A few great picks from the Portland Indie Wine Festival

The 5th annual Portland Indie Wine Festival is now complete, after a wet NW weekend of tasting capped off a year-long process that has producers Lisa Donoughe and Catherine Healy showing appreciation to venue hosts Boedecker Cellars and Grochau Cellars as well as the judges, volunteers, sponsors, winemakers, chefs & food partners that help them create the "2-day" event.

After a sampling a broad range of wines, one thing was clear...there were no 'misses' but only 'hits' at the event. The winemaking presenters had already been judged in March for their worthiness of attendance and the 64 wines shown at the festival were those that passed a gauntlet assembled from winemakers, retailers, the media and sommeliers. All of the wines were from wineries making fewer than 2500 cases. By comparison, Chateau Ste Michelle can make more than 350,000 case of one release!

2500 cases of wine doesn't go very far. These aren't wines you'll find in chain restaurants or grocery stores. Nor will the sale of the lot supply the winery with enough cash to buy large display fixtures and TV spots on the Today show. Nor will it purchase the labor hours to have a starving college student man your station at wine tasting events...each of the tables was staffed by the winery owners and winemakers themselves, allowing attendees to speak directly with the talent crafting each selection.

This is where wine afficianados will hear about the minute details of each vintage, why certain grape varieties were chosen or picked at certain times, and why soil & weather matter. It's not just a wine tasting, but an education in winemaking and the personalities that make up the Northwest wine industry as long as the participants engage in great conversation!

With that, I'll give kudos to four of the wineries I found to be especially noteworthy, not just from my sampling, but also by word of mouth. Customers and presenters alike seemed to agree that these four stood out:

Seven of Hearts

Byron Dooley is the winemaker at this McMinnville winery (distributed by Lemma in Portland), and he poured what became my favorite wine of the tasting. His 2007 Crawford Beck Vineyard Pinot Noir featured a very long and complex palate on a continuing backbone of strength that represented the varietal characters I seek in a Pinot. Mocha and cherry flavors surrounded the ultra fine wall-to-wall tannins that are sure to hold this wine together for quite a while. His indigenous yeast treatment on his Chardonnay was a nice $20 value as well, and his unique and yet-unreleased Viognier & Roussanne blend is a delicious $20 precursor to an upcoming red Rhone-style GSM blend.

Et Fille

Father and daughter team Howard and Jessica Mozeico earned praise from the room for their Viognier and Pinot Noir wines as well. Most notable was the rich and velvety 2007 Kalita Vineyard Pinot Noir, showing coffee and light spice youthfully hiding the tell-tale Pinot earthiness behind. At $35, it's still a value among top quality Oregon releases. They self distribute from their Sherwood winery, so you'll need to contact them directly to obtain their wines, or convince your local shop to bring them in!

WildAire Cellars

Matthew and Jean Driscoll also self distribute their wines from the Dallas, Oregon location (at Illahe Vineyards). But with only 600 cases manufactured, it's not as daunting a chore as it surely will become as people discover this talented duo and convince them to craft more. Matt presented three wines, including his 2006 Eastburn Vineyard Pinot Noir. This food-friendly release was smooth, full of vanilla and toast, and had a bacon fat note that begged to be paired with a bacon-wrapped cut of salmon or scallops with a bit of white sauce. His pricing even on the reserve hit under $35, and the dark chocolate and unending finish of the reserve blend was certainly worth the price.

Boedecker Cellars

The wines of venue-host Boedecker Cellars have long been a favorite of mine, so it was no surprise to enjoy these wines again. The wines are crafted in the heart of the NW industrial district (and are distributed by Casa Bruno in Oregon and by Vinum in Washington). The 2006 Athena Pinot Noir at $30 would be my favorite from the line up with silky smooth tannins and savory tinges in the back palate , but also noteworthy was the $13 value 2008 Pappas Wine Co. Pinot Gris which they create as a more affordable entry into their array. Soft pear and apple flavors and tamed acidity make it a 'drink it now' selection.

Thank you to the organizers for this quality Portland event! I'll see you next year.

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