There are few things better on a summer’s evening than unraveling a blanket on the ground, unpacking a picnic basket filled with various nibbles and enjoying a bottle of wine while you settle in for an outdoor concert by a well known musician. Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Washington State is as perfect a backdrop as anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.
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Owner/winemaker Rollin Soles of ROCO Winery
ROCO Winery’s founder and winemaker, Rollin Soles, makes an impression as soon as he walks in the room. We arrived at his tasting room outside of Newberg, at the north end of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, at 9 a.m. for our appointment with him on a rainy Saturday morning in March. Rollin arrives a few minutes later and takes over the room before he says anything. He has a triathlete’s lean body, a big handle bar moustache, broad smile and a twinkle in his eyes that make you think he would have some great stories to tell. Even though he left Texas almost 30 years ago, he still has plenty of a Matthew McConaughy like drawl. We waited for the “allright, allright”… but it never came. Underneath the drawl, and the twinkle and the warmth is an educated, and articulate man who is passionate about wine and is making some of Oregon’s finest Pinot Noir.
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Secret Supper Clubs. Underground Restaurants. Pop Up Supper Clubs. Different words to describe the same thing. It’s the new it thing in the restaurant scene. It is a restaurant not at a restaurant. It is a phenomenon that came out of Argentina 30 years ago and it is now taking the foodie scene by storm.
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On February 17, 2015 Chris Wallace of Advinetures was interviewed by VinVillage.com Founder Rob Barnett, host of #1 Internet talk/radio wine & dine show VinVillageRadio.com
To hear the interview click this link: http://bit.ly/vvr1076s4
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For those of us that live in the Pacific Northwest, there’s a certain indescribable vibe that’s virtually impossible to explain if you’ve never spent time in this region. Often stereotyped as ‘tree-huggers’ or ‘hippies’, we have an obsessive-like relationship with our natural surroundings and an unmistakable pride around how we connect with it. We have the luxury of a milder climate and take advantage every chance we get to hike up a mountain, bike along a seawall, or slip into a kayak. This reverence for Mother Nature also extends to the bounty she provides for our consumption as we make it a priority to appreciate and enjoy all things grown locally and used in season. The epicentre of this vibe appears to be Portland, Oregon where daily farmers markets, numerous craft breweries and an innovative foodie scene is being replicated along the Pacific Northwest and beyond at an astonishing rate.
The roots of New Zealand’s Kumeu River wines extend back almost 80 years to 1937 when the Brajkovich family first left their Croatian home to settle near Auckland. Maté and Kate were the first in the clan to arrive and began working in the vineyards near their new home. By 1944 they had saved enough to buy their own small vineyard and San Marino Vineyards was born, growing grapes and making small amounts of wine. Successive generations of the Brajkovich family continued to run the winery, changing its name to Kumeu River Wines in 1986 to reflect the local region. By now the emphasis on quality Chardonnay was set and the reputation of this small winery was on its way up. Today Melba, Michael, Marijana, Milan and Paul continue the family tradition and are now producing world class Chardonnay.
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