Delectable Downtown Dining Deal
A great, three-course meal for $20.09 Impossible, right? Wrong! The Portland Indie Wine Festival is pleased to announce the Delectable Downtown Dining Deal, a partnership with the PIWF and the Downtown Marketing Initiative, designed as a way to encourage diners to try new downtown restaurants at an affordable price point.
Each participating restaurant has created a special three-course prix-fixe menu priced at $20.09 that will be available throughout the promotion. In addition to a great meal at an affordable price, diners will also receive a promotional check insert that has a discount code for $20 off the purchase of a ticket to the Portland Indie Wine Festival – that’s the price of the meal!
The Delectable Downtown Dining Deal will be available for purchase every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from March 17th until April 9th.
There are some GREAT restaurants participating in this deal, including: Chez Joly, Davis Street Tavern, Gracie’s, H5O bistro & bar, Mama Mia Trattoria, Mother’s Bistro & Bar, Pazzo Ristorante, Red Star Tavern & Roast House, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Southpark Seafood Grill and Wine Bar and Typhoon.
For more information about the Delectable Downtown Dining Deal, including sample menus, visit: www.downtownportland.org.
Indie 2009: Format Concerns Addressed
We’ve recently received some questions and concerns about the changes to this year’s Indie Wine Festival. We wanted to explain the reasons for the changes, and also give you, the Indie consumer, the opportunity to share with us your thoughts about these changes.
Our goal is to create an excellent, memorable and cost-effective event that benefits both winemaker and consumer. To better help us meet that goal, we made the decision to alter the format of the Festival this year. Rather than the two day event of the past, we have decided to hold the Grand Tasting on a single day, May 2nd. We made this decision for many reasons. We wanted to give all the wineries involved with the event equal access to the consumer. The wineries feel that the format in the past wasn’t fair to those who poured on Sunday since the Festival had significantly more foot traffic on Saturday. By holding the tasting on a single day, festival goers will be able to experience all 40 wineries, which will also give the wineries the opportunity to interact with all Indie attendees.
We also wanted to make the event more cost-effective. We know we don’t need to tell you that times are tough these days, and as a stand alone self-sustaining Festival, we feel we must do everything possible to make the event as cost-effective as possible while still maintaining the level of excellence for which Indie is known.
It is true that the key aspect of the VIP ticket is that it allows the purchaser access to the Festival an hour earlier than those who purchase general admission tickets. Not only does this give VIP ticket holders an entire extra hour of tasting, it also gives them the opportunity for greater interaction with the producers, as there will be far fewer people at the VIP tasting than there will be once the general admission doors open at 2:00.
We are confident that the 2009 Indie Wine Festival will be one of the best wine events in town, not despite the changes in format, but because of them. If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions about improvements we can make to the Festival, please continue to let us know. You can contact us by posting a comment on the blog, or by e-mailing us at info@indiewinefestival.com. We want this event to be yours, and we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Three Ways to Dine With Indie
You don’t have to wait until May 2nd to take part in the Portland Indie Wine Festival. Below are three fun and delicious (and price sensitive) ways you can sip, dine and unwind with Indie in the PDX area before the Grand Tasting event.
1) The Delectable Downtown Dining Deal, March 17 – April 9th
The Delectable Downtown Dining Deal is a four-week dining promotion designed as a way to encourage diners to try new downtown restaurants at an affordable price point. Eleven restaurants have created a special three-course prix-fixe menu priced at $20.09 that will be available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from March 17th – April 9th. Diners will also receive a promotional check insert that has a discount code for $20 off the purchase of a ticket to the Portland Indie Wine Festival – that’s the price of the meal! A complete list of all participating restaurants can be found at: www.downtownportland.org
2) The Indie Wine Festival Producers Dinner, May 1st at Ten 01, tickets available here.
Take your place at the table next to an Indie producer and enjoy this one-of-a-kind Indie library pairing dinner hosted by Ten 01’s award-winning Sommelier Erica Landon. This intimate gathering kicks off the fifth festival weekend and gives guests access to special wines that have been tucked away in our Indie Wine Cellar. This is THE chance to discover early Indie vintages and enjoy vertical flights that are no longer available to the public because of the small production, all while sitting beside and getting to know the winemakers who exemplify Oregon’s craft wine industry.
The dinner will kick off with a walk around reception tasting where several Oregon winemakers will be on site pouring their wines. Later guests will enjoy a five-course meal prepared by Ten 01’s new Executive Chef, Benjamin Parks. Buy tickets online here.
3) Indie Wine Flight at Pazzo Ristorante, March – May
Pazzo Ristorante and the PIWF have partnered to offer a special “ABC’s of Oregon Pinot” flight, consisting of three Indie wines available in the restaurant and bar from March to end of May for $14. Wines featured include: Apolloni ’07 Pinot Blanc, Boedecker ’05 Athena Pinot Noir and Capitello ’07 Pinot Gris. For more information about Pazzo, visit http://www.pazzo.com/.
