What’s not to love about an Oregon summer? Life slows a bit, fresh berries burst on the scene and neighborhood kids take to the sidewalks with chalk art and lemonade stands. Best of all, to steal a line from philosopher Sam Keen, summer is a time when laziness finds respectability.
Here are six “surefire” wine experiences to get you started on the road to respectability.
Friday night happy hour at Our Table Cooperative in Sherwood
A farm in the Parrett Mountain foothills is the place to be on Friday nights. That’s when Our Table Cooperative fires up its outdoor pizza oven to create pies topped with the freshest ingredients.
In addition to wood-fired pizzas, there’s a farm-fresh salad, homemade guacamole and chips and a superb mixed-berry shortcake for sale. Wine, beer and kombucha are on tap, and you may even encounter a local winery offering a free tasting.
Our Table Cooperative’s happy hour goes year-round, but pizza only happens in summer. No reservations are required.
4-8 p.m. Fridays, 13390 S.W. Morgan Road, Sherwood, ourtable.us or 503-217-4304.
Saturday tastings with Rossini Winery at The Wine Yard in Portland
A recent “Here is Oregon” story featuring Rossini Winery resulted in emails inquiring about how to taste their wines. You won’t have to wait much longer.
Beginning July 15, Jill and Kevin Ross will pour every Saturday at The Wine Yard in Southeast Portland. Three wines will be available to taste for $10, with the fee refunded with a bottle purchase.
1-5 p.m. Saturdays, 2005 S.E. Eighth Ave., Portland, rossiniwinery.com or rossiniwinery@gmail.com.
Ruddick/Wood ‘In Your Honor’ wine dinner series in Newberg
Ruddick/Wood honors the work of local winemakers with a monthly wine dinner series dedicated to different Willamette Valley regions. For July’s Newberg and the Chehalem Mountains dinner, winemakers from Beckham Estate Vineyard, Cho Wines, Jacob Martin Wines, McKinlay Vineyards, Longplay Wine and Sineann will attend.
Guests arrive at 6 p.m. to mingle with the winemakers over hors d’oeuvres, followed by a 7 p.m. family-style, multi-course dinner. All-inclusive tickets are $120, $100 for industry. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Yamhill Community Action Partnership.
Dinners in August, September and October feature McMinnville & the Eola-Amity Hills, Ribbon Ridge and the Yamhill-Carlton District, respectively. Check Ruddick/Wood’s website for more details.
6-10 p.m. Thursday, July 20, 720 E. First St, Newberg, ruddickwood.com or info@ruddickwood.com.
‘Loose wine’ at No Clos Radio in Forest Grove
Here’s a hot tip – vino sfuso is about to break loose at No Clos Radio. Vino sfuso, an Italian phrase meaning “loose or bulk wine,” describes the tradition of winery customers using their own containers to buy unbottled wine tapped directly from kegs, tanks and other vessels.
Starting Friday, Aug. 4, bring a container of your choice to No Clos Radio to be filled with wine. Then take it home to enjoy a respectably lazy summer evening with a fresh glass of wine on the back deck.
Noon-7 p.m. Fridays-Sundays, beginning Aug. 4, 6200 N.W. Gales Creek Road, Forest Grove, noclosradio.com or cafe@maloofwines.com.
Art + Science’s Sundown Concert Series in Sheridan
Lovers of Americana-based music ranging from bluegrass and junkerdash to blues and country must check out Art + Science’s music series at Roshambo ArtFarm.
Next up on July 14 is Hillfolk Noir and McDougall w/Wanderlodge. Tickets are $15 in advance via Eventbrite. John Doe of X and The Knitters fame once said, “If John Steinbeck owned a speakeasy, Hillfolk Noir would be the house band.”
Doors open at 3 p.m., and music begins at 7 p.m. Art + Science will sell wine, cider and beer from their tasting room, joined by an on-site food cart. No outside alcohol is allowed.
7-10 p.m. Friday, July 14, 22900 S.W. Pittman Road, Sheridan, artandsciencenw.com or kim@artandsciencenw.com.
Brooks Wine 25th anniversary yacht party on the Willamette River
Brooks Wine in Amity celebrates a quarter century of winemaking with a three-hour Willamette River cruise on the Portland Spirit.
Guests will gather at Caruthers Landing at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 5, for a 7 p.m. departure. An open bar will serve Brooks wines and beer and non-alcoholic options. A selection of heavy hors d’oeuvres will also be available. Single tickets for guests of legal drinking age are $100.
On board, revelers will experience the classic yacht rock stylings of the Chris Baum Project. There will be dancing, and the distinct possibility of numerous requests for “Rikki Don’t Lose that Number.”
6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, 110 S.E. Caruthers St, Portland, brookswine.com or info@brookswine.com.
— Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine
