Division Wine Co. packs for a big move, ending an era - OregonLive

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Big news on the Portland urban wine scene: Kate Norris and Thomas Monroe are moving their Southeast Wine Collective and Division Wine Co. operations to a new location. April 17 is the final day at the Southeast 35th Place location they’ve called home for the past nine years.

Norris and Monroe released their first Division Wine Co. wine, a rosé of pinot noir, on July 28, 2011. Those first Division wines were made at Methven Family Vineyards in Dayton. The winemaking duo moved into what is now the Southeast Wine Collective in September 2012.

“We hilariously thought the space was going to be too big for our needs,” Norris said.

The Southeast Wine Collective captured national attention as Norris and Monroe made Division wines while hosting a small handful of custom crush clients under their roof. The addition of Oui Wine Bar + Restaurant, with chef Althea Grey Potter, turned the Southeast Wine Collective into a popular Portland food and wine destination spot.

Between wine bar traffic, the growing number of winemakers at the collective and the desire to grow their own Division Wine Co. brand, Norris and Monroe felt the crush. “We’ve loved being here, but we’ve clearly outgrown the space,” Norris said.

Even though their lease is up at the end of April, Norris and Monroe say the owner’s broker promised what Norris describes as “ample time” before needing to move out. Norris and Monroe planned to use the time design their new winery.

Those plans changed in an instant.

“They got an offer they couldn’t refuse and needed us to move immediately. The owner has been reasonable, but it did come as a shock that we only had about 40 days to figure out the move,” Norris said.

Norris and Monroe are currently finalizing plans for a new urban winery that is twice the size of their current location. The new Portland winery location will be revealed when the deal is finalized, hopefully, Norris says, by the end of April. The Southeast Wine Collective name will be retired in favor of something new, although Norris admits, “we haven’t quite figured that part out yet.”

Until they move into their new urban winery, Division Wine Co. and their resident wineries will operate at a currently undisclosed location in Southeast Portland. The temporary location is where Norris and Monroe will host tastings and wine club events this summer. Additional events will be held at Cassin Vineyard in the Willamette Valley.

The Southeast Wine Collective’s wine club will continue uninterrupted during the move, along with the ability to make online purchases of wines from Division and other resident wineries.

In the meantime, Southeast Wine Collective fans have until April 17 to purchase those last glasses of wine at their favorite urban winery. Norris, Monroe and their team have lined up a series of 60 and 90-minute tasting experiences that allow small groups to take over the facility for wine, appetizers and farewell tours. Tasting reservations through April 17 are available through the online service Tock.

divisionwineco.com or info@divisionwineco.com.

-- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.

April 02, 2021 at 12:01AM
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Division Wine Co. packs for a big move, ending an era - OregonLive

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The 6 Best Red Wines For Sangria, Straight From Wine Experts - Women's Health

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Kicking back with a cool glass of red sangria is pretty much the perfect way to spend a summer evening. And, if you’ve never made it yourself, it’s time to change that (don't worry if you're not usually the bartender in your friend group—there's really not a set "recipe," and you can customize it and add whatever fruit and spices you like).

The traditional Spanish punch features delicious slices of fruit floating in a wine base. Add some sugar and a little brandy, and you’re ready to enjoy a little sip of heaven.

Here’s the thing: Even though recipe for red sangria is pretty basic, there are a lot of different ways you can create it. Everybody seems to have their go-to method of selecting the wine, first of all. Some, like Regine T. Rousseau, founder of wine and spirits marketing and events company Shall We Wine, likes to start with a quality wine. “Nothing too expensive, but something that you would drink anyway,” she says. “I’ve heard people say ‘I want a cheap wine.’ Why would you do that? Don’t spend $100 on a wine for sangria, but definitely use a good, quality wine.”

But Maria C. Hunt, wine journalist, educator, and author of The Bubbly Bar: Champagne and Sparkling Wine Cocktails for Every Occasion, says that “sangria is a great way to use up little leftover wine, or a new wine that you tried, but didn’t quite fall in love with.” Noted—definitely have a few of those bottles hanging around.

Basically, your wine base is pretty flexible. One thing to keep in mind, though, according to Rousseau: You’ll want something dry. “That wine will balance out the sweetness and all of the other ingredients,” she says. Otherwise, your sangria might taste too sugary sweet and take you back to your college days of bottled red sangria from the corner store.

