Newsletter


Story Teller Wine Company
The sun is going down over my back fence and it is going to be another cold and chilly night here in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. This is my favorite time of day. The hustle and bustle of the day is over and I’m holed up in my home office working on what is probably wine newsletter number 1,500. My computer is serenading me with a little Joao Gilberto, I have a glass of red wine by my mouse pad and I can hear my wife and son giggling in the kitchen as they decorate cookies. In the immortal words of my good friend Scott Wright, life does not suck. These days I’m also reading Ferenc Mate’s new book, The Wisdom of Tuscany. Pretty appropriate reading on a night like this as the book is a call to arms for folks to slow down, eat better (local) food, buy less unnecessary stuff and dive into their respective communities. Not exactly groundbreaking advice, but Mate is such a nice writer and his Tuscan neighbors are so interesting you don’t mind going along for the ride, even if it is a well-traveled road. I plan on following Mate’s lead in 2010 and I can’t think of a better way to get started than with a little wine and a little food. 2007 Pietradolce Etna Rosso “Archineri” 34.00 Mascali is a beautiful town on the eastern coast of Sicily. You can wander the hills around Mascali for hours, taking in the view of the sea and picking lunch from all the prickly pear, lemon, pistachio and pomegranate trees that line the roads. Unfortunately, most folks know Mascali, if they know it all, as the town that was obliterated by a lava flow from Mt. Etna back in the 1920s. But in addition to the beaches, seafood and local fruit trees, Mascali has given the world another treasure: the Nerello Mascalese grape! Winemaker Michel Faro has fond memories of his grandfather making wine from the grapes that grew like wildfire out behind their family home. Once in awhile, if he had been good, young Michel was allowed to take a sip from his grandfather’s glass. He quickly figured out that those little black grapes that grew everywhere were pretty special. But as Michel grew up, the vineyards on Etna began to fall into disrepair as young people moved away to the cities. Michele vowed that one day he would one be a winemaker like his grandfather and when that day arrived, he would make wine with the Nerello Mascalese grape. Michele’s time has come and what an effort he has made! Michel Faro makes wine at Pietradolce, a Sicilian winery that aims to put the ancient Nerello Mascalese back in a place of prominence among Italian wines. Even though the grape has been gown in this area for over a thousand years, the vines Michele uses are a “mere” 50-60 years old. Those vines grow at a dizzying 2,600 foot altitude, pushing their way up out of thick, black volcanic soil that will stick to your shoes and socks like Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren to Eldrick Tont Woods. Now for the fun part: trying to accurately describe this wine in a believable fashion. One writer described the Archineri as a wine with “the aromatic elegance of Vosne-Romanee and the precision and rose-tinted delicacy of Nebbiolo from the Langhe.” See what I mean? Can you imagine a better marriage than Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo? But such descriptions fail to do this wine justice. There is so much more here. As I tasted the wine over a dinner with my wife, she claimed the wine’s aromas reminded her of the cinder butte slopes of the area she grew up in around Bend, Oregon. And the more I started sniffing this wine, the more I tended to agree with her. There is a Juniper and sage note to the nose of this wine, along with what can best be described as flinty lava rocks. If you have ever hiked around the area in Central Oregon where the lava tubes are, you will know exactly what I’m describing. Beyond those exotic scents are aromas like dried rose petals, red cherries and some kind of cinnamon-like spice. By far one of the most interesting wines to smell I have come across in a very long time. I just sat there for what must have been thirty minutes, merely smelling this wine. A quick sip of the Archineri alerted me to the fact that this could be a dangerous wine to keep stored in my home cellar. How can a wine in this price range taste so much like a young Barolo? Good gosh, there were flavors of dried cherries or red raspberries, tart cranberries, rose petals, leather, dusty rocks and nice little bit of savory meat fat. If there was just some tar in this wine, then I could fool lots of people in blind tastings. And the acidity level is as elevated as the vineyard’s altitude. That roller coaster ride of hot days and cool nights up on Etna really brings out the natural acidity of the Nerello Mascalese grape. And I have it on good authority that if you were to visit a family in Mascali, they would probably pour you a glass of Nerello Mascalese along side a plate of sausage stuffed with “cauliceddi,” a type of wild cabbage Folks, this is something truly remarkable. I have never, ever had a red wine that came close to smelling and tasting like this. No wonder the Archineri just received tre bicchieri, three glasses, from Gambero Rosso. Unfortunately, the 2007 Archineri is in very short supply. I had to special order the wine from the importer as it was not available through regular distribution channels in Portland. So even though I normally don’t like allocating wines, I will have to limit any orders to a maximum of six bottles. If you would like more than that, please let me know and I will create a “wish list.” The wines arrive from San Francisco next week (on Dec. 22) and at that point if they aren’t all spoken for I will check the list to see who has been naughty and/or nice. Joel Palmer House Oregon White Truffle Oil (30.00) Holiday meals need to be prepared and stockings need to be stuffed. And what a perfect gift for that favorite foodie in your life. Yes, Virginia, there is still a naturally made white truffle oil out there and that oil is the Joel Palmer House Oregon White Truffle Oil. This gift of the fungi is made in small batches by our favorite