Our Bend Winery Opening October 2010!

But, we will be closing the Downtown Bend Tasting Lounge at the end of September. Sooooo sad to leave Downtown, but in order to move the company forward, we decided to get back to basics and focus on production of our Volcano wines and our Magmita Sangrias. Our Bend winery will be located in the new Century Center off of 14th Street (aka Century Drive) on Bend's westside. We should be open in October!

'06 Merlot Review from Wine Press Northwest

This just in: a review of "Excellent!" from Wine Press Northwest (spring 2010 issue)for our 2006 Merlot, Fortmiller Vineyard. Full review follows:

Liz and Scott Ratcliff run their winery and tasting lounge in Bend, Ore., and bring in grapes from the warm Rogue Valley to the southwest. This Merlot comes from Fortmiller, a vineyard farmed by Don and Traute Moore, considered by many to be the finest growers in the Rogue. The wine opens with aromas of cranberries, Chelan cherries, red currants and sweet herbs, followed by pleasing flavors of ripe red plums, cherries and chocolate on the finish. It's a lush wine with delicious length.

Check out the full spring issues of Wine Press Northwest at http://www.winepressnw.com/spring10/

WinesNorthwest review of our '06 Syrah

Chuck Hill just published his review of our 2006 Lakeside/Serenade Vineyards Syrah. He offers up weekly wine reviews of the best of Pacific Northwest wines, properly pairing them with food. Take a peek at what he thinks of our Syrah matched with a Churrasco Flank Steak with Chimichurri auce. Yum!

http://www.winesnw.com/chuckhill_winesofweek.htm

March Music Madness

Get your groove on during March in the Tasting Lounge!

Friday, March 5 starting at 6 pm: First Friday with Mike Potter, plus a local celebrity behind the bar

Saturday, March 6 starting at 8 pm: Mark Barringer plays, and he usually brings along a bunch of his amazingly talented musician friends. Musical magic, you absoutely have to see this guy play!

Friday, March 12 starting at 7:30: The Prairie Rockets! They are three women, Aspen, Shirley and Patty. Shirley plays guitar, Aspen mandolin and Patty the 5-String Banjo. "We play a bluegrassy and sometimes bluesy mix of contemporary and traditional folk songs embracing two and three part harmonies. We just have fun playing music together."

Friday, March 19 starting at 8 pm: Brian Hinderberger of Kousefly. Always a blast when Brian plays!

Cake Good!

Yes, Valentine's Day is almost upon us, my least favortie holiday. And I fully admit that my negative feelings towards it no doubt stem from some disappointment during adolescence. I fancy myself having matured beyond the pains of the teen years, yet here in my 40s, married to a romantic hunk, I still think Valetine's Day is stupid.

Cake and Wine! Yummy!But I do appreciate both cake and wine, so we have gotten together with The Curvy Baker and offer these delicious pairings for your weekend celebrations:

Your choice of Classic Rum Cake OR Chocolate Vodka Cake, plus a bottle of wine!

Cake and French Bubbles: $20
Cake and Lava Red: $25
Cake and our '06 Merlot: $30
Cake and our '06 Syrah (Lakeside/Serenade): $35

We are open today 'til 8, Saturday noon to 8 and Sunday noon to 5.

Viogn-yea!

Two weeks ago, Scott pulled the 2008 Viognier out of barrel and into kegs. While it is not yet available in bottles, we are offering it by the taste or glass in the Tasting Lounge. Viognier on tap - delish and environmentally friendly!

This is the first vintage from the Crater View Ranch that we contract planted in Jacksonville back in 2006. The grapes were harvested at two different times, nearly two weeks apart. Scott wanted to style the wine with a good nose while still being crisp. In order to achieve this the earlier grapes we brought in had higher acidity, providing the crispness. The later picking was riper, providing the seductive floral aromas for which good Viogniers are known.

The Viognier has been aged on lees (or "sur lie" in French), "lees" being the yeasty residue remaining in the cask after fermentation. 'Sur lie' wines are bottled without racking - a process for filtering the wine - giving an added freshness and creaminess to the wine. It was aged in neutral French Oak barrels for 15 months. While no oak flavors are imparted in the wine with neutral oak, the body of the wine is enhanced.

Scott feels that Viognier is one of the few whites that can stand some aging, especially when the wine isn't filtered or fined, which helps protect the wine naturally, like a nice French White Burgandy. It is the perfect pairing with bleu cheese, pumpkin soup or seafood. But NOT brie.

Live Music in February

Gloomy February will be a whole lot more fun this year. We have lots of live music set up to lift you out of your Seasonal Affective Disorder blues!

Friday February 5 from 6-9 pm: The Quons! our offical House Band plays for you on this First Friday, while new photography from the amazing Mike Putnam graces our walls.

Friday, February 19 starting at 7 pm: Mike Potter. Mike is great friends with The Quons so you know he's gotta be super cool.

Saturday, February 20 starting at 7 pm: Deb Yager and Bo Reynolds. Austin, TX transplants will wow you with their authentic Americana sound.

January Madness

Scott is pulling the 2008 Viognier out of barrel today down at the winery, and while he says he'll be done and back on the road by noon, I know him well enough to know that noon actually means 3 or 4 pm. Meanwhile, I am trying to get coverage for the Tasting Lounge so we can open by 4 pm today, but, no guarantee. I wonder what happened to all my wine club members who told me they were getting their OLCC server's permit? Hurry up, guys! We need some help!

Since it costs a gagillion dollars to bottle the wine, for the time being we are putting the Viognier into kegs and will offer it as a glass pour out of the Tasting Lounge. A cost effective way to enjoy some stellar wine. Stay tuned for more info on the Volcano keg program...

Photography from Mike Putnam in the Tasting Lounge through February

This January and February, the Volcano Vineyards Tasting Lounge will feature new photography from Mike Putnam. Mike was inspired to take up landscape photography by the beauty of central Oregon and its surrounding backcountry. Mike hopes that these photographs will serve to enhance awareness of these awe inspiring locations and will foster a sense of stewardship in regard to these magical locations. From glacier clad volcanoes, to alpine wildflower meadows, cascading waterfalls, and powder covered mountain ranges, Central Oregon is an awe-inspiring place.

Mike strives to make the most detailed and color saturated images possible with a 4x5 camera. He does this by using professional grade slow speed film, excellent lenses and a carbon fiber tripod. Additionally, he carefully selects his subject matter, preferring scenic locations at the appropriate time of year and at times of day that allow for optimal light conditions.

Mike often wakes hours before dawn and hikes many hours in the dark in order to position himself for optimal light. Therefore, low weight and optimal optical performance were the deciding factors when selecting any given piece of gear.

He initially shot in a 35mm format. He soon found he had a real passion for photography and specifically large scenic prints. 35mm photography quickly became too limiting in terms of its lack of detail and perspective control, so he made a leap of faith and purchased a Wista cherry wood 4x5 field camera. This camera was selected for its light weight, its range of movements, simplicity and perhaps most of all for its character. As a woodworker, Mike enjoys the artisan feel of hand crafted Cherry wood. It gives the sensation of creating art with a camera that is art itself.