Once you've got your wine in there, you’ll want to use fruits that add texture to each glass. “Mix it up—crunchy pink lady apples to more of a firm mango and citrus,” Rousseau says. You can also soak your fruit in brandy or rum and infuse a seasoning like cinnamon, rosemary, or thyme, before you add it to your drink, she says.

Next comes the sugary stuff. “Typically a sangria will include some sweetener, either sugar or some lemon soda,” Hunt says. “But the way you make yours is a matter of personal preference.” And, if you really want to make your sangria pop, you’ll put it all together at least a couple of hours before you plan to serve it (or drink it yourself), Hunt says. “That gives the spices time to release their flavors and for the fruit to soak up some of the wine and spirits,” she adds.

But, of course, it all starts with the star of the show: the wine (which, in most cases, you can order straight to your door. Have a wine subscription? Even better). The experts swear these are some of the best red wines for summer sangria.

1. Rioja

Rioja is actually crafted from a blend of grapes, including Tempranillo, Rousseau says. The wine has a slightly spicy taste with some cherry undertones that make it a good balance for fruit.

Marqués De Cáceres Crianza Rioja

Marqués De Cáceres Drizly

$12.99

2. Garnacha

Garnacha is a medium-bodied wine that has a little more alcohol than others. It also ranges from dry to semi-sweet, Rousseau says.

Las Rocas Garnacha 2014

Las Rocas Drizly

$12.00

3. California Red Blend

A red blend typically has a few different flavors in the mix, including cherry, plum, cedar, and vanilla—and they all taste amazing in sangria. Hunt is a fan of this one.

McBride Sisters Collection 2018 Central Coast California Red Blend

mcbridesisters.com

$18.99

4. Gamay Noir

This type of red is light-bodied and super similar in taste to Pinot Noir. If you’re looking to spend a little more, Hunt suggests this Gamay Noir from Oregon’s Willemette Valley.

2019 Division Gamay Noir

Division Wine Co divisionwineco.com

$28.00

5. Tempranillo

Tempranillo is a full-bodied Spanish wine made from black grapes. It usually has some fruity undertones, like cherry and raspberry.

2018 Limited Release Tempranillo

Ironstone Vineyards ironstonevineyards.com

$26.00

6. Pinot Noir

Like Gamay Noir, Pinot Noir is a lighter-bodied red wine. Typically, it incorporates flavors like cherry and raspberry, along with woody notes, that make it yummy on its own—or in sangria.

2018 West Pole Pinot Noir

Boheme Wines vinespring.com

$36.00

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April 02, 2021 at 02:09AM
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Baseball Is Back, So Grab Your Hot Dog And A Beer. Just Keep A Safe Distance - NPR

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A mobile ordering sign is seen on March 30 at a vending station in Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals. The Nats, along with many other teams in baseball, are implementing new safety protocols, including for ordering food, as a new season kicks off on Thursday. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag hide caption

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A mobile ordering sign is seen on March 30 at a vending station in Nationals Park, home of the Washington Nationals. The Nats, along with many other teams in baseball, are implementing new safety protocols, including for ordering food, as a new season kicks off on Thursday.

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

Hot dogs. Peanuts. Cold Beer. Food – especially the unhealthy kind – has long been an indelible part of the baseball fan experience.

And as a new baseball season kicks off, all those ballpark staples will still be available. How that food gets to you, however, will be a different matter.

With the Major League Baseball season starting off with much reduced capacity at most ballparks and with social distancing rules, teams have had to think hard about how to interact with their fans.

Attendance limits have been put in place by all teams except for the Texas Rangers, with most at or below 50% capacity.

"Things are going to be definitely different," says Jonathan Stahl, vice president of experience and hospitality for the Washington Nationals.

"We want to limit the interaction between our staff and our guests, which is something that we generally never think of because we want to increase the interaction between the staff and our guests," he adds. "But in this situation, safety has to be the number one priority."

(In fact, the Nationals had to postpone its Opening Day game against the New York Mets after one player tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a report on Thursday in The Washington Post).

Some of these changes are likely to be welcomed by fans. Standing in long lines at concession stands, for example.

