.?

?The Latin Corner brings our individual winemaking passions together into a shared vision.? says McCrea, founder of McCrea Cellars and Salida Wine. ?Here, in a warm and friendly environment, we get to share our love for Spanish and Italian wines with all our visitors and friends.?

The Latin Corner is open 11am to 5pm, Thursday through Monday.

About g.Cuneo Cellars. Winemaker Gino Cuneo is a veteran of over 25 years making Italian-style wines from Northwest-grown fruit. At g.Cuneo Cellars the focus is on ‘Italian Style, American Soil.’ Without trying to imitate?Italian wines, g.Cuneo Cellars is committed to making the finest Northwest expression of Italian grapes.

Following a belief that Washington has all the qualities needed to create world-class Sangiovese and other Italian varieties, g.Cuneo Cellars focuses on advancing vineyard practices specific to Italian varietals. Additionally having a firm understanding of classic Italian winemaking techniques Gino is able to retain their unique ‘Italianess,? with a Washington expression.

About Salida Wine. A true Northwest wine pioneer, Doug McCrea is a progenitor of Washington Syrah, Grenache and Viognier, and many other varieties with origins in France?s Rhone Valley. Today, turning his attention to the grapes of Spain, Salida is a true artisan label dedicated to the expression of Iberian grapes, now with roots in the Pacific Northwest. Doug?s understanding of the imperative necessity to match a vineyard site with the appropriate grape variety has been rewarded with numerous highly acclaimed wines spanning nearly 30 years. Having realized his vision of over two decades that Rhone varietal grapes would flourish in the soils of Washington, he again is focused on bringing to the table wines that are currently unprecedented yet ultimately will become a prevalent expression of the growing renown of Washington State wine.