Exploring the Southern Valley

I am on sabbatical from my church work for the next four and a half months. It is a wonderful gift from my congregation and my United Methodist sisters and brothers in McMinnville. I'm especially thankful to my colleague, Pastor Courtney McHill, who is providing coverage from me while I am gone. To start my time away I'm spending a lot of time in Eugene, Oregon. There is a strong gravitational pull that is sending me down to Eugene on a regular basis. Anyone who has a grandchild understands this irresistible attraction. Mine is called Zoe.

On our most recent trip down south we decided to divert away from highway 99, and visit one of the wineries that we are usually in too big of a hurry to enjoy. We follow the signs to Emerson Vineyards. They have a mailing address of Monmouth, but are located quite a bit further south. As you turn off the main road you travel a beautifully rolling one lane drive which flows past a scenic pond complete with a rustic dock. The most notable feature of the landscape are the oak trees which dot the estate and surround the winery.

The tasting room is a working winery. There is nothing fancy about the converted machine shop where the wine is now made. The plane metal building even has a working overhead crane. I like that. We are greeted by the owner of the estate, Tom Johns. Tom is an Oregon boy who made a living in the pharmacological field, but now has returned to his roots to grow grapes. I really like to visit a winery where you get to talk to the owner. I love to ask how they ended up getting into the wine business. For Tom the answer is simple, it's his son, Elliot, who had a dream of being a winemaker. "His dream, my money!" Tom explains.

The winery is named after Tom's grandfather, Emerson Waldo Fisher. As we settle down to a generous selection of wines Tom gives us a non-stop narration complete with almost constant comic touches. They have a lovely '09 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir that has the earthy, smoky notes that I really love and which at $18 a bottle is a great value. But the star of the show for me is their Brother Red. Here is a red blend that expressed the slightly warmer climate of the central part of the valley. It is a big, bold, fruit-filled red blend of estate fruit that sells for only $16 a bottle. Don't be surprised if you see it featured at Wednesday Wines sometime in the not too distant future.

The winery features outdoor concerts on Friday nights on the patio outside the tasting room. It's low key, and you bring your own picnic supper, grab one of their great value wines and enjoy the scenery. It's a feature we'll have to take in on one of our many visits to Eugene.

Glorious Muddy Valley Road

Tim, Sandy and John are in town. When I want to show off Oregon at it's best I head straight for Muddy Valley Road. The back roads of Oregon are so beautiful and this one is my favorite. As you head west there are fields of wheat, barley and clover on either side of the road. Eventually the road starts to curve and gain elevation--the fields give way to trees and vineyards. As we are passing one bucolic scene after another Tim exclaims, "Tell me it's not going to get better than this, I don't know if I can take it." "Brace yourself, Laddy" I tell him. Each view around each corner just seems to be better than the last. We did a quick loop past Coeur de Terre and Maysara, and then came back to visit Yamhill

Valley Vineyards. I always seem to find amazing values at YVV, but forget to stop by and look around. In addition, they have a glorious deck on the back of their tasting room. There is such a peaceful feeling being surrounded by ancient oak trees swaying in the breeze with gently sloping vines growing just beyond the trees. And of course, I'm not just going to sit and taste wine, we're going to eat some food while we're there.

I have system. I bring real china to serve the food which usually consist of toasted Red Fox Bakery Bread, some cheese from Abbie & Oliver's and roasted vegetables of some kind. We also have a caprese salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil with olive oil and aged balsamic.

Other people, the ones I'm not feeding, always look at me funny as I start to unload all of the food and plates. I can never figure out if they're thinking "That guy's really weird", or "Why didn't we think of that" but it's a great way to taste wines.

Linda Arnold, the Tasting Room Manager, could not have been more accommodating. There are several groups doing their tastings out on the deck. She brings us glasses and starts us off with their estate Pinot Gris. I like it, but like their Pinot Blanc even more. They are featuring a 2007 Pinot Noir bottled under the "Erratic Rock" label that they are selling for $10. That's right $10! (Go now, it won't last long.) And it's a nice little Pinot. I don't think it will age well, but at $10 I wouldn't expect it to.

Linda saves their '09 Riesling for last. It is beautiful, with just a little bit of residual sugar and a nice, mineral complexity. The vines at YVV are getting older (some are 28 years old now) and also becoming more beautiful with age. As they are getting older, they are producing more and more complex wines. By the way, Robin noticed that the longer she left the '07 in her glass the better it opened up, so when we got home we decanted it, and the tasted was even better. On the way back to the house we stopped at Farmer John's Produce and got a half a flat of blueberries and a half a flat of strawberries. They are so ripe, and sweet and beautiful. What a beautiful place we live, and what glorious time of year to explore it.

IPNC 25 Behind the Scenes with Lacey Dean

Check out my other blog at:

http://ipnc25.wordpress.com/2011/07/07/behind-the-scenes-lacey-dean/

Meet this amazing young person who has been coordinating the scheduling for the INPC25 documentary. She's headed for Senegal this fall to teach. Lacey also did a research project this year for McMinnville Cooperative Ministries. She is such a talented and hard-working young person. God's speed, Lacey!