That's because fans will be encouraged to use mobile apps to order concessions that they can go pick up at set locations. At some ballparks, fans will even be able to have the food or drink delivered to them at their seats, given that limited capacity and social distancing makes it easier to walk through the rows.

But other changes will likely be missed.

Aramark, which provides food and beverage service for nine MLB teams, will eliminate self-serve soda fountains and condiment trays at its venues.

Ballparks are also going cashless, which means fans will no longer pass a $20 bill down the aisle to pay a vendor and get their hot dog handed down the row in return.

A Wrigley Field employee puts up cautionary signs outside of the ballpark on Opening Day for the Chicago Cubs. Baseball teams are implementing safety measures and social distancing rules as they welcome back fans. Shafkat Anowar/AP hide caption

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Shafkat Anowar/AP

A Wrigley Field employee puts up cautionary signs outside of the ballpark on Opening Day for the Chicago Cubs. Baseball teams are implementing safety measures and social distancing rules as they welcome back fans.

Shafkat Anowar/AP

And that other cherished tradition of having vendors walk up and down the aisle yelling "Ice, cold beer!"? Well, depending on the ballpark, it could be a practice that will be banned.

For vendors themselves, all the changes also mean a moment of trepidation.

Vince Pesha, for example, fondly remembers his first day as a peanut vendor at Chicago's Wrigley Field in 1969. He says many of the vendors love the interactions with the fans.

"We have singing vendors, we have people that are actors. So, you know, we have a lot of people that are characters," he says.

And then there are the tips.

Pesha would know. He himself started out selling peanuts.

"I was happy. I made $40, which in my opinion was a lot of money at the time," Pesha recalls about his first day at Wrigley.

Now, after 25 years as a vendor, Pesha has hung up his tray and represents some of his former co-workers as a union official.

He says many are concerned about contracting COVID-19.

"Older vendors are a little apprehensive about coming in," Pesha says. "They're a little worried about it. So they're using their seniority and saying, 'I'm going to wait and see what happens.'"

But others welcome the chance of being back to the ballpark after being laid off last year.

Deedee Reed, for example, has worked at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles since 1991 where she started at 18 as a cashier.

Over the years, she's held various positions, most recently as the manager of one of the stadium's outdoor bars.

Last year, Reed and some 40,000 other stadium workers across the country found themselves without a job.

"It was stressful, every day just wondering, are we going to have enough to pay our rent? Are we going to have enough to pay our bills to buy food? It was scary," she said.

Now, she's looking forward to Opening Day.

"Oh yeah, I'm going back," she says, though she admits: "I don't know what to expect when I get back."

For baseball teams, it all means a fine balancing act.

After going an entire season without fans, teams are keen to have them back.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told sports business publication Sportico last year that the league's 30 teams were expected to post opperational losses of up to $3 billion.

For baseball teams, ballpark-related sales such as tickets, concessions and parking account for about 40% of total revenues.

Stahl at the Nationals is pleading for patience, noting most measures are, for now, intended as temporary in the hopes of gradually opening up ballparks to more fans.

"Hopefully by the summer or the fall will be as close back to normal as possible," Stahl said.

And just maybe, going back to normal could mean a packed stadium, and putting your arms around a complete stranger during the seventh-inning stretch, and back to the traditional baseball experience fans have grown to love.

April 02, 2021 at 12:52AM
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Portsmouth named third best 'Small Town for Craft Beer' - The Union Leader

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TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The largest city in northern Michigan was named as one of the 10 "Favorite Small Town for Craft Beer."

Traverse City finished seventh in one of the USA Today contests for the 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2021.

Traverse City was selected by a panel of judges as one of the 20 finalists for the award. Readers could vote once a day in the four-week online contest, which ended March 16.

The top 10 was announced on March 26.

"That's exciting that we're a top 10 city," Right Brain Brewery brewmaster Russell Springsteen said in a release. "We deserve it. We have several breweries that are making great beer."

"The brewers in the region are highly regarded," Traverse City Tourism President Trevor Tkach said in the release. "The craft beer scene is one of many draws to the region.

"We hear countless times from our visitors that after enjoying all that northern Michigan has to offer, a perfect cap to the day is enjoying a local brew with friends."

Avondale Estates, Georgia took the top spot in the Best Readers' Choice Award for "Favorite Small Town for Craft Beer."

