Sokol Blosser Wine Blog

Sara Daigler here, representing the East Coast headquarters. A month in to my new position (East Coast Regional Brand Ambassador) and Matt and I decided to host our first Sokol Blosser open house. We served three different pizzas on the grill (a trick I learned from my friend Scott N.) and enjoyed Sokol Blosser Evolution and Meditrina. The wines and food received rave reviews - all of our guests were first timers. One of our friend's guests, Greg Roderick (a local bar owner), already purchased the wines from our local distributor this week.

We have another Evolution fan in the house, his name is Vegas. He is currently looking for work and would like to know what our sample policy is.

Posted by Sara Daigler, Regional Brand Ambassador at 09:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who's out there enjoying Sokol Blosser? Grandpa (91) & Grandma (89) Nagle were chillin' on the deck this afternoon and Grandma suggested we take a pic and send it off to her favorite Grandson in Oregon. We had some Evolution & some 2005 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir and Grandma insisted on firing up a good cigar in your honor.

Cheers to the Nagles!

Posted by Scott Nagle, Brand Ambassador at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past week we Sokol Blosser sales guys, Jeff Knapp (Cellar Club Manager) and Lee Medina (Regional Brand Manager), kayaked a portion of the Nehalem river in Oregon’s coastal range. A sunny day spent riding the rapids, reeling in trout and enjoying some of the first rays of sun that Oregon has been kind enough to deliver. After a long day of paddling and fishing we wound up back at camp where we treated ourselves to a cold bottle of Sokol Blosser's Evolution, 12th Edition. I do not think it ever tasted as good as it did in these photos!

Posted by Jeff Knapp, Cellar Club Manager at 09:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Nagle family loves to grill, smoke, roast and cook anything outside over an open flame. Grilling is not a summer thing with the Nagles who in past winters, in NJ and PA, have needed to shovel as much as 18” of snow from around their grill just to cook dinner. Now living in wine country in Oregon, grilling through the rainy winters seems very manageable. It is June in the Willamette Valley and we are in prime grilling season. The much needed sun is out, the patio is ready for friends, so let the serious grilling begin!

Over the last 15 years the Nagles have used everything from the classic Weber Kettle to the fancy three burner rotisserie, stainless steel, gas grill. But it is our Big Green Egg that makes us dance around like proud mother hens! The Big Green Egg is like a ceramic Weber Kettle grill. It burns lump charcoal and can smoke and slow roast at 185 degrees or flash sear a steak at 800 degrees plus. We love the Big Green Egg so much that we added a second Egg when we moved to Oregon. What a wonderful luxury to have! We decided to name the eggs so we knew which one to refer to in conversation. My wife bought the first one for me as a birthday present. She bought it in Medford, NJ from Ed at Stove Works, so we call it “Medford”. Our second Egg we affectionately called “Mac”, because we bought that one in McMinnville from Ray at McMinnville Hearth and BBQ. A boy and his Big Green Eggs.

My wife and I saw a TV program about a guy in NYC who photographed everything he ate for a year. Kitri at the winery, is always looking for Blog entries. So my wife and I thought that we would spend the summer grilling on our Big Green Eggs, enjoy Sokol Blosser Wines and share our experiences with you. I can see Kitri smiling and stamping her feet as she reads this. More Blogs! Just to make sure this is a good idea I ran the ideas by some grilling buddies back East. They thought it was a good idea, but they were not totally happy. Their complaint? They can’t get Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir.

You see, we have been sold out of our Pinot Noir in most of the US since November and the 2006 Dundee Hills Pinot Noir will not be released until September. Not enough Pinot! So, even though there is Pinot Noir available for sale at the winery from 2005, 2004, 2003, the benchmark 2002, elegant 2001 and delicious Pinot nectar from 1998; my wife and I decided to avoid the nasty e-mails from friends back East. You know the ones that would read something like this, “…enjoy that alder smoked side of Chinook salmon that I can not get in NJ, with that Sokol Blosser Pinot that I can’t get either. Thanks Scott you @^*&$(# !”. So, for the most part we will be grilling and drinking Evolution and Meditrina! If we sneak an older bottle of Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir in every once and a while could you blame us? “Hey Jersey & PA Boys, Deal with it!”

So for our first entry, Our 9 Year Anniversary Dinner.

Toast with Argyle Blanc de Blanc 2000.

First Course
Food: Evolution Spice corn, with fire roasted red peppers and caramelized onions. Topped with Alder smoked sea scallops, cilantro and a sweet corn cream drizzle.
Grill: “MAC” Red Peppers roasted 650 degrees till blackened; Scallops smoked 6 minutes 300 degrees.
Wine: Evolution 12th Edition.

Second Course
Food: Baby Italian greens with fresh raspberries, pistachio and brie topped with a shallot and raspberry vinaigrette.
Wine: Sokol Blosser Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2001.

