Tag Archives: Lady Hill winery

McMinnville Wine & Food Classic – Sip!

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McMinnville Wine & Food ClassicIf you’re looking for a unique Oregon wine event that supports a great cause, look no further than the 27th annual McMinnville Wine & Food Classic – Sip on March 13-15.

Held at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, this weekend wine and food festival is a fundraiser for programs to benefit students at McMinnville’s St. James School. Founded in 1906, the school received approximately 15-20% of its operating budget from proceeds raised at last year’s festival.

“Everything about the event is centered upon having fun, and the venue is what really sets the Classic apart,” says event Chair Jon Johnson. Approximately 160 vendors will set up among the artifacts of the space age – jets, missiles, and displays from outer space missions.

Here are the details.

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Grape Clones at Red Willow Vineyard

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Red Willow Vineyard's stone chapel is one of the most recognizable buildings in Washington wine countryWe recently stopped by Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley and spent an incredible afternoon with the Sauer family, Washington wine royalty.

As mentioned in our previous post, one of the highlights of our visit was learning about Mike Sauer’s clone program, which he started with Master of Wine David Lake in 2005. The two Washington wine legends experimented with different cuttings certified from UC Davis Viticulture and Enology. Their clone program continues today.

 

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Red Willow Vineyard and WA Wine Royalty

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Jon Sauer, Karen Sauer and Mike Sauer stand in front of signs from Red Willow Vineyard.Last week, we had the honor of visiting Red Willow Vineyard and spending an afternoon with the incredible Sauer family, Washington wine royalty.

We toured part of the vineyard with Mike, Karen and their son, Jon, and later were joined by Jon’s wonderful wife Kelly and their five lovely children. In this photo, (from left) Jon, Karen and Mike stand in front of old signs of grapes planted at Red Willow. Of note, the sign for the 1986 Syrah represents the first grape planted in Washington state.

During our visit, Mike told us about the harvest, which was almost but not quite over. He also discussed his clone project, and we tasted three wines made from some of those clones.

Although we spent time with Mike and Karen at a wine event in 2017, we hadn’t been to Red Willow in nine years. It was an amazing experience.
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