Turning 50 at The Grind

Joe Prusa didn’t realize it when he woke up Friday morning, but he was having his birthday party at The Grind to cap off his day. Wife Lynne (whose father is famous for the world-renowned Britt’s Donuts) thought our shop would be the perfect place to gather some of Joe’s old friends for a proper send-up…and she was right!
The old school beach was here, including Sonny, Bubba, Jimmy, Harry, Jack and others who have been around here since bell bottoms were in fashion (the first time!). Joe was genuinely surprised, but he seemed to have a good time, just the same.
But the party wasn’t the only treat. Dave joined Jeremy, bringing his keyboards to add an electronic edge to the acoustic guitar. In addition, Eric showed up with his bongos, and the full sound that filled The Grind was awesome. Their rendition of “Brown Eyed Girl” had the whole crowd singing along.
Other than that, just another night with the 2 Wine Guys.
Thursday’s tasting was a good one, featuring the wines of Lapis Luna, including a higher-end Zinfandel that we got by mistake, but at the price of the lower end version. Mum’s the word.
Anyway, we got our first Willamette wine in. It is a bit on the pricey side, but well worth it. We drank three bottles of it in the valley, and someone better buy these two before we drink them, too. We are not above that.
We had a nice group in Saturday to listen to Dave play, and he graced us with both guitar and keyboard, showing his range and talent. Great stuff.
This week, John, from Turner Wine Imports, returns to the tasting table. It will be a thunder from down under tasting, featuring wines from Australia, including a cab/merlot blend, a straight-up merlot, a shiraz, a couple chards and a sauvignon blanc. It’s always interesting (not to mention entertaining) with John.
Don’t forget that Friday is Halloween, and where better to get your treat bag filled than at The Grind? Not only are we having a costume contest and drink specials, but we will be lucky enough to have Lynne and Dave Denne playing that night. This is a real treat, and if you have never seen this couple, you are in for a great night of music. This will be the best Halloween party ever by 2 Wine Guys!
So don’t stay home. Turn off the porch light, close the blinds, and let the kids get their candy from the neighbors. Dress up, come on down to 2 Wine Guys @ The Grind, and let us pour you a glass.
Blah! Blah!
Shawn

My Empire for a Tasting...

BOO!

Did I scare you? Well, that's only because you can't see me. I'm pretty scary. Anyway, Halloween is next week, and we will be doing something special on Friday, so put your thinking caps on and come up with a clever costume. We will be giving Grind gift certificates to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners (and, yes, they can be used for wine!).

More on that later.

Our latest adventure took us to Raleigh, to take part in Empire Distributors' "Beverage Showcase." Billed as an opportunity to "explore wine, beer and non-alcoholic products." But, since we may be alcoholics, we did not explore any non-alcoholic products.

There were over 400 wines open to sample, which, even for us, seemed a tad ambitious (the event, after all, only lasted three hours. Five hours, maybe we could have done it). So I decided to focus on Cabs, and tasted about 18 of them (at least that is what I have in my notes...which seemed to become less coherent as the evening wore on). After that, I began to cherry pick, tasting the Caymus, Symmetry, Tapestry and a couple Chateauneuf-du-Papes.

They had some nice food, as well, which was good, because we needed something absorbent. I knew we had about a bottle-and-a-half back at the hotel room, but determined that would not quite be enough for the four of us (you know how we are). So we managed to procure two more bottles (I will not go into details, as I don't want to get anyone in trouble...suffice it to say we have a new favorite vendor).

Anyway, we found ourselves back at the stylish Red Roof Inn, where we ordered pizza, watched the Phillies clinch, and drank all of our wine.

Back to reality.

Jon, from Dionysus, will be here Thursday to taste everyone on some lovely wines. In fact, I am waiting for him to show up now so I can taste what he is offering. He is the one who stood me up a few weeks back, so be sure to give him a lot of shit. After all, we have vendors lining up to do tastings here (we are booked into late November), because we have such great, wine-enthusiastic customers. Seriously, I have been to tasting elsewhere - sometimes we are the only ones...so, we count ourselves lucky.