truffle hunter, Jack Czarnecki. For those of you who may not know Jack and his work, he is America’s head honcho when it comes to all things tuber. He was a top chef in Western Pennsylvania (another mushroom growing mecca) and moved his family to Dayton, Oregon in 1997 so he could really immerse himself in mushroom culture. He started The Joel Palmer House Restaurant in order to perfect his all-mushroom cooking skills and in short order it became one of Oregon’s finest restaurants. His mushroom cookbook also managed to pick up a James Beard award along the way. So whether you want to talk mushrooms or eat them, Jack is the guy you want to visit. Over the past few years, the Oregon white truffle has become Jack’s passion. Are they inferior to the Alban white truffle? James Beard didn’t think so when he declared the Oregon white truffle the equal of its Italian cousins. And yet there are a lot of folks out there that put down the Oregon version as lackluster or less aromatic than Italy’s white truffles. “Piffle” says Jack. According to him, most people, including chefs, don’t know what a ripe Oregon white truffle looks like. So they tend to use the truffle way too soon, thus leading to a less than optimal dining experience. He also figured out, as the Italians did, that the best way to unlock the aromas of the white truffle is in oil form. But in this arena, Jack may have a leg up on his Italian brethren. If you have ever used a bottle of Italian white truffle oil chances are very good that it wasn’t made naturally. A vast majority of those oils are created synthetically. And Jack says there is nothing wrong with that but he prefers the richness of his naturally made oil. So if you buy the Oregon White Truffle Oil you can rest assured there is nothing in the bottle except Oregon white truffles and olive oil. And believe me, this stuff is really good. Toss it on your scrambled eggs or risotto, heck, even toss it your popcorn. Whatever you want, because just about anything worth eating is going to be better with truffle oil. Jack says if you store this five ounce bottle in a nice cool place it should be good for up to four months. How it would last in anybody’s kitchen for four months is beyond me but I guess it could happen. This is America’s first domestic white truffle oil and it is all natural. How good is it? Forget for a moment that Jack Czarnecki personally goes out two or three times a week to hunt for these white truffles. Ignore the fact that Jack hand picks each white truffle and then spends months making each batch of oil by hand. Instead, listen to Italy’s top expert on truffles, Mattia Bencivenga of the University of Perugia. At Tuber 2008, an international academic conference that is held every twenty years, Jack got Mattia to try some of his Oregon White Truffle Oil. As they sat at an outdoor cafe in Spoleto Mattia told Jack that his oil was the equal of the best in Italy. He even told Jack he could quote him in his promotional materials. So no matter what kind of experience you have had with truffle oil or Oregon white truffles in the past, it’s time to belly up to the bar and do the truffle shuffle, Czarnecki-style! And for everybody who buys a bottle of the Oregon White Truffle Oil I will send you a copy of Jack’s guide to cooking with white truffle oil along with few choice recipes. Friday Night Wine Tasting, Dec. 18, 6:00-9:00PM: Tyson Crowley Returns! Our neighbor Tyson Crowley is now 100% out on his own, making his eponymous Crowley wines. For those of you haven’t tried Tyson’s wines, his Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay are among the best in the valley. And they are beautifully priced to boot. On Friday evening we will be tasting Tyson’s latest releases, including the new single vineyard Pinot Noirs. There will be no charge for this tasting so get over to Storyteller to show your support for a neighborhood winemaker made good! Saturday Wine Tasting, Dec. 19, 10AM until 7PM: Mystery Science 2009 Tasting On Saturday I will have two wines in our glass laboratory beakers. One will be red, one will be white. If you guess the grape variety you will receive a 10% discount on the wine if you decide to make a purchase. If you guess the region where the wine was made, the discount climbs to 15%. If you guess the year in which the wine was made the discount goes to 20%. If you manage to name varietal, region, year AND the actual producer, you will receive a 30% discount on the wine. Sunday Dec. 20, 5:00-8:00PM: A Festivus Celebration With John Paul of Cameron Winery Join us around the aluminum pole at Storyteller Wine Company in Portland, Oregon from 5-8PM on Sunday Dec. 20 for a vinous celebration of Festivus. In what can only be described as a true Festivus miracle, John Paul from Cameron Winery will be pouring samples of his Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills Chardonnay, Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and Clos Elctrique Rouge and Blanc. In addition, John Paul will be sharing magnums of older vintages of Cameron wines. There will be appetizers, courtesy of Chef Louisa Neumann. Forms will be available for the Airing of Grievances and Feats of Strength will involve bench pressing bottles of Ken Wright Pinot Noir. Tickets for this event are 25.00 and must be purchased in advance. We are limiting attendance to 36 people. Email us at howdy@storytellerwine.com or call 503.206.7029 to secure your spots! Cheers, Michael Alberty Head Elf PS There is a new wine blog in town and they are holding their first ever wine awards contest. If you would like to vote for Storyteller Wine Company merely send an email to portlandoregonwine@gmail.com. The three categories we have been nominated in are “Best Free Wine Tastings,” Best Overall Wine Tastings” and “Best Overall Wine Store.” Some say it is an honor just to be nominated. Perhaps. But I say if nominated, why not win? So if you have a spare moment and are feeling charitable, throw some votes our way. And be sure to check out the PortlandOregonWine.com blog while you are at it. Visit www.StorytellerWine.com >> 5511-B SW Hood Ave, Portland \| (503) 206-7029 \| 1.800.753.2531

