Sokol Blosser Wine Blog

As you may know, Sokol Blosser is an active participant in the Prescott Bluebird Recovery Project. The PBRP is a nonprofit group that helps to restore the population of a bird listed “sensitive” by the State of Oregon. Here at the winery we have a number of successful boxes and nests that are providing shelters that mimic the natural cavities preferred by the bluebirds. Our founder Susan Sokol Blosser and our winemaker Russ Rosner, have been actively feeding and monitoring these boxes with much success.

Within the last twelve days we have welcomed 12 new baby birds with at least that many more yet to poke their little beaks through their eggs in the upcoming weeks.

Just yesterday, Nancy Fraser with the PBRP and Russ were out banding the newly hatched birds and trapping and monitoring the adult birds. This allows us to track them through their life cycles. (I was excited to learn that the eggs in box that I was working with were laid by a bird that was born in 2004 on Parrett Mountain, near Newberg and made it’s journey all the way to our winery!)

If you would love to see these beautiful, radiant birds up close and personal, June will be a perfect time to make your way out to the winery to catch a glimpse. The vines are awake, the bugs are amassing and the baby bluebirds are getting ready to make their first flight.

Posted by Jeff Knapp, Cellar Club Manager at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What a great Memorial Day Weekend, and what a fun event! Thanks to everyone who visited our 18th Annual Memorial Weekend Summer Kickoff. Cheers!

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 09:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Signs that summer is just around the corner...

1. The sky is a lighter shade of grey.
2. The rain feels warmer.
3. Sokol Blosser's Annual Memorial Weekend Summer Tasting Party.

You’re invited! We're kicking off summer at our 18th Annual Memorial Weekend Summer Kickoff May 24-26 from 10am-4pm each day. Come taste newly released estate wines, enjoy a delicious picnic lunch from Phresh Organic Catering (at additional cost), and groove to the sounds of the Bobby Torres Band. Come rain or shine, because we'll be under the Big Tent! Don't forget the 20% case discounts.

$15 tasting fee includes tastes of our current releases. Cellar Club members get in free and can bring three guests.

We'll see you here!

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 02:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From early on I can remember sitting at the kitchen table around Christmas time cracking Dungeness crab with my grandfather. It is one of my earliest food memories. It’s moments like this that are definitive in the molding of a food lover, the instant you realize that food is more than sustenance. It marks the beginning of a long journey in which history, culture and friendships are discovered and celebrated. Every trip is looked at from a different perspective through the eyes of a “foodie.” A business trip is an opportunity to visit someplace new and discover its culinary secrets. It’s no wonder that I work in the Oregon wine business and take great pleasure in the yearly “task” of visiting the Napa Valley to spend a few days with our Southern Counterparts. The Valley boasts one of the highest concentrations of Michelin star restaurants in the United States and I recently found two wonderful experiences ranging from Napa’s approach to fast food to a remarkable slice of France in the heart of the valley.

Taylors Automatic Refresher takes all that was good about fast food in the 50’s and brings it into the modern era. When I was told that we were going to a burger joint for the evening I have to admit that I was les s than impressed with the concept. Not to diss the burger! I would consider myself to be one of its biggest fans but when I am in a food destination such as this the last thing I think to search out is a hamburger. The sleek-modern spin on eat and go dinning is a highlight of the Oxbow Public Market (a destination in itself). Alison Sokol Blosser and I arrive and begin to look over the menu and wine list (yes, wine list) while we are waiting for Alison’s cousin. How about a Western Bacon Blue Ring burger and a $300 bottle of Joseph Phelps Insignia - only in Napa! That being said, when Laurel arrived with a bottle of Hess Sauvignon Blanc ($1 corkage) I quickly sought out the fresh Mahi Mahi Fish and Chips. Sitting in the sun enjoying a leisurely fast food dinner with a bottle of wine and good company I caught a glimpse of what the future of this industry could look like. Just because it comes to you quickly does not mean that it has to have a two story purple play structure attached to it and clown serving you something that is by definition wholly unnatural. A rib sandwich with no bones, does anyone see the problem here? As we left Taylor’s the coup de grace for me was the beautifully organized array of recycling containers for all of their biodegradable utensils and cartons!

The following evening, after spending several hours at what is now my favorite California tasting room, Robert Sinsky Vineyards, we adjourned to Bistro Jeanty for a Francophiles reprieve in the heart of California. Opened in 1998 by Phillipe Jeanty, a native of Champagne and 20 year veteran of Chandon Restaurant in Yountville this classic French Bistro gave me a food experience never to be forgotten. On a busy Friday night there was only room for myself and my two dinner companions at the bar and the man behind the counter made it the best seat in the house. We started with rabbit terrine, mussels steamed in red wine and a goat cheese and caramelized onion tart that we enjoyed with a glass of rare pastis. This French liqueur is consumed slightly diluted with water and makes for a great beginning to any meal. Warming up the insides with its strong anise flavor our starters felt all the more indulgent. Mussels and the slightly sweet licorice aperitif are one of my favorite food and drink pairings that I first experienced when I lived in Scotland 8 years ago. My friend Adam brought a bottle of 1977 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon and what better to accompany it than “Entrecotes Frites”, grilled rib-eye with fries and béarnaise sauce, another pairing I’ll not soon forget. This 30 year old gem first began its life when Jimmy Carter took office, Fleetwood Mac won a Grammy for Rumors and Star Wars was released in the theaters. I was not the culinary indulgent that I am today, I was three. It is a simple yet humbling experience, sitting at a bar with good friends drinking a bottle of wine and eating simple bistro food but, it is much more than that still. Its 30 years of history in a glass, it’s the craft of a true artisan on a plate and it’s a memory that will last forever. Thanks to Laurel, Adam and Bistro Jeanty!