Friday, Jeremy will be back, and there are rumors circulating that Dave will be joining him. If you haven't seen these two play together...seriously. Saturday, Dave will be back on his own, and he is worth seeing,even when he is playing with himself.

OK, minds out of the gutter, people!

Anyway, I promised to tell you about next Friday. It just so happens to be Halloween, so we are doing a little party. We will have beer and wine specials (all day, because that's the law), as well as a costume contest, and any other lunacy we can come up with between now and then. As I said, Grind gift certificates to first, second and third place winners. Should be a hoot, and a grown-up good time (although you can bring the kids...we'll still have smoothies, fraps and all of our other delicious drinks).

Oh, and we have a new glass list. Some good stuff on there. Working on a new wine menu, so we have some new things, don't have some old things. But only one way to find out...come on in, and let 2 Wine Guys @ The Grind pour you a glass.

Shawn

The week after, the week before

Hi ho!

Well, in case you didn't notice, the rain was moving sideways this past weekend. Bummer for the Seafood Blues & Jazz Fest, but it worked out OK for us. I do hate it for the folks at the Chamber. They work all year to put on a fantastic event, and it is very disappointing that we get crappy weather that one weekend. But, I did enjoy seeing so many people drinking nice wines in our shop. We had a new musician in Saturday night, filling in for Dave, who we discovered at an Open Mic Night (yes, it happens).

Anyway, it was a good weekend.

Coming up, Liza from Mutual will be here doing our tasting, and she will have some fantastic wines! Two of the reds and two of the whites are from Cali, including a Chard, a Chenin Blanc/Viognier blend, a merlot and a pinot noir. In addition, she will have a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc that is very nice, along with an Australian Cab/Shiraz blend (actually, it should be the other way around, as the Shiraz is the dominant grape, but it seems to have more Cab characteristics than Shiraz. But that may just be me.

Friday we have Jeremy playing (and maybe Dave? That has been the trend lately. And if you have not seen the two of them together, you owe it to yourself. Great sound). Saturday will be Dave, and Sunday...well,we just never know.

I hate to cut this short, but I am on my way to Raleigh for Empire's trade show. I am told there will be 400 wines to sample. We will be sleeping in Raleigh tonight (I have good insurance, but I don't think it covers driving after 400 wines).

So, we will see you at the tasting, or over the weekend? No pressure.

Come on out, and let s pour you a glass.

Shawn

Back to (Abby) Normal

Yeeee-haaaa!

Well, if you haven't been following the blog, we have been drinking some killer wine in Willamette Valley. Kristin had us being treated like rock stars, from vineyards to tasting rooms, and we are back - tanned, rested and ready.

OK, not tanned. We saw the sun once, and it rained a couple days. But we didn't care. We live at the beach, we travelled for the wine.

And speaking of wine, we want to make room to bring in some of the delicious Pinots we tasted, so we have two that we would like to move off our shelves. And, in order to do it we are willing to discount them. But when they are gone, they are gone. You won't see this offer on TV, so act now!

First, is the Huia Pinot Noir from New Zealand. Strawberries on the nose, with a nice smokiness, and a slightly tart expression on the palate. Very nice NZ Pinot. Was $32.25, selling now for 22.50!

Zoinks!

Second, the J. Wilkes Bien Nacido Hillside Pinot Noir (only a few hundred cases made of this beauty) from Santa Barbara, Cali. Fresh strawberries, raspberries and currants are balanced nicely with smoke and vanilla on the nose. Silky mouth feel, with a long finish. Was $42.50, now $31!

Are we nuts, or what?

Anyway, with Halloween closing in, we are doing a "Taste of Blood" wine tasting Thursday, with all of the wines hailing from Romania (blah! Blah!). Yes, home to vampires, Count Dracule, werewolves and gypsies, but they also make wine. And they are all very reasonably priced. And, hey, unlike the Count, they won't kill you! Esther, from Ararat, will be on hand to demon-strate this spooky selection.

Friday, Jeremy is back, and Saturday, Dave will be on stage at The Grind. Last Saturday, we returned to find Dave playing, and he had both the keyboard and guitar. It was a nice welcome back for us.

