Willamette Valley's True North Wine Tour

Industry group, North Willamette Vintners, is pleased to announce its second annual Wine Trail Weekend, which will take place on April 10-11, 2010.



The Wine Trail leads wine lovers on a journey to 21 neighboring wineries located just minutes from Portland. A full Wine Trail ticket is only $35 ($10 for designated drivers) and entitles guests to exclusive access to all participating wineries. Guests are treated to complimentary wine tastings, food, entertainment and activities at each participating winery.

Some of the 2010 highlights will include terroir demonstrations, an appearance by cook book author Nancy Ponzi, live bluegrass, spring Chinook salmon cooking demonstrations and wine glass education.

Participating wineries include:

A Blooming Hill Vineyard, Cornelius

Adea Wine Company, Gaston

Apolloni Vineyards, Forest Grove

Cooper Mountain Vineyards, Beaverton

David Hill Vineyard & Winery, Forest Grove

Elk Cove Vineyards, Gaston

Garden Vineyards, Hillsboro

Gresser Vineyards and Provincial Vineyards, Hillsboro

Helvetia Vineyards, Hillsboro

J. Albin Winery, Hillsboro

Kramer Vineyards, Gaston

Montinore Estate, Forest Grove

Oak Knoll Winery and Beran Vineyards, Hillsboro

Patton Valley, Gaston

Plum Hill Vineyards, Gaston

Ponzi Vineyards, Beaverton

Purple Cow Vineyards, Forest Grove

SakéOne, Forest Grove

Tualatin Estate Vineyards, Forest Grove

Sumerians Worshiped A Goddess of Brewing Named Ninkasi

The Register-Guard looks at hometown brewing sensation, Ninkasi, and finds plenty to marvel at, including eye-popping growth. Ninkasi produced 3,000 barrels of beer in 2007 but topped 17,000 barrels in 2009.

The company’s signature brew — Total Domination, a hoppy India Pale Ale — is living up to its name. Last April, 22-ounce bottles of Total Domination were the No. 1 single-serve beer in Oregon, according to Information Resources, a market survey firm. In August, it was ranked as the 10th most popular single-serve beer in the country — even though it was sold in only two states.

In surpassing the 15,000-barrels benchmark last year, Ninkasi became the first Oregon brewery to gain status as a regional craft brewery in more than a decade, said Brian Butenschoen, executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild. As of October, Ninkasi’s production ranked sixth among Oregon breweries, according to state records.

Founders Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge said when they started Ninkasi, they wanted to establish the brewery as a regional presence in the Northwest and create a flagship brewery identified with Eugene, such as Rogue in Newport, Deschutes in Bend and Full Sail in Hood River

“That’s pretty much what’s happened,” Floyd said.