New Painting about Vineyards

For the last two years my paintings have evolved from very abstract to more recognizable.

"Taking Root" 5'x5' oil and wax on mounted linen

Wineries and terroir fascinate me. What it takes to create great wines, such as place, soil, temperature, water, sun, surroundings, and of course, the winemaker.
Here is one of the latest.

"Territorial Road" 24"x48" oil and wax on mounted linen. 

This one was inspired by Benton Lane Winery on Territorial Road near Monroe Oregon.

Women's Night at Brigadoon

Baco Noir and Tomatoes

Tasting a '12 Chateau Lorane Baco Noir. Nose , smoky, dried prune, dark fruit, leather.
Soft mouthfeel, tannins now completely balanced and none of the somewhat harsh bite and toothiness

 are here. Long notes of fresh blackberry and very subtle cumin. 
Trying it with heirloom tomatoes with fresh buffalo mozzarella, reduced balsamic, fig balsamic, oil, and finished with Jacobson's sea salt.
As it opened it became even softer and more aromatic. I am very glad I have a few bottles left and plan on keeping them down for a few more years.

Organizing Wines

I long for the days when I would buy a bottle of wine, take it home, and drink it with dinner.
Those days are long, long gone. Now I trade art for wine, buy cases instead of bottles, and have magnums stacked in closets.
Organizing them and trying to remember where and why I got them has become a burden. 
Some of the tools I have used over the years are just not working so I am looking for new toys.
Last night I downloaded an app from Cellar Tracker and will see how that works. So far I have too many wines that they do not track so I have to take photos and send them in so they can load them.
Here is a pretty concise listing of the ones that Christopher Null put together on TechHive. Nice information and well written.
Well, the search may be over! I just downloaded VinCellar and have been very pleased. Easy to follow, good list, and if your wine is not one the list you can enter it manually. Free!
It interacts with FB and Twitter also and there are reviews of a lot of the wines.
Feedback on what you use will be posted with this article.
Well, we have found a winner! I love this VinCellar app! I spent the afternoon loading my wines in to the data base and found out that it pulls reviews from other sources, adds ratings, and it tells you "drink by" dates!

Two New Wines From Abbelone

#1
Named after their daughter,

Abbelone's new wine, "Camilla", has caused great confusion in the household..."Is "Camilla" in the fridge?" "Did you bring "Camilla" for dinner?", but they are getting used to it.
This Pinot Noir Blanc (think champagne before bubbles) is Abbelone's 2015 version, the first they have made. It it 95% Pinot Noir with 5 % Viognier and you need it in your cellar.
As you wine nuts know, Viognier is the only white grape allowed in red blends due to its ageing quality. In this case it will carry the wine for a very nice aging, I would say 2 to 5 years.
This is a very light peach color, almond and cream caramel on the nose with hints of bittersweet citrus. The mouthfeel is pleasing, with caramel, Bosch pear, brandy , and toast. Long finish of dried apple.
Keep in mind I am tasting this at room temperature.
I would recommend this to be chilled to 60 to 65 degrees and paired with pasta. A cream sauce would be perfect, but it really is a food friendly wine that will make any food, except perhaps peanut butter and jelly, but I would not hesitate to try.

#2

Remarkable! This is Abbelone's VSP Cuvee '14.
Jewels floating in a lush, mouth friendly blend of Viognier, Syrah, and Pinot Noir. Absolutely beautifully balanced. Mouthfeel is soft with just enough tannins to give a bit of tootheyness (and age well). This one will, as it ages, lose a bit of the tooth and soften. 
Tiny hints of anise, very subtle clove, and ripe blueberry, soft black fig.
The taste is of black currant, blueberry pie, with a long finish of gamey wild RIPE blackberry.
Drink now and you will have a food friendly wine for almost any style of food or a "drink alone" wine that will make you smile. Age for two to three more years and this one will be stunning!

Brigadooon Wine Company has a new Library

Greetings Friends of Brigadoon!

   The Shown Family is proud to announce that Brigadooon Wine Company will now have a Little Free Library at the entrance to the tasting room gardens!  The ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the "bring one - take one" library will be at 1PM on Saturday, August 27th. Light appetizers will be available. We hope you can attend!

   As a high school English teacher, Sheree has had a dream of having a Little Free Library for several years.  Thanks to the efforts of builder and wine club member, Ross Ronnenberg, her dream is now a reality.

The Little Free Libraries are a global phenomenon of book exchanges that number over 36,oo0 worldwide.  What started in one U.S. neighborhood is now in 70 countries, honored by the Library of Congress and the American Library Association.