Story Teller Wine Company

The sun is going down over my back fence and it is going to be another cold and chilly night here in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. This is my favorite time of day. The hustle and bustle of the day is over and I’m holed up in my home office working on what is probably wine newsletter number 1,500. My computer is serenading me with a little Joao Gilberto, I have a glass of red wine by my mouse pad and I can hear my wife and son giggling in the kitchen as they decorate cookies. In the immortal words of my good friend Scott Wright, life does not suck. These days I’m also reading Ferenc Mate’s new book, The Wisdom of Tuscany. Pretty appropriate reading on a night like this as the book is a call to arms for folks to slow down, eat better (local) food, buy less unnecessary stuff and dive into their respective communities. Not exactly groundbreaking advice, but Mate is such a nice writer and his Tuscan neighbors are so interesting you don’t mind going along for the ride, even if it is a well-traveled road. I plan on following Mate’s lead in 2010 and I can’t think of a better way to get started than with a little wine and a little food.

2007 Pietradolce Etna Rosso “Archineri” 34.00

Mascali is a beautiful town on the eastern coast of Sicily. You can wander the hills around Mascali for hours, taking in the view of the sea and picking lunch from all the prickly pear, lemon, pistachio and pomegranate trees that line the roads. Unfortunately, most folks know Mascali, if they know it all, as the town that was obliterated by a lava flow from Mt. Etna back in the 1920s. But in addition to the beaches, seafood and local fruit trees, Mascali has given the world another treasure: the Nerello Mascalese grape!

Winemaker Michel Faro has fond memories of his grandfather making wine from the grapes that grew like wildfire out behind their family home. Once in awhile, if he had been good, young Michel was allowed to take a sip from his grandfather’s glass. He quickly figured out that those little black grapes that grew everywhere were pretty special. But as Michel grew up, the vineyards on Etna began to fall into disrepair as young people moved away to the cities. Michele vowed that one day he would one be a winemaker like his grandfather and when that day arrived, he would make wine with the Nerello Mascalese grape. Michele’s time has come and what an effort he has made!

