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Tag: Wine

Pop Up Poetry – Valentine’s Weekend 2016

Saturday, February 13th Brooks Winery, 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Poetry is “on the house” this Saturday, courtesy of the amazing Brooks Winery! Come to their gorgeous tasting room for some exquisite wine flights, a phenomenal view, and excellent conversation. Ask me to type up a poem on my vintage typewriter for you, or as a gift to someone! Give a subject; get a poem. It’s that easy. And what pairs better than wine and poetry? Donations accepted, and don’t forget to tip your server! See you there! Sunday, February 14th Broadway Coffeehouse, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. As a teaser…

Cheers to Willamette Valley Wine

My most recent article, as published in the Salem Weekly Thanksgiving issue. The Wine Country Thanksgiving spread is a great resource for this weekend’s festivities in Salem and the surrounding areas. Click HERE to read the article online, or pick up a copy of the Salem Weekly at one of 700+ local drop sites and businesses. Cheers!

Cória Estates: A Review

Sunny vineyardThat particular Tuesday was an Adventure Day, which means I pack up a small bag of essentials (typewriter, book, pen, paper, sunscreen and sunglasses) and follow the call of my wanderlust muse, wherever she may lead me. On this particular summer day, I knew my destination would be wine country–the sunny, cloudless sky just begged for it. When most Salemites think of local ‘wine country’ we immediately imagine the West Salem hills, which are famous for their numerous small-batch wineries offering Oregon’s staple Pinot Noir.

But today…today I am introducing you to a little boutique winery (without the boutique price tag) in the South Salem hills by the name of “Cória Estates.” I will be reviewing and discussing their wines, their tasting room and amenities, their event options, and a few other notable tidbits I experienced during my visit.

Learning to Relax

Repeat selfie setting, but I don’t care. This is my crazy life and I welcome you into it! What do YOU do to relax? Moving to a new house still sucks. But at least there’s a tub and some wine and plenty of reading material to soothe my muscles and nerves. One of many ways I’m learning to relax during this exciting yet stressful time since writing is on hold. #pruningfordayzzz #bathtubselfie #cotesdurhone #noms #smartwater #freeadvertising

Lowballer (a poem)

Red Rehab to Relapse

Denison Label
Courtesy of DenisonCellars.com

Musings from the West Side Wine Store

(from one of my previous jobs, yet also my favorite with so many good memories)

About a year ago I realized I was utterly “burned-out” on pinot noir. For some people, this happens and is an understandable palate change on our wine tasting journey. However, for someone working in the wine industry, living smack-dab in the epicenter of Willamette Valley pinot noir country, this was a travesty. I mean, for goodness sake, about a third of our reds at the wine shop are pinot noir because of all the local wineries who harvest the grape. I was backwards. My palate needed help.

I went into rehab (of the wine sort) to get me turned back on to reds. So I spent some time timidly trying out the heftier red wines of our northwest region, and even foreign vintages, delving deeper into the fuller and richer, darker and heavier reds that I couldn’t “handle” during my year-long pinot noir love-affair. I welcomed the change, and appreciated that my nose, tongue, and stomach didn’t reject the more complex reds as before. And I settled into a happy, red routine once more.

Until Tim Wilson came along.

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