Sunday, we will be doing an Oktoberfest Beer Tasting. Oompah!

If you want to know abut our trip, check out www.2wineguysatthegrind.com or come on in, and let us spin you a yarn. But the blog would be a good start, because we may not remember all the details.

OK, come on out to 2 Wine Guys @ The Grind, and let us pour you a glass.

Shawn

Out of the valley

Morning came early, and sleep was difficult. And what I found day 2 in Dayton was that people in this area do not have the same coffee jones that we do. And the coffee I did find (after driving at least 10-15 miles one way) told me that Java Estate has a nice corner on the market, and that The Grind has some damn good coffee.
Anyway, for the second day in a row, I drove much longer than I should have to get a simple cup of coffee. Today I drove to Lincoln, which consisted of a flashing light and a small country store, and bought four cups of coffee. A group of old guys, sitting around giving each other shit (seemed familiar), drank coffee and eyed me suspiciously. Perhaps it was the California plates on my rental car. Nonetheless, I bought the watery liquid and headed back to Dayton.
After quaffing the less-than-satisfying coffee, and showering and packing, we were on the road again. And, as has become the habit, we were drinking pinot noir before 11 am, on our way to McMinnville. Domaine Drouhin’s finest was our pre-meal snack. We had breakfast, as we needed something absorbent, then we were on our own, and headed for Carlton.
We began our wine drinking day (outside the vehicle) at The Tasting Room in Carlton, where we drank about six different Pinots. Oh, there may have been a white wine or two, but who cares? We came to drink Pinot, and that’s what we did.
But the day was not over.
After the tasting, we walked across the street to Tyres Evan, and tasted some wines from one of Ken Wright’s products (who Kristin represents). Actually, the reds were claret blends and two syrahs. Not bad, but not pinots. They were from southern Washington, and southern Oregon, grown in two different soil types.
“The difference in the soil is the difference in the wine,” our tasting room manager noted, with thick volcanic/clay soil draining more slowly causing the grapes to ripen later.
Kristin and Garrett met us at this tasting room, and we prepared for the drive to the last vinery we would visit before we headed to Portland, and the east coast, leaving the valley behind. The appearance of our wine rep caused our tasting to go from $10 per person to free. But we had a more important stop to make, so we cut it short and headed out.
I tried my best to follow Garrett, but he drove like he walked, and we all know how that ended up. So I backed off to leave plenty of distance between our Jeep and his convertible Mustang. Nonetheless, we soon found ourselves at Chehalem, and made the tasting room considerably louder than it was when we walked in. The couple who had been peacefully enjoying their sipping actually knew us from dinner at Nick’s, so our volume did not put them off.
Our taster, though, did make the somewhat sacrilegious comment, “It’s not only about Pinot Noir.”
I gasped, and then I tasted the whites she offered, including Pinot Gris, a Chard and a Riesling. All were actually quite good. But I came across country for one grape, and I would not be disappointed by Chehalem’s red offerings. The winemaker – who actually hails from Brunswick County – came out and talked to us about his wine, tasting us on a few things that the average visitor doesn’t get to try.
Harry was very humble, and talked about his wine, the valley and the fruit. As it rained outside, he expressed the same concerns we had heard from other winemakers as the weather approached. Rain stabilizes density in the fruit, he said, but too much rain can cause catastrophe. He also said that the more skin the liquid was exposed to, the more structure and intensity would result in the finished product. He also added that there was a lot of collaboration among valley farmers/winemakers, noting “a high tide floats all ships.”