A suburb of Atlanta, Avondale Estates has a population of more than 3,000 people.

The complete top 10 were:

1. Avondale Estates, Georgia
2. Maple Shade, New Jersey
3. Portsmouth, New Hampshire
4. Berlin, Maryland
5. Derby, Connecticut
6. Hammonton, New Jersey
7. Traverse City
8. Boone, North Carolina
9. Hood River, Oregon
10. Taos, New Mexico

While Springsteen said placing seventh was a nice accolade for Traverse City, he said the city could finish on top if nominated for a similar contest.

"We have the breweries to do this," Springsteen said.

The "Favorite Small Town for Craft Beer" was one of several USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2021 contests relating to brewed adult beverages.

Grand Rapids was named "Best Beer City."

"Winner of two past Best Beer Scene titles, Michigan's second-largest city sports the state's strongest beer scene, thanks largely to the presence of the world-renowned Founders Brewing Co.," the USA Today announcement said. "Not to be outdone, there are several other brewing operations around town, most notably the Belgian-inspired Brewery Vivant.

"The city's official 'Beer City Ale Trail' lists more than 80 breweries in the surrounding area, and the local calendar is constantly filled with beer festivals, events and promotions. Throw in exceptional beer stores such as Siciliano's Market, and it's easy to see why Grand Rapids proudly stakes its claim as 'Beer City USA.'"

A complete list of the winners in the recent USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards for 2021 contests is available at http://www.10best.com/.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

April 01, 2021 at 07:37PM
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Portsmouth named third best 'Small Town for Craft Beer' - The Union Leader

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Black Abbey Announces Innovative New Meat-Based Beer - Nashville Scene

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Innovation in the beer biz has certainly accelerated over the past few years, with breweries scrambling to come up with new styles to differentiate themselves from the pack. Hazy IPAs, peanut butter stouts, pastry beers — they’re all new types of beer to tickle your palate, but they wouldn’t necessarily pass muster under the strict German Reinheitsgebot purity regulations.

Never ones to let anyone tell them what to do, and never afraid of a good joke, the wacky brewmasters at Black Abbey Brewing Co. have announced that they’re taking this trend over the cliff with their latest creation, Meatloaf IPA. We’ll just let Black Abbey co-founder Carl Meier tell the story from here:

This limited release beer, only available on draft at Black Abbey Brewing Company, is brewed using tradition barley, hops, yeast and water but also uses locally-sourced beef. 

“Black Abbey Brewing is known for brewing traditional styles and doing them well.” Stated brewery co founder Carl Meier. “The Rose, our Belgian-style blonde ale is a classic take on a traditional European  style. This does not mean that we aren’t innovative, however.” 

Black Abbey’s new release, called Meatloaf IPA, is brewed using Waygu beef, raised in Hartsville  Tennessee. “Combining beef, onion, ketchup and even a little mashed potato into the mash and the  glass really got our brewers excited.” Meier continued. “Brewday was a little messier than usual, but the  finished product is something completely unique and different.” 

“Craft beer can be very trend-focused. We have seen breweries here in town and around the country  brew with hop haze, fruit, cereal, pastries, peanut butter, even pumpkin! We thought ‘gosh, we’re  creative. We’re fun. We have good ideas, why not give brewing with meat a try?!” Meier continued. 

Meatloaf IPA will be available only at Black Abbey Brewing Company’s taproom, called Fellowship Hall,  only on Thursday April 1, starting at 2pm and only on draft. No cans or bottles will be available at this  time. This is a very limited release beer, so be prompt. It will be gone quickly. 

“Meatloaf IPA is a new and innovative style.” Meier opined. “We are really pushing the envelope with  this one. It’s brewed with malt, hops and meat and just like Meatloaf sang in 1977; ‘Two out of three  ain’t bad!”

Yeah, you might want to check your calendar for that release date before you hop on down to their Fellowship Hall taproom to sample this abomination. Better yet, watch their official announcement video to be entertained without actually thinking of consuming anything like this!