Judging Recap
1 day. 194 wines. 10 judges. 29 tweets.
Judging for the 2009 Indie Wine Festival was a definite success! Volunteers arrived at the Hotel Vintage Plaza at 7 in the morning for final preparations to make sure the day would run smoothly (and it did!). By the time judges started arriving at 9, we were running like a well-oiled machine!
We can’t say enough about how wonderful all of our Indie judges were. Tasting 194 wines (an Indie record!) in a single day is a daunting task, but the judges accomplished it beautifully and professionally. It was so interesting to hear what each of the judges was looking for in the wine. This is especially true of the differences between the winemaker and non-winemaker judges! Each wine was tasted (and sometimes re-tasted), and in the end the judges- via blind scoring- were able to select the 40 wines that will be poured at the Festival in May. The winning wines will be announced at the beginning of April.
By 6:00 in the evening, after a day full of wine, we were all ready for a beer, so we headed downstairs to Pazzo and enjoyed their great happy hour deals while recapping the great day.
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make judging go so well. With a crew this great, we can’t wait until the next Indie event! Make sure you buy your tickets so that you can taste the winning wines and see if you agree with the judges’ decisions!
Judging / Live-Tweeting Today!
Today’s the day- judging for the 2009 Indie Wine Festival is finally here! We are so excited to hear what our awesome judges have to say about the RECORD 194 wines submitted to this year’s event. There’s only space for 40 wines at the festival, so the judges have quite the task ahead of them! Good luck to all the entrants!
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! We’ll be live-tweeting about Festival judging throughout the day. Our search tag is #indiewine.
twitter.com/indiewinefest
Indie Judging Tomorrow!
Judging for the 2009 Festival will be taking place tomorrow, Monday, March 9. We’ll be live-blogging and tweeting throughout the day, so be sure to stay tuned…
Final Judges Announced!
We are very excited to introduce you to the final group of this year’s Indie Wine Festival judges…Check back later this week for exciting news about Monday’s judging event!
Toni Ketrenos: Market Beer and Wine Merchandiser, New Seasons
Toni brings a world of knowledge to the judging table. Her passion for wine was born while studying abroad in Paris as part of her studies at Linfield College in McMinnville. The wines she experienced in France inspired her, and when she returned to Oregon she took full advantage of Linfield’s proximity to Oregon’s wine country by getting a job in the tasting room at Rex Hill Vineyards in Newberg. Toni continued to work in the tasting room while she finished her degree in Communications/Journalism, expanding her wine knowledge and helping to plan special events at the vineyard.
Upon graduation Toni pursued a career in journalism, but when her employer went under she returned to her love of wine, first working a crush and then as a full-time wine steward. She started with New Seasons as a wine buyer in 2001 and currently works as their Market Beer and Wine Merchandiser. Toni’s love of wine has taken her around the world, from Italy to Champagne and Burgundy. She also travels frequently to vineyards around the Northwest, keeping up all of the region’s exciting small producers. When she’s not busy with work, Toni enjoys gardening and cooking for friends.
Kimberly Paley: Co-Owner, Paley’s Place
Kimberly is a woman who has a deep passion for wine. This passion first blossomed in the south of France, where she was traveling after teaching a jazz dance workshop in Montpellier. (Kimberly is a gifted dancer who trained at the Martha Graham School in New York.) She credits a Bandol Rose from Domaine Tempier that she experienced while abroad for inspiring her interest in wine. Upon her return to America, Kimberly was tireless in her effort to learn about wine, reading, studying and tasting all she could.
When she and her husband, Chef Vitaly Paley, escaped the concrete jungle for the lush Oregon landscape, Kimberly continued her quest for wine knowledge, this time with the help of Oregon wine pioneers like David Lett, Dick Erath, and Dick Ponzi. She views trusting her senses and enjoying the wine as two of the most important aspects of experiencing wine, and encourages others to do the same. Kimberly is in charge of the wine list at Paley’s Place, the beloved Portland restaurant she co-owns with her husband.
Erica Landon: Sommelier, Ten 01
Erica began her career in 1999 as the assistant wine steward at Oregon’s landmark Timberline Lodge. In 2000, she joined the Dundee Bistro where she worked with the seminal Ponzi wine family for four years. During that time in the Willamette Valley, Erica became involved with the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) as a Maitre d’ Hotel, where she coordinated wine service for the Willamette Valley’s flagship festival.
Erica left the Willamette Valley for Portland in 2005 to serve as manager and sommelier at the prestigious Heathman Restaurant and Bar before landing at Portland’s Ten 01 in late 2006. There, she continues to serve as general manager and sommelier. Landon has completed the “Innovative Restaurant Wine Program” class at the Culinary Institute of America in California, received sensory analysis training from Vinquiry in Napa Valley, and earned her Sommelier Diploma from the International Sommelier Guild and the Court of Master Sommeliers. She is a member of the board of directors for the IPNC. Erica enjoys cooking and spending time with her significant other and her dogs Kira and Finn.