Michel Faro makes wine at Pietradolce, a Sicilian winery that aims to put the ancient Nerello Mascalese back in a place of prominence among Italian wines. Even though the grape has been gown in this area for over a thousand years, the vines Michele uses are a “mere” 50-60 years old. Those vines grow at a dizzying 2,600 foot altitude, pushing their way up out of thick, black volcanic soil that will stick to your shoes and socks like Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren to Eldrick Tont Woods. Now for the fun part: trying to accurately describe this wine in a believable fashion.

One writer described the Archineri as a wine with “the aromatic elegance of Vosne-Romanee and the precision and rose-tinted delicacy of Nebbiolo from the Langhe.” See what I mean? Can you imagine a better marriage than Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo? But such descriptions fail to do this wine justice. There is so much more here. As I tasted the wine over a dinner with my wife, she claimed the wine’s aromas reminded her of the cinder butte slopes of the area she grew up in around Bend, Oregon. And the more I started sniffing this wine, the more I tended to agree with her. There is a Juniper and sage note to the nose of this wine, along with what can best be described as flinty lava rocks. If you have ever hiked around the area in Central Oregon where the lava tubes are, you will know exactly what I’m describing. Beyond those exotic scents are aromas like dried rose petals, red cherries and some kind of cinnamon-like spice. By far one of the most interesting wines to smell I have come across in a very long time. I just sat there for what must have been thirty minutes, merely smelling this wine.

A quick sip of the Archineri alerted me to the fact that this could be a dangerous wine to keep stored in my home cellar. How can a wine in this price range taste so much like a young Barolo? Good gosh, there were flavors of dried cherries or red raspberries, tart cranberries, rose petals, leather, dusty rocks and nice little bit of savory meat fat. If there was just some tar in this wine, then I could fool lots of people in blind tastings. And the acidity level is as elevated as the vineyard’s altitude. That roller coaster ride of hot days and cool nights up on Etna really brings out the natural acidity of the Nerello Mascalese grape. And I have it on good authority that if you were to visit a family in Mascali, they would probably pour you a glass of Nerello Mascalese along side a plate of sausage stuffed with “cauliceddi,” a type of wild cabbage

Folks, this is something truly remarkable. I have never, ever had a red wine that came close to smelling and tasting like this. No wonder the Archineri just received tre bicchieri, three glasses, from Gambero Rosso. Unfortunately, the 2007 Archineri is in very short supply. I had to special order the wine from the importer as it was not available through regular distribution channels in Portland. So even though I normally don’t like allocating wines, I will have to limit any orders to a maximum of six bottles. If you would like more than that, please let me know and I will create a “wish list.” The wines arrive from San Francisco next week (on Dec. 22) and at that point if they aren’t all spoken for I will check the list to see who has been naughty and/or nice.

Joel Palmer House Oregon White Truffle Oil (30.00)

Holiday meals need to be prepared and stockings need to be stuffed. And what a perfect gift for that favorite foodie in your life. Yes, Virginia, there is still a naturally made white truffle oil out there and that oil is the Joel Palmer House Oregon White Truffle Oil. This gift of the fungi is made in small batches by our favorite truffle hunter, Jack Czarnecki. For those of you who may not know Jack and his work, he is America’s head honcho when it comes to all things tuber. He was a top chef in Western Pennsylvania (another mushroom growing mecca) and moved his family to Dayton, Oregon in 1997 so he could really immerse himself in mushroom culture. He started The Joel Palmer House Restaurant in order to perfect his all-mushroom cooking skills and in short order it became one of Oregon’s finest restaurants. His mushroom cookbook also managed to pick up a James Beard award along the way. So whether you want to talk mushrooms or eat them, Jack is the guy you want to visit.

Over the past few years, the Oregon white truffle has become Jack’s passion. Are they inferior to the Alban white truffle? James Beard didn’t think so when he declared the Oregon white truffle the equal of its Italian cousins. And yet there are a lot of folks out there that put down the Oregon version as lackluster or less aromatic than Italy’s white truffles. “Piffle” says Jack. According to him, most people, including chefs, don’t know what a ripe Oregon white truffle looks like. So they tend to use the truffle way too soon, thus leading to a less than optimal dining experience. He also figured out, as the Italians did, that the best way to unlock the aromas of the white truffle is in oil form. But in this arena, Jack may have a leg up on his Italian brethren.