Oh, and he made some damn good wine. We drank four Pinots, including the RR, a barrel selection wine that he personally selects for its masculine qualities. This would not be the last time we would drink this wine today, and Joel picked up a bottle of the RR, along with a bottle of the reserve Pinot Noir.
Chehalem was a great way to wind up the journey to the valley of the wine. Harry was a winemaking nerd, which is actually a very cool thing in the valley. Wine as art, wine as science, wine as something to be savored and discussed – at length. We certainly had the “savor at length” part down pat.
After drinking everything he had to offer, we headed out of the valley to the City of Roses. Unfortunately, we arrived in Portland at the height of rush hour. The GPS managed to get us to our hotel, so it was only mildly annoying. Plus, we still had wine.
Kristin and her husband were staying across town, and hunkered down for the night. I think our pace caused them some concern. Anyway, we drank a bottle of Stoller that we had picked up at that winery, and then walked across the street to The Heathman. The menu was very interesting, and the things they do with mushrooms in this part of the country are amazing. We drank another Pinot, but were reluctant to purchase any more, as we had bottles in the room (and had spent way more than I would care to admit on wine in this past week). We asked about their corkage fee, and the waitress said $20, but since we had already purchased a bottle, she would waive it. So I scampered across the street to the hotel, and grabbed Chehalem’s RR. It was delicious with the lamb I had for dinner, as well as the Pot de crème I ate for dessert.
Back in the room, I poured myself one more glass from the bottom of the Stoller bottle, and sat down at the computer to write this. But that wasn’t going to happen. My frontal lobe was like a Pinot sponge, and there were no printable thoughts that were going to flow between it and the keyboard. So I turned out the light, and lay down on the bed to watch Sportscenter. It was not long before slumber (or unconsciousness, take your pick) took me.
But it was an uneasy sleep. Given the abrupt start to our journey, I was concerned about oversleeping. I put in a wake-up call for 5:30, and Susan had set the alarm on her phone for 5:00. Regardless, I woke up at 3 a.m., and never could get back to sleep. I finally said to hell with it, and got out of bed to get ready.
On our way to the airport, we learned that Kristin’s car had been broken into, and a suitcase stolen. Convertible roof slashed, windows broken…the works. There may have even been some Tall Poppy in the suitcase, which would be tragic if it fell into the hands of a couple meth-heads (although it might prevent Garrett from injuring himself further).
That put a sad finish to an otherwise great experience. She had hooked us up with some awesome wineries, and we had received star treatment. Especially considering we are a small volume wine shop, on the other side of the country, with proprietors very new to the game.
We learned quite a bit about Pinot Noir, and, surprisingly, considering the tremendous amount we consumed, we still remember a fair amount of what we were told (but that could be good note-taking).
By Saturday, the Pinots had not only caught up with our palates, but our budget as well. I have no idea at this point how many bottles we actually bought, but it was – at the very least – 30. Plus, we drank another 10-15 on someone else’s dime. And that does not include all the wine we tasted. But after about three hours on the plane, Shell finally looked up and said, “We need some wine!” So I guess we didn’t get enough.
As we left ILM to head back to The Grind, Joel opened up the Chehalem Reserve Pinot, and we toasted to a “good field trip.” We were welcomed back as heroes, Axel and Billy were happy to see us, Dave was playing his piano, Eric and Dawn were here with their famous friends, and for a moment it seemed as if we had never left.
But I had a purple smile, and a profound interest in winemaking, plus a definite desire to do it again.
Next time, Tuscany. We better start saving money now…