Posted by Michael Brown, Direct Sales Manager at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ready to kick off Summer, or just looking for a way to celebrate the great Oregon weather we've been enjoying? Join us for our pre-Memorial Weekend Celebration, this Saturday and Sunday from 10am-4pm each day. We'll have full flights of our wines including our limited production 2005 Estate Pinot Noir, nibbles of artisan cheeses and our own gourmet food products, and all the fun you've come to expect from the Sokol Blosser staff.

Bring a picnic to enjoy on our lawn, or sip a glass of Sokol Blosser wine and enjoy the views on our shaded deck. And be sure not to miss our 20% case discounts!

We'll see you there!

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Wednesday, Sokol Blosser held a Cellar Club event at Olea Restaurant in Portland’s Pearl District. The event was an opportunity to say, “Thank you”, to all of our local members. The night was a huge success, much in part to the overwhelming turn out of our Cellar Club members! This reinforced what a wonderfully diverse and loyal group of people we are lucky enough to have in our Club. I had the opportunity to connect with a few familiar faces and meet quite a few new ones. We poured our Meditrina, IV and Evolution, 12th Edition while guests dined on delectable bites created by Olea’s talented chefs.

Having only been Cellar Club Manager for a little over a month, I am very excited not only for the upcoming events at the winery, but the ones we will be bringing to the club members themselves!

We would like to thank Richard Glass and the entire staff at Olea restaurant and especially all of you who attended. If the quality of people from this event are any indication of the rest of our Club, I am in for a great experience.

Hopefully see you soon at the winery,

Jeff

Posted by Jeff Knapp, Cellar Club Manager at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dario Blosser Spoljaric was born at 7:16 last night. He just couldn't wait any longer to see the real world. He's doing great (so am I). Even though he was 4.5 wks early, he was still a healthy weight of 6lb 1oz. We go home tomorrow. He looks forward to meeting all of you very soon.

Alison Sokol Blosser Spoljaric

Posted by Alison Sokol Blosser at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Sokol Blosser team is always looking for ways to be involved in our community. In April, we embarked on our most ambitious goal yet!

Spurred on by a team member who has a family member affected by Cystic Fibrosis (CF), an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system, seven men at Sokol Blosser volunteered to shave their heads if they were one of the top 3 donation earners in the group.

The whole Sokol Blosser staff, including friends and family, donated time and funds generously towards the contest, putting donated funds towards the candidate they most wanted to see with their head shaved. In the end, Sokol Blosser raised over $900 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a non-profit organizationthat strives to assure the development of the means to cure and control CF and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease.

Thanks to all the staff, family, and friends who participated in this fun event. Cheers - to finding a cure!

BEFORE

Travis McGuire (fiancé of Kitri Culbertson), Scott Palmer (GL Accountant) and Jeff Knapp (Cellar Club Manager) had the most donated funds for CF raised in their names.

AFTER

Check out these handsome clean-headed fellows!

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Budbreak is a very exciting time in the vineyard - it's the beginning of our 2008 vintage! I'll let the beauty speak for itself in the following pictures. Enjoy!

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oregon Wine Pioneer Gains Women for Winesense Award

DUNDEE, OR (May 5, 2008)- When she retired earlier this year, Susan Sokol Blosser vowed she would stay busy - and one of the things she's been busy doing is receiving awards from leading wine organizations.

The latest honor for the Oregon wine pioneer and environmental leader came this past Saturday as Women for Winesense awarded Sokol Blosser its Lifetime Achievement Award at its "Celebrating Women in Wine" event in Napa Valley. In February, the co-founder of the Dundee-based Sokol Blosser Winery received a similar award from the Oregon Wine Board.

"Over the years, the wine industry women in Women for WineSense constituted the equivalent of an 'old girls network,'" Sokol Blosser said. "What an impressive group of talented, hard-working, creative women. We all helped one another and I'm thrilled to be awarded this honor by the women I so respect and admire."

Women for Winesense said Sokol Blosser's "pioneering spirit has helped to create a world-class wine industry in Oregon," and added: "Your dedication to responsible farming makes you a role model for everyone in the wine industry. Your perseverance in writing your book has inspired many readers including women in the wine industry who are trying to attain professional and personal goals concurrently."

Susan Sokol Blosser founded Sokol Blosser Winery in 1971 with her then-husband, Bill Blosser, at a time when the Oregon wine industry was in its infancy. She assumed the role of president of the winery in 1991. Under her stewardship, Sokol Blosser Winery maintained its commitment to making world-class Pinot Noir while developing its popular proprietary blends Evolution and Meditrina. Sokol Blosser and the winery also became internationally recognized as leaders in green business practices, including organic viticulture.

In 2006, Sokol Blosser's memoir, "At Home in the Vineyard" (University of California Press), was published. In a characteristically enthusiastic review of the book, the Seattle Times wrote that "the author, though she tells the story quite modestly, belongs on anyone's top-10 list of women who pioneered their way into the wine industry in the early decades of this country's wine renaissance."

Sokol Blosser retired as Sokol Blosser Winery president in January, but she continues to serve as an ambassador for the winery. Her son Alex and daughter Alison now hold the position as co-presidents.

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Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)