If you have ever used a bottle of Italian white truffle oil chances are very good that it wasn’t made naturally. A vast majority of those oils are created synthetically. And Jack says there is nothing wrong with that but he prefers the richness of his naturally made oil. So if you buy the Oregon White Truffle Oil you can rest assured there is nothing in the bottle except Oregon white truffles and olive oil. And believe me, this stuff is really good. Toss it on your scrambled eggs or risotto, heck, even toss it your popcorn. Whatever you want, because just about anything worth eating is going to be better with truffle oil. Jack says if you store this five ounce bottle in a nice cool place it should be good for up to four months. How it would last in anybody’s kitchen for four months is beyond me but I guess it could happen.

This is America’s first domestic white truffle oil and it is all natural. How good is it? Forget for a moment that Jack Czarnecki personally goes out two or three times a week to hunt for these white truffles. Ignore the fact that Jack hand picks each white truffle and then spends months making each batch of oil by hand. Instead, listen to Italy’s top expert on truffles, Mattia Bencivenga of the University of Perugia. At Tuber 2008, an international academic conference that is held every twenty years, Jack got Mattia to try some of his Oregon White Truffle Oil. As they sat at an outdoor cafe in Spoleto Mattia told Jack that his oil was the equal of the best in Italy. He even told Jack he could quote him in his promotional materials. So no matter what kind of experience you have had with truffle oil or Oregon white truffles in the past, it’s time to belly up to the bar and do the truffle shuffle, Czarnecki-style! And for everybody who buys a bottle of the Oregon White Truffle Oil I will send you a copy of Jack’s guide to cooking with white truffle oil along with few choice recipes.

Friday Night Wine Tasting, Dec. 18, 6:00-9:00PM: Tyson Crowley Returns!

Our neighbor Tyson Crowley is now 100% out on his own, making his eponymous Crowley wines. For those of you haven’t tried Tyson’s wines, his Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay are among the best in the valley. And they are beautifully priced to boot. On Friday evening we will be tasting Tyson’s latest releases, including the new single vineyard Pinot Noirs. There will be no charge for this tasting so get over to Storyteller to show your support for a neighborhood winemaker made good!

Saturday Wine Tasting, Dec. 19, 10AM until 7PM: Mystery Science 2009 Tasting

On Saturday I will have two wines in our glass laboratory beakers. One will be red, one will be white. If you guess the grape variety you will receive a 10% discount on the wine if you decide to make a purchase. If you guess the region where the wine was made, the discount climbs to 15%. If you guess the year in which the wine was made the discount goes to 20%. If you manage to name varietal, region, year AND the actual producer, you will receive a 30% discount on the wine.

Sunday Dec. 20, 5:00-8:00PM: A Festivus Celebration With John Paul of Cameron Winery

Join us around the aluminum pole at Storyteller Wine Company in Portland, Oregon from 5-8PM on Sunday Dec. 20 for a vinous celebration of Festivus. In what can only be described as a true Festivus miracle, John Paul from Cameron Winery will be pouring samples of his Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills Chardonnay, Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and Clos Elctrique Rouge and Blanc. In addition, John Paul will be sharing magnums of older vintages of Cameron wines. There will be appetizers, courtesy of Chef Louisa Neumann. Forms will be available for the Airing of Grievances and Feats of Strength will involve bench pressing bottles of Ken Wright Pinot Noir. Tickets for this event are 25.00 and must be purchased in advance. We are limiting attendance to 36 people. Email us at howdy@storytellerwine.com or call 503.206.7029 to secure your spots!

Cheers,
Michael Alberty
Head Elf

PS There is a new wine blog in town and they are holding their first ever wine awards contest. If you would like to vote for Storyteller Wine Company merely send an email to portlandoregonwine@gmail.com. The three categories we have been nominated in are “Best Free Wine Tastings,” Best Overall Wine Tastings” and “Best Overall Wine Store.” Some say it is an honor just to be nominated. Perhaps. But I say if nominated, why not win? So if you have a spare moment and are feeling charitable, throw some votes our way. And be sure to check out the PortlandOregonWine.com blog while you are at it.

Visit www.StorytellerWine.com >>
5511-B SW Hood Ave, Portland | (503) 206-7029 | 1.800.753.2531

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