Starting The Crush!

Today as eventful, and exciting, as at least one of the wineries we visited had started “the crush.” That wonderful, and stressful, time when the grapes come off the vines and the winemaking process begins in earnest.
Somehow, we still managed to start drinking Pinot Noir before noon. After my first sip, we passed a sign for rabbit on a stick. I wonder what wines goes with rabbit on a stick? Why, Pinot Noir, of course.
We made our way up the mountain to Domaine Drouhin. Winemakers Joseph and wife came to Willamette from France to plant Pinot, and created a product that more than rivals their French brand. They were actually in France, preparing their grapes there to make wine.
In fact, the winery showed two of their French wines, along with their Domaine Drouhin selection, all of which was delicious. In the course of our tour, we noticed that Garrett had somewhat of a head injury, in the form of a large strawberry on his left temple. Turns out that the night before, as he attempted to get things out of his car, he took what he described as a “Tall Poppy Tumble,” thanks in part to the Yamhill Valley wines and mean old mister gravity.
The winemaking process was described in great detail, and what were learning was that everyone had their own twist on how they made their Pinot Noir. All very similar, but there were tweaks here and there that helped create the distinctions between the many brands. And what must be 30 bottles into it, we were getting it. Just tasting grapes on the vine, I was beginning to get a sense of how they would translate to the wine. Either that, or Pinot delirium I setting in.
“You bruise the grape, you bruise the wine,” our guide said, noting that the Drouhins were very patient with when they picked their grapes. Their vineyards, though, were well-manicured, and the fruit was beautiful.
But we had other wines to drink, and headed back down the hill. We took a long drive across the valley, and ate lunch with the owners of Montinore Estates. Rudy and his daughter Kristin were gracious, helpful, and very enthusiastic about their wines.
“It’s one of the most difficult grapes to grow,” Rudy said of the Pinot Noir. “It’s one of the most difficult wines to make, but when you do it right, it’s sublime.”
And his wines were just that.
Joel decided that if we hit the lottery, we would buy a vineyard in Willamette. We would call it Macon-Wood, and the Macon-Wood Pinot would be a rock star. Or, at the very least, we would have some fun doing it.
But it also appears to be a lot of hard work. We are talking to farmers, not PR people. These are people who understand the earth, and the grape, and how each is crucial to producing excellent wines. It was noted that 75-80% of good winemaking happens in the orchard.
Montinore actually shakes their grapes off the vine, eliminating the need for the de-stemmer, and allowing for a more delicate handling of the fruit.
After our tour, we bought some schwag, and then headed down the valley to Elk Cove, where they had started the crush. The winemaker was gracious enough to taste us on some wines, and give us a tour, but he was clearly distracted, as they were harvesting and processing grapes.
The rains had started, and all the winemakers were getting nervous. When to pick s one of the great variables, and can determine the difference between a good wine and a great wine, and can also determine not only the quantity of grapes, but the quality.
We drank a few more bottles of Pinot, and then met the winemaker from Yamhill Valley for dinner at a little place called Nick’s in McMinnville. Another winemaker, from Soter, sent us a bottle of his sparkler to drink with our dinner. I LOVE this place!
The dinner conversation was almost strictly Pinot, A good cab, they say, will knock your socks off. A good Pinot, though, will slip your socks off. It is seduction in a bottle. In fact, I have always been a Pinot fan, but now I’m a Pinot stalker. Stephen King could write a book about my feelings about Pinot Noir.
Kristin added that, in the valley, white wine is what you drink while you are deciding which Pinot Noir to order.
Each vineyard has a system to scare the birds away, usually involving the sounds of a cannon. I have heard this noise so much this week, when I get home, every time I hear a car backfire, I will have a Pavlovian response, thinking about Pinot Noir.
Today, we have a few more vineyards to visit, and then it is back to Portland, for tomorrow’s trek home. I will miss the valley, but I have a feeling my liver will not…

