November News Briefs
¡Salud! 2013
No event exemplifies the Oregon wine community’s camaraderie and generosity in the same way as ¡Salud!, Oregon wine’s highlight event of the year.
Friday, Nov. 8, select Pinot Noir producers gather again to offer wine lovers and collectors the opportunity to acquire their best cuvées of the highly anticipated 2012 vintage with exclusive Pinot Noirs available only at the Big Board auction hosted annually at Domaine Drouhin Oregon. The gala dinner in Portland at the Governor Hotel, Nov. 9, presents more opportunities to bid on exciting auction lots, including spectacular and unique wine, culinary and travel packages.
The mission uniting some of the top producers in Oregon wine is ¡Salud!, a program to provide much-needed access to healthcare for Oregon’s seasonal vineyard workers and their families. Currently, ¡Salud! reaches approximately 40 percent of northern Willamette Valley vineyards and their workers with healthcare and health education programs, filling a need for services rarely met elsewhere.
The ¡Salud! bi-lingual, bi-cultural team of medical professionals is led by Leda Garside, RN, MBA, recipient of the 2012 March of Dimes Distinguished Nurse of the Year Award. In 2012, more than 4,000 workers and family members were registered in the program, an increase of more than 10 percent over 2011.
For tickets or more information, visit www.saludauction.org.
Celebrating American Wine
The Great American Wine Festival (GAWF), a new consumer wine tasting festival featuring brands from regions throughout North America, will take place at the DoubleTree Hotel in Portland on Sat., Nov. 16.
Zephyr Adventures is organizing the gathering, happening the day after the Wine Tourism Conference. The annual industry conference, expecting to draw about 230 wine tourism industry leaders from throughout the U.S., Canada and beyond, allows the GAWF to showcase wines from unique wine areas such as Virginia, Idaho and Ohio in addition to more established areas in California, Oregon and Washington.
The conference is being co-organized with the existing Northwest Food & Wine Festival (NFWF). Festivalgoers can purchase tickets to either or both events, which will occur at the same time in adjoining buildings.
Ticket prices start at only $35 and attendance will be limited to approximately 400 people. For more information, visit www.greatamericanwinefestival.com.
High Spirits
Celebrating the state’s emergence as a leader in artisan distilling, the ninth annual Great American Distillers Festival was held Oct. 4–5 at the Tiffany Center in Southwest Portland. More than 38 craft distillers from Oregon and beyond showcased their latest products for guests, who not only sampled the latest, but also enjoyed a spirits-inspired educational lunch, an after party, a cocktail contest and a spirits competition judged by an esteemed panel of experts.
BEST OF SHOW
Ransom Wines & Spirits (Sheridan)
FINALISTS
Big Bottom Whiskey (Hillsboro)
Bull Run Distilling Co. (Portland)
House Spirits Distillery (Portland)
Rogue Ales & Spirits (Newport)
BEST IN-SHOW RELEASE
Bainbridge Organic Distillers Battle Point Whiskey (Bainbridge Island, WA)
BEST IN CATEGORY
Whiskey: Bainbridge Organic Distillers Battle Point Organic Whiskey
Rum: Treaty Oak Distilling Co. Aged Rum (Austin, TX)
Gin: New England Distilling Ingenium Gin (Portland, ME)
Vodka/Flavored Vodka: Treaty Oak Distilling Co. Starlite Vodka
Liqueur: New Deal Distillery Ginger Liqueur (Portland)
BOOTH DECORATIONG CONTEST
Glaser Estate Winery & Distillery (Roseburg) Halloween Theme “Pirates Booty”
COCKTAIL COMPETITION
White Category: “The Courtesan” by Sound Spirits (Seattle, WA)
Brown Category: “New Carre” by Edgefield/McMenamins (Portland, OR)
Specialty Category: “Golden Manzana” by Skip Rock Distillers (Snohomish, WA)
OREGON'S BEST "BEER COCKTAIL"
“Tom’s Swill Pill”
2 ounces Ransom Old Tom Gin
½ ounce Green Chartreuse
1 ounce fresh pineapple juice
½ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 slices of fresh jalapeño
2 ounces TEN BARREL Swill Beer
METHOD
Muddle jalapeño in shaker. Add ice and first 4 ingredients. Shake, strain into a frizzle glass that has the 2 ounces of Swill Beer. Garnish with a thin slice of jalapeño.
For more info, visit www.distillersfestival.com.