  Brigadoon is proud to continue this global literacy effort and add our books to the 10 million shared each year. Feel free to bring a book and take a book whenever you visit, or sit and enjoy a good read right here at Brigadoon!

Chris, Sheree & Matt Shown

Show About Vineyards at State Capitol

Robert Canaga Installs Oregon Bounty Exhibit at Oregon State Capitol

Salem, Ore. – “Oregon Bounty” an art exhibit comprised of large oils and wax on linen mounted on American Easel panels (made in Salem) will be displayed at the Oregon State Capitol West Galleria from August 23 to October 20, 2017. The art, by Eugene-based artist Robert Canaga, depict Oregon vineyard landscapes and represent an understanding of terrior – how environmental factors play a part in crop’s epigenetic qualities. This exhibit aligns with the Capitol’s October 8 event titled “Oregon’s Bounty: A Celebration of the Harvest.”

Canaga has done a lot of work in Southern Oregon and his solo exhibit at the Coos Art Museum landed him a space in their permanent collection which is how he came to be selected to exhibit at the Capitol. This exhibit also fulfills a lifelong dream of Canaga to see his professional works at the Capitol.

“The reason it has been such a dream is that Gov. Tom McCall had one of my watercolors in his office in 1968,” Canaga explains. He had sent it to the Governor when he was just a child and remembers seeing it on the wall of his office in a photograph.

Canaga was born in Oregon and is known as one of the state’s most experimental printmakers. He currently focuses on abstract painting in oil, raw pigments and wax. His involvement in the arts community spans decades. He is current chair of Travel Lane County, and former curator at The Gallery at the Watershed in Eugene and at Opus6IX Gallery. His work is collected nationally. Canaga is also owner of Robert Canaga Studio in Eugene. More information about the artist can be found at http://opus6ixgallery.blogspot.com/.

Canaga will be available to meet during an artist’s reception at the Capitol on Thursday, September 22 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

For more information about the “Oregon Bounty” exhibit, please call Visitor Services at 503-986-1388 or visit www.oregoncapitol.com. The exhibit is free and open to the public during building hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding holidays. Parking around the Capitol is metered.

Weekend at J.Scott

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY This Mother's Day Weekend (May 6-8), we invite all the very special Mom's out there to visit the winery and enjoy "Pretty in Pink" Sweet Rose' or Dry Grenache Rose' for only $5/glass!  On Sunday, May 8th, stop in anytime between 1-5 and we have another special little surprise for Mom!

EUGENE WINERY 541-357-5279 Friday, May 6, 4-9 pm: A very special Friday WineDown with the return of Brendan Curran to entertain from 5:30-8:30.  Brendan's special sound incorporates pop and rock to a beat you are sure to enjoy!  Food truck onsite. Saturday, May 7, 1-Closing: Always a relaxing day to visit our warehouse winery to enjoy a glass of wine with friends. Also, if you are looking to learn more about wine or winemaking, Damien is in the Tasting Room on Saturdays to help answer those questions!  Food truck onsite. Sunday, May 8, 1-5:  Happy Mother's Day!  Please bring Mom by to enjoy a $5 glass of Dry Grenache Rose' or Sweet Rose'...as well as a fabulous mini cupcake from Sassy Cupcakes or another special treat!

BAY FRONT TASTING ROOM Newport, Oregon 541-272-5222 HOURS:  Thursday,1-7. Friday through Sunday, 12-7, Monday, 1-7 Stop by and enjoy the beautiful view from the front deck of our Newport Tasting Room. Situated right next to the fantastic Local Ocean restaurant....place your name on the waiting list at Local Ocean and enjoy a glass of wine in the Tasting Room while you wait to be contacted for dinner!

UPSTAIRS/DOWNTOWN ALBANY WINE WALK Albany, Oregon J. Scott Cellars will be located inside Eclectic Zebra (431 1st St.), a newly opened home design and antique store!  During the event, you may taste from at least 20 different Oregon wineries, while enjoying the ambiance and atmosphere of beautiful Downtown Albany. Tickets available day of or at the link above.

SAVE THE DATE! Friday and Saturday, May 13 & 14:  Please plan to join us for the first ever Food Scene Eugene at Lane Community College!  A two day fun foodie festival that includes a Lane Culinary Arts Student Competition on Friday and the return of the Iron Chef Eugene competition on Saturday.  In between everything from a foodie fashion show to various food/wine classes.  Tickets and details online at the link above. Saturday, May 14, 3-7 pm:  Seaside, Oregon - Seaside Wine Walk.  J. Scott Cellars will be pouring tastes and selling bottles of wine inside Heron's Nest Gift Shop (405 Broadway St.).  This event is the perfect excuse to spend a weekend at the Oregon Coast!