Dick Erath: Winemaker, Erath Winery
Dick is a true pioneer of Oregon wine. He moved from San Francisco to the northern Willamette Valley in 1967 with a dream to produce world-class pinot noir, wine that would rival the French Burgundies that first inspired him. His early days in Oregon were not easy; he and his family lived in an unheated log cabin and Dick worked tirelessly to tend to his fruit. He planted his first vines in the late 1960’s and forty years later, his legacy is still growing.
Dick has made immeasurable contributions to the world of wine. His impact on Oregon wine is too great to cover in such a short bio, so for more about Dick and Erath Winery, check out The Boys Up North- Dick Erath and the Early Oregon Winemakers, the book written about him by Paul Pintarich. We are truly honored to have Dick as a judge, and we look forward to hearing what he, as an Oregon wine pioneer, thinks of all the great wines featured at Indie.
New Indie Ad
We are excited to share our great new Indie ad with you! It features clips from past Indies and was produced by Portland’s very own Andrew Saunderson. Check it out below, and on the Downtown Marketing Initiative website!
Don’t forget to buy your tickets to this year’s Festival- they’re selling fast and can be purchased here.
Four More Indie Judges Announced!
Please join us in welcoming four more judges to the Festival: Jason Lett, Rich Cushman, Randy Goodman, and Cole Danehower!
Jason Lett: Winemaker, Black Cap Wines
You can say that Jason was born to make great wine! The son of Eyrie Vineyard founder and Oregon wine legend David Lett, Jason has made quite a name for himself in the world of fine wine. After growing up on his family’s vineyard in Oregon, Jason spent most of his summers as a teen working and living in Burgundy. He has also worked on vineyards in Germany, Switzerland and New Zealand. Jason returned to Oregon after graduating with a degree in Botany from the University of New Mexico. In 2003, he became the managing winegrower at Bishop Creek Vineyard. Jason left Bishop Creek in 2005 to take over the vineyards and winemaking at Eyrie, the place where his wine journey began.
In addition to his duties at Eyrie, Jason has his own solo winemaking project- Black Cap, a pinot noir that had its first vintage in 2002. When not busy with his many winemaking and managing duties, Jason can be found spending time with his wife and daughters on their farm in McMinnville. Click here for a recent interview with Jason on viticulture.
Rich Cushman: Winemaker, Viento Wines
Rich is the winemaker at Viento Wines. A native Oregonian, he has been making wine for over 25 years! After studying for two years in the Masters program in Enology at UC Davis, Rich traveled to Germany, where he apprenticed at the Burklin-Wolf Vineyard. Rich’s winemaking philosophy is straightforward: to make wines that are balanced and consistently good to drink. He strives to bring out the best in the grapes without over-processing. Rich’s vast experience in establishing successful vineyards and winemaking have made him a very sought after wine consultant. His extensive knowledge of Oregon vineyards and much respected opinion will be great assets to our judging panel.
Randy Goodman: Sommelier and Owner, Bar Avignon
Randy brings more than 20 years of experience to the Festival. No stranger to professional wine tasting, he has served as a judge at San Francisco’s annual Wine Competition and the Tri-Cities Northwest Wine Competition. He’s also no stranger to the Indie Wine Festival; this will be his fourth experience as an Indie judge! Hailing from Northern California, Randy is an acclaimed sommelier and restaurateur. His experience includes serving as sommelier at San Francisco’s acclaimed Carnelian Room and opening Portland’s Wildwood Restaurant and Bar (where he worked for over thirteen years). His latest venture is Bar Avignon, an acclaimed bar/restaurant that Randy opened in Summer of 2008 with his wife, Nancy. Randy holds a degree in Oenology from UC Davis and has completed advanced coursework for the Guild of Master Sommelier.
Cole Danehower: Co-Publisher and Wine Editor, Northwest Palate Magazine
Cole is another highly respected member of Oregon’s wine community. After working in executive marketing positions in Silicon Valley for nearly 20 years, Cole decided that his life needed to change, so he packed up and headed north to lush Oregon countryside. Since arriving in Oregon, Cole has become a fixture in the northwest’s epicurean scene. He is the co-owner, co-publisher, and wine editor of Northwest Palate, a magazine that focuses on the wine, food, and lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest. Cole is a James Beard Journalism award-winner and has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle and The Oregonian, among others.
In addition to his numerous other writing credits, Cole founded the Oregon Wine Report, which gives readers great information about the wines, wineries, and winemakers of Oregon. Cole has judged many wine competitions, and his palate and attention to a wine’s purity, balance, and character are highly regarded. We are very excited for Cole’s return to the Festival! For a fun and informative read, check out Cole’s blog, Inspired Imbiber 2.0.
Check back Thursday for the announcement of the final four Indie judges!