Picnic at Coeur de Terre Vineyard

We had a quick visit from a precious friend yesterday. Megan Carlson was a part of our church community in Great Falls, Montana. Now she's a beautiful young woman teaching in the inner city in Arizona. She had traveled to Portland for the wedding of a friend and had time to swing by McMinnville for a visit. Noel, and her friend, Mike are also here, so we pulled out all the stops.

First I did an intro to wine class for Megan and her beau, Jason. In this class we help folks learn to identify different components of wine, and try to teach them the do's and don'ts of visiting wineries (The biggest is don't wear perfume or cologne, followed closely by no lip gloss, and no pouring your own wine.) On Saturday I check with Couer de Terre to make sure that they will be open on Sunday. I ask their tasting room manager, Ryan, if it would be OK if we brought

some food to enjoy while we did our tasting, and he said it would be fine.

This is a really fun way to do a tasting. The folks who had just finished when we arrived loved the idea and almost sat down to join us! Enjoying food with a wine tasting does several things. First, and most importantly, it slows you down. I think our tasting took over an hour from start to finish. Jason was great. He would walk out and check on our progress, and then reappear at just the right time to pour our next wine. And the setting is so glorious. The next couple to arrive get the picture and check in with Jason and head out to the Adirondack chairs to do their tasting. It was a glorious day of perfect weather for outdoor tasting.
For our picnic we are enjoying one of my favorite meals which we call quality noshing. We have some Red Fox baguettes that we have cut length wise and toasted. Then there is pita bread and humus that we purchased at the Saturday Market. I've made a chicken salad out of some of the chicken breast left over from Pizza Night. I've also made a caprese salad made up of cherry tomatoes also from the market, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella. We also have grilled zucchini and fresh vegetables with ranch dressing. I have some fresh berries at home for dessert.

We start with a beautiful Riesling with fruit sourced from the Highland Vineyard. I love this wine. The vines are four decades old and the fruit reflects that age in wonderful complexity of flavor. The aroma has the most unique quality of minerality that I describe as asphalt and I've heard described as telephone pole (I know it doesn't sound good, but it is wonderful.) I took a class on German Rieslings and this is the exact aroma component of the most expensive wines

we tasted. We move on to a Pinot Gris which was sourced at Coleman Vineyards just a little west of where we are sitting. Our third wine is a Rose` that was made with Syrah grapes gown on sight at the vineyard. Scott, the winemaker, explained that he is only going to make a Syrah in certain vintages. This year's vintage wasn't exactly what he wanted to he opted to make a Rose` instead. It is a great experiment. The wine is dry with a beautiful, spicy taste which is just right on this warm day. Scott has a Syrah which he is releasing, but it is not yet labeled. I've tasted it and it is great. I'll keep checking back to see when it is officially released. It's a wine I want to put in my cellar and bring out in a decade or so to drink. After our picnic and wine tasting we decide to walk down to the rock which gives this winery it's name. It is a huge chunk of cracked, grey stone which stands just to the side of a service road above Rennelle's block. It's a great way to end the day. As we exit the vineyard half of the entry gate is already shut and the sign on the road says closed. Is that possible? Could it be 5:00 PM already? Yes, it is. We've been at the vineyard for over two hours. It's a relaxed, and glorious way to taste beautiful wines in a fantastic location. Try it yourself, but call ahead and check with the tasting room manager to ensure that it's OK for your location. And if they say no, head out to Coeur de Terr and talk to Ryan.

The Saturday Market and After Market Celebration

We got over to the McMinnville Public Market this afternoon to look around. What an active place. There was a new taco stand and all four of us had lunch for $12. The $1 tamales are an incredible value. I have a $5 burrito that is too big for me to finish, which is saying a lot. We purchase some fresh berries that are just amazing--strawberries, raspberries and boysenberries along with some of the sweetest cherry tomatoes I have ever tasted. And that's just in the afternoon. In the evening there is a whole different vibe going on. Wednesday Wines is pouring for the After Market event which starts at 6:00 and goes until 10:00. Tonight the music is being provided by Dana Libonati the vocal music jazz instructor at McMinnville High School. It's a great touch. Dana starts off on a mock 70's montage, then slides into a 60's version, when someone yells out, "how about the 50's" without missing a beat Dana starts playing a three chord progression. "Every song from the 50's fits into this progression" he states. I laugh out loud, and Dana says he wants my laugh for a ring tone.

Mike and Kathy are pouring wine and beer for us. The beer is from Heater Allen and looks great. I have a glass of Chianti which is just perfect on this beautifully warm night.

