Food First: ōkta's Solstice in the Field

There is a saying in Oregon that summer doesn’t start until the 5th of July. In looking at the forecast, Wednesday is looking to break 100. Welcome to summer!

Seeing pictures from Oregon Pinot Camp this week was a delight! It brings me back to my interview last year with Philippe Andre. He attended Pinot Camp many moons ago and would love to start a Champagne Camp. Wouldn’t it be cool to have an Oregon Sparkling Camp?

The Allison has appointed Elaine Heide as the new wine director.

Et Fille is opening up a new tasting experience at their estate vineyard. I have to say this looks pretty great!

Are you aware of The Pines 1852 vineyard in The Dalles? Supposedly it was planted in 1897. Thank you, Old Vine Registry, for going digital!

Were you aware the Willamette Valley AVA is turning 40? Wine Enthusiast has a great write featuring a new handful of wineries and one I had never heard of.

If you have been following along, expect an episode of the podcast to drop this morning. I am sorry to say I don’t have a podcast episode this week. I have all sorts of excuses, and I have no doubts you don’t want to hear a single one.

What do you get instead of a podcast this week? How about me rambling a little about food and wine? I know all of you enjoy wine, and it is also easy to conclude that food is high on the list.

My initial ramble was going to be about Okta’s Solstice in the Field event on Sunday, but I also want to bring in Ruddick/Wood’s “In Your Honor” dinner I attended last night. It feels like more food events are happening outside of the typical winemaker dinners we have seen.

Let’s start with the typical winemaker dinner. The general outline of the evening begins with a glass of Sparkling and appetizers while people trickle into the event. Typically, there are a few courses with dessert. Before every course, the winemaker discusses how the wine pairs with the food. I adore these events, allowing me to go deep into the different labels or years of the wines.

An upcoming winemaker dinner at Subterranean celebrates its second anniversary with Corollary. As you can see, some fantastic food is paired with all of my favorite Sparklings from Corollary. I am especially fond of the X-OMNI Blanc de Blanc and the Momtazi Brut Rose. You wouldn’t usually think about pairing Sparkling with these foods, making this event extra special. Exploring food and wine is the ultimate! Tickets for this event are $150 and are worth every penny. Here is the link to grab a ticket, and when you are there, please tell Dan, Jeanne, and Javier, “A.J. sent me!”

Now let’s talk about the Okta Solstice in the Field event. This was the event's first year, and wow, it was fantastic! I could try and summarize the event, but the Okta IG post does a much better job:

This was the first time I had been to an event like this, and to compare this to a winemaker dinner is to compare apples to oranges. To have so many chefs making off-the-chart food with an abundance of wine to choose from left me full to the rim. The only thing the organizers didn’t have was a hand truck to roll me out of the event.

I want to touch on the wine part of the event. Ron invited the wineries in attendance at Okta. Looking at the list, some major heavy hitters in the valley are intertwined with up-and-coming heavy hitters. Everyone had at least two different bottles. Bergstrom was pouring 2015 Sigrid Magnums. Hundred Suns had three bottles. I felt there was equal focus on the wine and food.

My only complaint was it was difficult for me to get deep with the people behind the food and wine. I want to connect, but I also know this is a quirk of mine. For example, I know soon eyeglasses are in my future. I want to find an optometrist I can get to know. I don’t want to walk into a Costco, get an eye exam, purchase glasses, and poof, I am out the door. I want to sit down, get to know the person, let them know what I am experiencing with my vision, and maybe try a couple of things before getting an eye exam to “build muscle” in my eyeballs, if that’s a thing.

The chefs are busy making food for everyone and can’t chat. The winemakers would love to chat and make the connection, but there are people behind you who also want wine. It’s impossible to please everyone on every level. I loved the event! I can’t wait for next year's event, and what Okta did is what we see in Oregon Wine Country all the time. They are raising the tides for everyone to raise up and make what we have here even better!

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If you know of an off-the-charts optometrist, let me know! Also, it was the best thing ever to see Dan and Jeanne from Corollary pouring Sparkling for everyone as the first winery!

Finally, let’s talk about the “In Your Honor” dinner and Ruddick/Wood. I am having a difficult time trying to describe this event. Five different wineries were present, and food for the gathering hour started with trout roe sitting atop deviled eggs. I was a little worried about five wineries in attendance I would only get a tiny splash from each producer. The host, when we sat down for dinner, mentioned a quote I can only remember the important part, “If your glass is empty, that’s your own fault.” Open bottles were left on the table, the food was family-style, and everyone sat together in small groups. Being forced to have conversations with strangers is the best!

Nothing stopped me from conversing with Alumbra Cellars, who brought a Pinot Noir / Tempranillo blend, Anderson Family, Corollary, L’Angolo, or Winter’s Hill. Afterward, the chef stopped by, asked how everything was, and there was another great conversation. The event started at 6:00, and I was expecting to leave around 8:30. I didn’t leave until close to 9:45. I was more than pleasantly surprised and got more than my $150 worth for the ticket!

How often can you get winemakers to sign your cookbook?

Ruddick/Wood will be making more dinners like this, and they will be focusing on different AVAs throughout Oregon. You need to seriously look at your calendar and their events and make a date night happen ASAP!

It blows me away from all of the events happening in Wine Country. I want to attend all of them. Fortunately, that is impossible. Otherwise, I would overeat food and drink too much wine. Thinking about these events and doing a mental exercise of what I would do for an event is fascinating. Heads up, this is only a thought exercise, and there is nothing behind this at all!

Here is my ideal event. It would be a weekend Oregon Sparkling Camp. Ideally, it would be an intimate venue like AtTheJoy, where everyone in attendance is forced to make friends over three days. Friday night, everyone is greeted with a glass of Sparkling (not a flute) with an assortment of munchies to consume before dinner. There must be the best-fried chicken ever, with various other courses for dinner. For every course, the chef and winemaker talk about their masterpieces. Afterward is a casual gathering of guests, chefs, and winemakers, creating those vital human connections.

Saturday’s food would pretty much be the same format, but after lunch, everyone climbs into a van to visit Argyle, for example, where everyone gets hands-on learning what triage means. This also means everyone probably needs their own apron or something to ensure clothes don’t get ruined. There would be other educational factors on the field trip to get more of an appreciation of Sparkling wine production.

After a Sunday brunch, everyone would depart with a saber signed by all of the winemakers and chefs from the weekend. So many unforgettable memories and bonds would be created. The only issue with all of this is the price. It would cost two arms and a leg, but dang, wouldn’t that be fun!

Thanks for reading my ramblings!

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With Heartfelt Gratitude,

A.J.