Ardor for Local Larder
Area wineries create products from their land for your kitchen
1. Trium Baby Bacchus Verjus Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley is home to Kurt and Laura Lotspeich’s vineyard of pampered Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. After several years of producing a limited amount of verjus for the family, they bottled their first commercial verjus from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes harvested in the fall of 2010. Baby Bacchus Verjus can be used in salad dressings, marinades, deglazing and more. $19.95; Trium Wines, 7112 Rapp Lane, Talent; www.triumwines.com
2. Oregon Olive Mill at Red Ridge Farms Extra Virgin Arbequina Olive Oil The Durant family completed their state-of-the-art olive-processing facility in 2008. Over the past five years, they have planted more than 13,000 olives trees over 17 acres at the Dundee Hills estate. The resulting oils, which are supplemented with fruit from Northern California, are handcrafted and produced in small lots. The Arbequina is medium-bodied and has grassy notes. The Mill suggests you blend it with fresh minced garlic, sea salt, diced heirloom tomatoes and serve over rustic bread. $16.95; Red Ridge Farms; 5510 N.E. Breyman Orchards Road, Dayton; www.redridgefarms.com
3. Left Coast Cellars Pure Estate Honeycomb Left Coast Cellars harvests its Pure Estate Honeycomb from the winery’s 25 beehives placed in the vineyard near Rickreall. Last year was the winery’s first crop of the lightly colored sweet stuff. The bees gather pollen from the estate’s forest blackberries and white clover planted as cover crop in the vineyard. Other contributing plants include: dandelion, lupine, thyme, vetch, poppies, lilac and fruit trees, such as cherry and apple, to name a few. Available in 8-ounce jars or 4-ounce jars with hand-cut honeycomb. $7; Left Coast Cellars, 4225 N. Pacific Highway (99W), Rickreall; www.leftcoastcellars.com
4. Troon Vineyard Stone Ground Mustard While most wineries simply make wine, Troon bottles wine along with its cover crop. Every year, the Applegate Valley winery plants mustard between the vines at its O’Neill Vineyard — the plants have great beneficial properties in mildew resistance and attraction to bees. The stone-ground mustard is made by local chef Tim Keller and is completely natural and contains no preservatives. $5 (small jar); Troon Vineyard, 1475 Kubli Rd.,Grants Pass; or Troon Tasting Room, 250 N. Kutch Street, Carlton; www.troonvineyard.com
5. Seufert Pinot Noir Finishing Salt Seufert Winery in Dayton has cleverly infused culinary sea salt with their Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Cuvée. Its rich violet color makes it a visually stunning finishing salt. A hint of fine wine and a delightful, satisfying crunch makes it perfect for grilled meat, fresh vegetables, crusty bread, aged cheeses, sauces and more. $5 (4-ounce jar); Seufert Winery, 415 Ferry Street, Dayton; www.seufertwinery.com
6. Delfino Tempranillo Mustard This rustic whole grain mustard is made with a simple blend of spices, honey, garlic and Delfino 2008 Tempranillo, which won a gold medal at the Consumer Wine Awards in Lodi, Calif. The handmade mustard is produced in small batches and solely for the Umpqua Valley winery. $7; Delfino Vineyards, 3829 Colonial Road, Roseburg; www.delfinovineyards.com
7. Cooper Mountain Vineyards Apicio Balsamic Vinegar Cooper Mountain owner Dr. Robert Gross has taken a decade-long passion for barrel-aged balsamic vinegar and turned it into an artisan reality. The winery’s Apicio Balsamic Vinegar started with 150 gallons of juice from organically grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With a high concentration of sugar, the blend was boiled for almost three days in stainless steel and then transferred to barrels for aging. Gross used five different types of wood — oak, chestnut, mulberry, cherry and robinia — during this stage. After eight years of this process, Apicio was released. $60; Cooper Mountain Vineyards, 9480 S.W. Grabhorn Road, Beaverton; www.coopermountainwine.com
