Indie Wine Juried for Upcoming Festival

Judges for the annual Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival in March juried more than 150 wines from 70 Oregon wineries for the May 8 festival at the Bison Building, in Northeast Portland. Judges came from Europe, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco to participate in the blind tasting of Oregon’s artisanal wines. The caliber of judges and the ease with which they are recruited affirms Oregon’s position as a world-class wine production region, according to festival founder Lisa Donoughe.

Judges included Michael Davies, A to Z Wineworks; Alice Feiring, journalist and author; John Grochau, 0GC Wines; Tim Kennedy, Don Carlo Vineyard; Toni Ketrenos, New Seasons Market; Ted Loos, Town & Country and Sherman’s; Claud Mann, chef of TBS’ Dinner & A Movie; Naomi Pomeroy, Beast; Jason Smith, Bellagio/Las Vegas; Bernard “Bernie” Sun, Jean-Georges Management; Cathy Whims, Nostrana; Summer Wolff, Sokolin.

The panel evaluated the wines to determine which qualify for one of 40 winery spaces at the festival. Only Oregon wineries producing 2,500 or fewer cases annually are eligible to enter the juried show. The May 8 event, from 2 to 6 p.m., also features samples from some of the city’s best restaurants and chefs.

For more information, visit www.indiewinefestival.com or call 503-595-0891. Tickets, $75 each, are on sale at www.indiewinefestival.com/tickets.