Q&A-List

The Blue Goat | Dave VanDomelen [Amity]

Cassie and Dave VanDomelen, owners of The Blue Goat in Amity, are proud supporters of Oregon wine and recipients of a 2015 Oregon Wine A-List Award, an OWP and OWB program honoring restaurants that support and promote Oregon wine.

Why is it important to support Oregon wineries?

DV: First off, I believe in living local across the board. From consuming local products and resources from a local business to eating out of your own garden — it does not get more local than that or healthier for you and the planet. Your local farmer is the next best step. If a group of those local farmers and businesses happen to be making some of the best wine in the world, it’s an easy and fortunate choice to make.

Which are your personal favorite Oregon wine-loving restaurants in the state?

DV: Shameless plug: The Blue Goat. As far as I know, The Blue Goat is one of only a few restaurants that feature 100 percent Oregon wines — all produced with 15 miles of Amity — although a few contain grapes grown farther out. With so many talented winemakers and great fruit right here, it was a natural and easy choice to make. In addition, Nick’s in McMinnville and Recipe in Newberg are two of my personal favorites that are very strong supporters of local Oregon wine and, of course, they make great food.

Name the last bottle of wine (local or otherwise) that rocked your palate.

DV: What comes immediately to mind is sharing with my family a bottle of Amity Vineyard’s Willamette Valley Pinot Noir bottled in 1994. After 20 years in bottle — it was 2014 —it was fabulous, deep and rich. (Thanks, Myron.) I’m sure the mystique added to our enjoyment. We move through vintages fairly quickly at our restaurant — which is most of my wine exposure — so it was fun to experience the difference that age can bring. My current and readily available wine favorite has to be the Dukes Family Vineyards 2011 Alyssa Pinot Noir. This wine always brings a smile to my face. It’s delicious.

What would you like OWP readers to know about the town of Amity?

DV: Amity is a great and diverse little town, and there are some dedicated locals working very hard to help it grow in a positive way. The Coelho family comes immediately to mind, but there are many more. There is a great population of caring and hardworking folks here, from the families to the teachers to the local business owners. Plus, the city of Amity just happens to sit adjacent to what I believe is one of Oregon’s top wine AVAs: the Eola-Amity Hills. What’s not to love?