April 01, 2021 at 08:30PM
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NC’s craft beer scene has a diversity problem. Scholarship initiative aims to help. - Raleigh News & Observer

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]NC’s craft beer scene has a diversity problem. Scholarship initiative aims to help.  Raleigh News & Observer


April 01, 2021 at 07:00PM
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NC’s craft beer scene has a diversity problem. Scholarship initiative aims to help. - Raleigh News & Observer

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Beer distributors say public events are roaring back - Beaumont Enterprise

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Public health officials are still cautious as vaccinations continue to expand, but beer distributors are betting on a busy year of public gatherings based on their growing schedules.

Regional beer distributors like Del Papa Distributing and Giglio Distributing are ramping up for the apparent comeback of festival season in Southeast Texas and across their markets after adapting to a year of virtual events and canceled celebrations.

But, although brand representatives seem primed to greet festivalgoers as soon as April, most distributors were worried they were in for another grim year just a few weeks ago.

Jeff Wheeler, director of marketing with Del Papa, said his team was starting to wonder if they were going to have to go back to the drawing board again this year after multiple Mardi Gras celebrations and the South Texas State Fair were canceled or postponed at the beginning of the year.

“We were starting to think, ‘Well, here we go again,’” he said. “I think we adapted well last year and we still had plenty of chances to try new things with virtual events, but it’s hard to beat actually getting the product in someone’s hand.”

Del Papa sponsored or partnered with organizations across the region for 47 events in 2019, providing drinks for thirsty festivalgoers and introducing the newest products coming to their markets.

Following the news of gradually decreasing new cases and reduced restrictions in Texas, Wheeler said organizers started signing on in droves, growing this year’s list to 43 events.

Big draws like the South Texas State Fair have even been rescheduled, moving to May 20-30.

Giglio is also gearing up for the long-awaited marketing season, which could begin as soon as April with the coming Neches River Festival in Beaumont and the Port Neches RiverFest.

Billy Beaver, director of brand development with Giglio, said it appeared organizers had already been preplanning while waiting for a sign to proceed, which seemed to come when Gov. Greg Abbott rolled back certain restrictions at the beginning of March.

“The calls started pouring in, and we are getting new ones every day,” Beaver said. “We are still optimistic based on the current COVID cases and the fact that many of our events are outside.”

So far, Giglio is planning on being at several local events this year, including the RiverFest, the Mauriceville Crawfish Festival and the Texas Rice Festival in Winnie.

One of the local festivals on Del Papa’s list of sponsored events, Beaumont’s Neches River Festival, is just around the corner thanks to months of planning and flexibility.

Last year, the pandemic reduced the weeklong event celebrating the city’s heritage to just a small coronation of the river queen and king.

Shanna Briggs, publicity chair with the festival, said the planning committee got to work soon after, creating contingencies and backups depending on what the festival faced next year, but the typical in-person festival didn’t seem possible until the beginning of March.

“We decided to follow the lead of the city (of Beaumont) whenever they made the decision to start opening some of the downtown facilities to people,” Briggs said.

Just a month before, organizers canceled a scheduled 5K run that was supposed to be in conjunction with Mardi Gras Southeast Texas and raise funds for the River Festival.

Now, Briggs said vendor and event participation has seemingly taken off as the festival’s April 7 launch approaches, and organizers are ready to host the annual river day for high school kids, along with a street party and coronation ball.

While distributors missed key opportunities like festivals to boost the visibility of new products in 2020, brewers still saw plenty of sales during the pandemic.

Gross revenues in the national spirits market grew by 7.7% in 2020, according to the Distilled Spirits Council, setting the largest increase on record.

Beer saw about 44% of those increased sales, despite dealing with issues including grain delays and aluminum can shortages because of the spike in demand for canned drinks.

Some of those hurdles are still impacting certain brands and varieties. For example, Wheeler said it would be rare to see an 18-pack of cans and certain package styles for imported beers while the aluminum issue is still being addressed by manufacturers.

Neither distributor expects any of the problems created by the pandemic to prevent local eventgoers from enjoying their favorite cold ones —at least in the near future.

“I would say Southeast Texas, for the most part, has been pretty steady with the demand at bars and restaurants, which are the same product types we would be using at festivals,” Beaver said. “The issues might come when the rest of the country that hasn’t been as open comes back online and starts ordering stuff they haven’t been in the last year.”

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April 01, 2021 at 10:44PM
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Beer distributors say public events are roaring back - Beaumont Enterprise

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