Terroirists at Large: forgive my horrible language or don’t yer call

Ain’t no Sunshine when she’s gone

March 1, 2010 is one of those nights I like to call SANs (single adjective nights). On this particular night that adjective is “epic”. Eric and I roadtripped to Portland, Oregon for a party cleverly titled, “wine party 2010”. All things considered, we tried a lot of wine, met a lot of interesting people, and probably made fools out of ourselves.

Unintentional Captain Morgan Pose

After filming the Terroirists Wine Show, we made our way into the crowded basement of the Douglas Fir Lounge. The room was filled with winos, mostly male, and mostly dressed in blazers and jeans. And I thought I had an original idea – not in Portland, my friend. The sliders were killer with wasabi pickles, and the chicken tasted as though it were fried on another planet (in a good way).

Zach from Syzygy and some girl we don't know

In between the burlesque dancers there was much wine to be sampled. The two wines that stood out the most are the 2009 Feral Sauvignon Blanc from Efeste and a Reynvann Family Winery wine (I don’t know which one it was). Fighting the crowd for a couple of hours, we meandered through the sea of sausage and met some peeps while sampling the best of what Washington has to offer.

Nobile Rot and Vouvray

Unfortunately the party ended rather abruptly at just after 10, which left us incessantly scrambling. We headed two blocks down the street to Nobile Rot, a restaurant and wine bar with a great view of downtown Portland. There I had a flight of Vouvrays, and Eric surprisingly strayed from the Loire for a flight of Ridge Zinfandels. The place has a nice atmosphere, and I’d like to try it again sometime when not coming from a wine party.

The tab was picked up by some guy from Wisconsin, and the rest of the night fades into mystery. Actually, I remember it all, but there isn’t much else worth stating. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the name of this post is dedicated to my long lost love, Sunshine from Portland.

Oh, and expect to see more about this trip in the days to come. Eric has a lot of video to sift through, and we both have hangovers.

Vino Paradiso: More like Vino Purgatorio

It may sound harsh but at least I didn’t go with Vino Inferno.  We have had good experiences at Vino Paradiso in the past; this was however our first chance to see it after the light leaves the sky.  The name Vino Paradiso would lead you to believe that this is going to be some sort of beatific experience, which just wasn’t the case this time.  The staff was polite and friendly but not very attentitive which was probably my main problem with Vino Paradiso this time around.

Vino Paradiso has an extensive bottle list for anybody whether your wallet is beefy or you find yourself being a little bit more pennywise.  There is sure to be something for any taste on the bottle list.  They also offer a few wine flights that rotate in and out from time to time.  I had a flight of Spanish reds that was pretty yummy.

Overall, I was not thrilled nor was I disheartened by my experience here.  If you’re in Portland (OR) and happen to walk by Vino Paradiso, stop in and give them a try.

Check out their website at www.vinoparadiso.com/

Alu Wine Bar: Heaven in Oregon?

I have a new form of depression. While I love living in Walla Walla, I know that Alu is a good four hour commute, and this is deeply saddening.

There we were, the Terroirists core crew, in Portland for one night. The night was good until our final stop at Alu, and then the night became epic (and that’s a good thing). Tucked away in a cozy aluminum house on MLK Blvd., it’s a place that could be overlooked, but it’s also the wine nerd’s fantasy.

The wine list is largely made up of earth-friendly wines; some are organically grown, others are biodynamic. There’s a nifty key in the menu to display which qualities each wine holds.

Alu's Bar

The drinking started with Jeff, the amazingly knowledgeable and charismatic owner, providing us with a sample of a Sicilian red wine made from the grape, Frappato. Never heard of this grape? Neither had we. Light in color – like a cross between Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo – the nose on this wine completely caught me off guard. I had visions of frolicking through wildflower and lavender fields in the floating mountains of a far away planet. Simply put: the nose was out of this world, and it probably still is.

Still visibly shaken from this experience, I decided to order a glass of Marzemino – yet another obscure Italian variety, and I was not disappointed. After departing the lavender fields this wine took me to a world of gigantic beasts rumbling through mountains of titanium in search of fresh meat to roast over a bonfire on the shores of a vast purple sea. Oh yeah. I wish this glass of wine could never end – this is my paradise. I learned the meaning of life, and Alu is the keeper.

Back to reality; both of these wines had a very distinctive finish with subtle saline qualities. I can count the other wines I’ve had with equally moving “minerality” on one hand. The best thing about the Marzemino is the $25 bottle price – and that’s after the bar markup, which in general seemed quite reasonable.

Atmospherically the bar is very warm and inviting. There’s a downstairs area (the cellar) full of comfy seats and couches. We spent the entire night upstairs at the small, peaceful bar, but downstairs seemed as though it would be a more social environment and a lot of fun. Something to try on the next trip to PDX. There’s also an outdoor area which isn’t exactly ideal this time of year.

From the warmth of the LED bar to the exotic wine list, Alu is an absolute must if you are at least partly interested in wine. They do offer cocktails as well, but this is a wine blog. I could have spent the entire night there trying one killer wine after another, but all good things must come to an end. Luckily, next time we venture into Portland Alu will still be there in all of its glory. One day in the near future I will return to Alu, and until that day I can only dream about it – and cry.

Visit their website here: http://www.aluwinebar.com/