Pinot Noir reflux

I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up. By Noon on Wednesday we had cracked open our 18th bottle of wine (that’s 17 pinots, and one syrah, for those of you scoring at home), as we headed to our first destination.
Torii Mor, up a long and extremely bumpy dirt road, presented a beautiful view of the valley with a subtle outline of Mt. Hood in the distant haze. We tasted two white, a Pinot Gris and a chard, then it was on to the wine for which we made this trip – pinot noir.
According to the vineyard’s propaganda, “Torii Mor” essentially means “beautiful gateway to the earth,” and that is their philosophy when it comes to their pinot noirs. After 17+ bottles, I think I agree. We tasted a number of pinots, including two that had just come out of the barrel. The pinots were followed by a port, syrah-based, with only a 200-case production. It was outstanding. Then I ate a grape. It was the first pinot grape I would taste, but not the last on this eventual wine-based day.
After we got a quick viniculture lesson from our host, we headed back down the hill, and drove over to Stoller. I walked in the door of the tasting room, and there was a bunch of chardonnay grapes on the table, so I ate one. “Unoaked,” I said, much to my own amusement (no one else seemed to think it was all that funny…story of my life).
We drank two chards (one unoaked, one that saw 65% neutral oak and 35% new oak), and then the pinots. Susan noted that if everyone in the country was as interested in wine as we are, perhaps we wouldn’t have so many heated political discussion. So, wine equals peace. All we are saying, is give wine a chance!
Galileo reportedly said, “The sun, with all those planets, revolving around it and dependant on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do.” Times were apparently simpler then, but still an interesting observation.
Stoller faded into our rearview mirror, and we rolled into Dundee, where we arrived at Argyle’s tasting room. Specializing in sparklers, we tried about a half dozen, including one made from – you guessed it – pinot noir grapes.
It was also crush time, and I was the first non-Argyle person to taste juice off their press. Wow! Welch’s got nothin’ on this nectar of the gods. I would give up OJ if I could have a fresh glass of pinot noir juice every morning!
Argyle is the only winery, according to them, that still cold presses all their fruit, which keeps the juice nice and fresh, and enables them to have more control over the process during the harvest. And our very helpful guide told us it would be best f we kept our arms out of the stemmer – gentle on grapes, not so much on body parts.
Although we really enjoyed Argyle, we did have one more stop, and that would include dinner as well. We made our way back up the road to Yamhill Valley, where the owner told us dirty jokes until we peed his wine.
And he wasn’t shy with his wines, pouring everything from his famous Pinot Gris, to his top shelf Tall Poppy. Less than 100 cases were made in some vintages, and he said he wouldn’t be doing an ’07, because it wasn’t “good enough.” You have to appreciate that dedication.
And Kristin definitely appreciated that dedication, as she opened bottle after bottle of Tall Poppy. I officially lost count of how many bottles we drank, and I know is if I cut myself, there’s a good chance I would bleed pinot noir. I believe the technical term is “a shitload.”
His winemakers also made us dinner, which included a fantastic, authentic mole. I haven’t had Mexican food like that since I left Cali.
After much rejoicing, we still had to get back to the place we would spend the night. So we said our goodbyes, and drove down the hill and over to Dayton, where we would spend the next two days in Martha’s Cottage. Once safely inside, we had one (or three) more glasses of pinot noir and passed out.

My liver dialed 9-1-1

Breakfast at The Grand Victorian B&B was lovely, and absorbent, helping to soak up some of the haze from the day before. Our hosts were helpful, very friendly, and made sure we did not hit the road hungry.
Thanks to the good meal, it was not long before we were back on the road, polishing off the last of the Domaine Serene Evansted Reserve. An unbelievable wine, that was every bit as delicious this morning as it was the afternoon (and evening) before.
Once again, we were into the wine well before noon, and we would need more. Oh, yes, we would need more. And we found it in the form of a lovely little wine shop down the coast, appropriately called “The Wine Place.” The owner, Carrie, was not only helpful, but seemd amused by s. And I mean that in a good way.
We bought three more bottle of Willamette Pinot Noir, a variety of cheeses, crackers and wasabi peanuts (that we were warned would make you eyes water…and they did). We hit the road with our mobile picnic, heading south along the coast. I had hoped to make it to Coos Bay, but between all of our stopping, sight-seeing and wine drinking, time started to get away from us. Kristin and Garrett were on their way to the coast to meet us, so we needed to get back to Newport.
Thanks to a recommendation from Eileen, we wound up at Bridges Restaurant at the Embarkadero, and ordered two bottles of Argyle, a wine that Kristin represents in North Carolina. But, alas, they were out. So we ordered the Lange instead, which was a delicious example of the style. Sixteen bottle into this trip, we are really becoming familiar with the Oregon Pinot Noir flavor profile. There are subtle – sometimes stark – differences within the sub-divisions of the valley terroir, but we found most of them to be delicious. The Red Door, which we were forced to order because the restaurant ran out of the Lange, was not up to the standards of the other wines we had been drinking. I asked who did their ordering, but there was no information forthcoming.
After a lovely dinner (for most, Kristin's lamb had been cooked so well Mary wouldn't recognize it!), we headed back to The Grand Victorian, polishing off the remaining bottles of Pinot Noir, as well as one Syrah (purchased from Domaine Serene, and so far the only non-Pinot we have drunk, not including the tasting room wines). But Syrah is one of Kritin’s favorite grapes, so it seemed fitting.
It was after midnight by the time everyone drifted off, and tomorrow we head back to the valley to visit wineries, and be wined and dined by some of the best winemakers in the country. I have a feeling it won’t suck.