Benton Lane First Class Vertical Tasting!

Benton-Lane Winery Gourmet First Class Vertical Tasting           DATE:  MAY 7TH           TIME:  4 - 6 pm           PRICE:  $60                           $50 Wine Club  Please join us for a very rare vertical tasting of our FIRST CLASS Pinot Noirs on May 7th.  After receiving a glass of our 2015 chilled Rosè of Pinot Noir in our FIRST CLASS cellar, guests will be seated in our barrel room.  There you will enjoy our 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 FIRST CLASS Pinot Noirs along with a gourmet appetizer pairing for each wine. The 2008 FIRST CLASS will be presented with a Bruschetta of local tomato and Burrata mozzarella cheese. The 2009 FIRST CLASS will be enjoyed with Steve’s grapevine smoked Pork Tenderloin with Carol’s blueberry and port wine reduction, The 2010 FIRST CLASS will be accompanied with a sage infused roasted Lamb meatball. The 2011 FIRST CLASS will be paired with a savory mushroom and cheese Frittata. And the 2012 FIRST CLASS will be served with Steve’s grapevine smoked Salmon topped with Carol’s lemon aioli, Owners Steve and Carol will lead the tasting with emphasis on the weather for that vintage and how it affected each wine, as well as stories of the harvest that year. There will be special pricing on these extraordinary library wines, and we will introduce the release of a very special wine. Seating is limited so please call us at 541-847-5792 to place your reservation today. Benton-Lane Winery 23924 Territorial Road Monroe, OR  97456 541-847-5792                                              www.benton-lane.com

Wild Wines News

WOW! One full year of footage and here we are: done!  I invite you to check out our new video that will show you some "behind-the-scenes" at Wild Wines, and hear some of my story!  I'd love any feedback about it, too, and ideas of where to share it! Big thanks to Kurt DeWitt Photography for his outstanding work on this project!

We'd love for you to join us at our Season Opening Celebration on April 30th, from 4-8pm.  Swamp Creek Cartel will be playing, and we'll have hot pizzas for sale from our wood-fired earthen oven.  Regular tasting room hours will also commence, Friday-Sundays, 12-5pm through Thanksgiving weekend.

Finally, market season has begun and you can find Wild Wines at the Grants Pass Growers Market on (most) Saturdays from 9-1pm.  We'd be thrilled to find someone in Eugene that would like to represent us at the Lane County Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9-2pm. This is a VERY flexible position, you do not need to be available everySaturday. Please email me for more details. Job starts immediately! And pass the word if you might know someone that is passionate about Wild Wines and talking it up!

J. Scott Cellars News

J. SCOTT CELLARS:  520 Commercial St., Unit G, Eugene.  541-357-5279

FRIDAY, April 15, 4-9 pm: Crew Wine Club members, your wine release is ready for you beginning tonight!  The amazing sounds of Ty Morin from 5:30-8:30 and food truck tonight is Kat's Calico Kitchen (specializing in diner era food-yummy)! SATURDAY, April 16, 4-9 pm:  It's time for the 2nd annual Westside Warehouse District Scavenger Hunt!  Pick up your clue card at any of the five Westside locations  (J. Scott Cellars, Noble Estate Urban, Crescendo Organic Spirits, Claim 52 Brewing or Viking Braggot) and start the hunt.  FREE transportation between locations, food trucks, music and prizes!  The very popular Mr. Scott Austin will be providing the music here at the Tasting Room and the food truck is Bacon Nation.  This is such a fun event, you don't want to miss it! SPRING WHITE SALE CONTINUES Only $100/case for 2013 Roussanne or Semi-Sweet Siren's Song (yes, you can mix the case with both wines) WINEMAKER'S SPECIAL! Two pack containing 2015 Chardonnay and 2013 Grenache.   Normally priced at $52.00 total. Mention this special and receive the two pack for $40 (non wine club members)!  Wine Club Members, you will receive an additional 5% discount above your current discount on this two pack.  Good only for the two wines purchased together...and only for the month of April, 2016.

How are YOU Spending Tax Weekend?

We Will Treat You  To Discounts & Deductions  While We Wine Over Taxes! April 15-17th Bring in your appetite because we will also have food available for purchase! Tax Day Weekend Specials General Public: Free tastings w/purchase of any 2 bottles  WC: 25% off any purchase of $50+ FOLLOW US:

Pfeiffer Winery, 25040 Jaeg Road, Junction City, OR 97448