Boutique Bash Beckons

By Wine Press Staff

The sixth annual Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival has announced the names of the 40 Oregon craft wineries selected to pour their artisanal wines at the festival's Grand Tasting, Saturday, May 8 from 2 to 6 p.m. in Northeast Portland. The wineries will pour 81 wines in the spacious, industrial-chic Bison Building (419 N.E. 10th Ave.). With 13,000 square feet, there is plenty of room for attendees to sip the selections and nosh on small plates from 15 of the city's top restaurants.

"Our judges were blown away by the quality of the wines this year," said Lisa Donoughe, PIWF founder. "The 2007 vintage was a stunner vintage, and really a sleeper. The weather at harvest was such a question mark, and our winemakers stepped up to the challenge brilliantly."

The wines were selected in a blind tasting (11 flights of 167 wines total tasted in a seven-hour period) conducted March 15 at the Hotel Vintage Plaza. The judging panel consisted of 12 wine professionals, including journalist and author Alice Feiring (Wall Street Journal), corporate beverage director Bernard Sun (Jean-Georges Management) and winemaker Michael Davies (A to Z Wineworks).

This year's wineries include: Ancient Cellars, Angel Vine, Antica Terra, ArborBrook Vineyards, Artisanal Wine Cellars, Barking Frog Winery, Big Table Farm, Blakeslee Vineyard Estate, Capitello Wines, Carlton Cellars, Coeur de Terre Vineyard, Cubanisimo Vineyards, de Lancellotti Family Vineyards, Domaine Margelle, Dukes Family Vineyards, Durant Vineyards, Et Fille Wines, Genius Loci, Gresser Vineyard, Iota Cellars, J. Scott Cellars, Johan Vineyards, Kandarian Wine Cellars, Le Cadeau Vineyard, Lenné, Luminous Hills/Seven of Hearts, Merriman Wines, Monks Gate Vineyard, Quady North, Ribbon Ridge Vineyard, Ribera Vineyards, RR Winery, Thistle Wines, Velocity Cellars, VIDON, Sno Road Winery, Vitae Springs Vineyard, Wahle Vineyards, WildAire Cellars, Wy'East Vineyards.

Restaurant and food partners include: Bambuza Vietnamese, Beaker & Flask, Biwa, Café Nell, Caffé Vita, Clyde Common, The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar, Newman's, Nostrana, Pazzo Ristorante, phresh Organic Catering, Pie Spot, Red Star Tavern & Roasthouse and Wildwood. ◊

EVENT INFO

Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival
Location: Bison Building
Address: 419 N.E. 10th Ave., Portland
Date/Time: May 8, 2-6 p.m.; 1-6 p.m. (VIP)
Tickets: $75; $125 (VIP)
Phone: 503-595-0891
Web: www.indiewinefestival.com