I'm just amazed at how quickly this event has come together. It seems to have flown out of Shannon Thorson's mind and into reality in one week. I just love watching Shannon work. When we are setting up the After Market celebration she is hauling out a bunch of shade umbrellas she has found somewhere in town for a ridiculously low price. She directing someone I don't know on where to drill the holes in the massive counter tops that stay on sight. Then she runs by us and notices that our signs are blowing away. "Want me to attach those to the wall?" She asks as she goes by. She is back in a flash with a screw gun and a screw. Then she's off to move the fire pit and rearrange the chairs to that they can see the stage (which she built the week before from old doors and a barn light.) She seems perfectly suited to this wonderfully assembled community.

A friend of mine was sharing a story about her husband. He was saying that they should have two farmer's markets in town with one on the weekend. (The Thursday farmer's market is right outside Wednesday Wines.) Well there is a second market. It's in the Granary District. There is wonderful pizza available, pulled pork, very good and inexpensive Mexican food, fresh fruit and vegetables and wonderful craft pieces. Swing on down next Saturday and check it out.

Pizza for 70

Jeff Peterson and I are at it again. Jeff and Judy have an amazing gift of hospitality. They host a pizza night once a month and every once in a while Jeff decides that we should make our own instead of purchasing them already cooked. It sounds daunting, but we've gotten pretty good at it.

It starts with a lot of prep work. I've spent most of the afternoon getting foods ready. First I roasted some red peppers, then went on to grilled zucchini. As the afternoon progresses I see Jeff's post that the numbers are going up--from his estimate of 50 or so to 60 plus. I start to think we may need more ingredients. I add some asparagus to the list. Then I see that they have Oregon line caught salmon at the market so I get a fillet and smoke it. I have cedar planks just for this purpose. I smoke the salmon with the left over french oak barrel staves that I have from several wood working projects. It is so fun to smell the aroma of the Pinot Noir as the smoke starts to rise. I leave the fish off the heat and let the smoke slowly cook it. I also have wilted chard to add to the list, along with pepperoni, pesto chicken, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.

I arrive a bit later than I had anticipated (it was the salmon that put me over the top, time wise.) Jeff is getting the grill ready. He's used a lot of coals, and we are going to have one heck of a hot fire. We are trying an experiment. (I know, you'd think that we'd experiment with this new idea before we have to cook for 70, but that's not how we fly.) We are going to put pizza stones on the grill. In the past we've put the crusts directly onto the grill with no stone beneath. I've brought two small plastic table to set up for our prep area. Jeff suggests that we may only need one--he obviously has no idea how much food I've brought with me. We get set up with the dough, sauce and cheese on one side, and all of the other ingredients on the other. I bring out the red sauce that is waiting on the stove, Jeff shreds some cheese, and we start rolling out the crusts. We get into an easy rhythm. And the people start to arrive. And they just keep coming.

There is a strange bell curve of feeding people.

They seem to roll in slowly for a bit and then they come in a huge wave. The pizzas are coming off the grill quickly. Then, suddenly, the pizza production catches up with the demand and there are a couple of pies ready to be consumed with no line behind them.

Fairly soon into the baking my pizza stone cracks. I've purchased a new toy that can read temperatures with remotely, so I shine it on one of the stones. It reads "High". I guess the gauge only goes up to 750 degrees or so, and we are over that. My guess is we're well over. I love the time of creativity in making the pies. We know from experience that we'd better have some basic numbers out first, so we start with pepperoni and cheese. Then we spin out some wild ones--home made pesto, fresh motz and asparagus; olive oil, smoked salmon and wilted yellow chard. Jeff has prepared three different types of dough. There is a simple mix that is mostly white flour, a more complex whole wheat and herb dough, and, my favorite, the sun dried tomato.

A funny thing has happened to pizza night over the years. The wines have gotten better and more abundant. A new couple that I haven't met before arrive saying they've just come from Wednesday Wines! When I first started going to pizza night we had about a 50-50 mix of beer to wine. Now a six pack will last several months. When I go in to grab a glass there is a wonderful assortment--an A to Z '08 Pinot Noir has arrived (thank you Jeff and Julia!), along with two of my favorite reds from the shop, Friends Red, and Apothic Red. There are beautiful Pinot Gris and other whites. I was talking to my colleague, Courtney, who moved here from Corvallis one year ago this weekend (happy one year anniversary, Court!) She shared that she has noticed how much wine is a part of the culture here. People will show up to a gathering and carefully consider which of the wines they want to try, and then they'll look at the wine glasses and find the exact one they want. We're a bit strange here in McMinnville.

At the end of the service time Jeff and I take a breather and sit down for a bit. Jeff is simultaneously drinking coffee and scotch. I suggest that he just combine the two into one drink (which he seriously considers doing!) There is still quite a bit of pizza ready, so I start to clean up. Just as I've gotten about everything put away another dozen teenagers show up. They look hungry. Jeff pops up and grabs a few of the items that I've put away in the kitchen. As I drive away he is back into production. I get a text later saying that we fed a total of 81 people and 19 pizzas. But that is before he makes two more, so I think the real total was 21. Those are both records for pizza night. What a blessed, wonderful evening out under the trees enjoying good food, good wine and beautiful friendships. I've never seen anything like it before, and it is a blast to help put one together. Thanks Jeff and Judy