Main Course
Food: Egg Roasted Prime Rib with Rosemary, onion and carrots in a Meditrina a jus. All served with herbed baby, Yukon, gold potatoes and sautéed broccolini.
Grill: “Medford” Seared Prime Rib 425 degrees, Roasted at 325 degrees for 1hr 25 minutes.
Wine: Meditrina IV. Meditrina with a big hunk of meat, on the grill, always works!

Dessert
Food: Joseph Meuchel’s Homemade Cheese Cake. More please! Delicious.

It was an evening of good food, wine, friends and laughs. Thanks to the Meuchel’s for making it extra special! Thanks to my wife for putting up with me for 9 years! What a saint!

Stay tuned for more Grilling Adventures with the Nagle’s; the Big Green Eggs: Medford & Mac and Evolution & Meditrina that wash down all the tasty goodness!

Posted by Scott Nagle, National Brand Manager at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Are you a Live Wire fan? Susan Sokol Blosser, founder of Sokol Blosser Winery, will be featured on the Live Wire show which will be taped this Saturday, June 21 and will air July 5 at 7 pm.

Live Wire is a one-hour radio show recorded in front of a live audience at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland, Oregon and broadcast on Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Live Wire features music, scintillating conversations, sketch comedy and performances from the famous and fascinating to the unknown and unabashed.

Susan will be speaking about her new book, Gracious & Ruthless, as well as the Oregon wine industry - and there might even be a few surprises. You can listen to the show live or podcast it. To learn more, visit livewireradio.org.

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 01:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sunday was arguably the nicest weather that Sokol Blosser has seen so far this year. The stage was set for a perfect Father’s Day. Fifteen Club members joined us for a complete tour of the vineyard, winery and cellar concluding with a tasting of our 2001 through 2005 vintages of Pinot noir. Once we were certain that the weather would hold, we set up tables on our crush pad over looking the Dundee Hills. We soaked up the June sun and discussed the nuances of that beloved grape. (We were having such a great time, I forgot to take any photos!) Thanks to all that attended!

Our next event will be our summer Grape & Grill BBQ on July 19th. You don’t want to miss the live music, BBQ plates and refreshing Sokol Blosser wines.

See you then (with a camera),

Jeff

Posted by Jeff Knapp, Cellar Club Manager at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Where in the World are Evolution and Meditrina and What are they Enjoying?

The love of Sokol Blosser wines is infectious! Evolution and Meditrina can now be enjoyed on 3 of the 7 continents and the number of people that try our beloved blends is surely growing. We love receiving all the passionate calls and e-mails about our wines. So, on my recent trip to London I come up with a challenge for all those Evolution and Meditrina lovers out there.

Sokol Blosser wants you to e-mail a picture of you, Evolution and/or Meditrina from a special place that you recently enjoyed a bottle. It could be a far away destination, a beautiful vista from your last camping or fishing trip or a special moment that will always be memorable to you. E-mail the picture to info@sokolblosser.com with a short explanation about the place, why it was special to you and why Evolution and/or Meditrina were a part of it. Look for your pictures to be posted right here on the Sokol Blosser blog. For those uniquely creative pictures, look for something a little special from the Sokol Blosser family for your efforts!

Why don’t I get the ball rolling? Evolution and Meditrina have taken up residence in London. During my last trip to the UK I was able to enjoy some fabulous food and I was presently surprised to see Evolution as a proud feature on Roast’s wine list. Roast is a wonderful restaurant in the Burroughs’s Market area of London and is known for their fire roasted meats. Thanks to the staff of Roast for a wonderful evening and supporting our beloved Evolution! Special thanks to the table of insurance brokers from Norway, London, Mexico City and Houston that allowed me to share my bottle of Evolution with them. There is nothing like having a Texan in London announcing to the restaurant, “Evolution! That wine I take out on my boat, I love it!” The world is truly getting smaller.

This picture is Evolution and Meditrina at London’s Tower Bridge:

The challenge has been thrown down. Let’s see what you Evolution and Meditrina lovers come up with!

Posted by Scott Nagle, National Brand Manager at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently I got to visit with Jane Tyroller and Joe Murdock, a lovely couple who happen to be Cellar Club members here at Sokol Blosser. I had not seen them since I went on maternity leave, so I really enjoyed getting to chat with them and play a little catch up. They had also brought their friend Ron. I instantly felt like Ron was a part of the family, as I do with Jane & Joe. Ron loves nature as much as they do, and they all started talking about all of the wonderful animals that they have around the place where they live. They spoke of bears, and had names for their most frequent visitors, (which I thought was great). They talked about the deer and the new little ones that that they had spotted this year, as well as the menagerie of birds that have called their place home.

Jane started talking about a gold finch feeder that Ron had made them out of one of our White Riesling Ice Wine bottles. I guess that yellow finches are attracted to the color yellow, so the golden label was the perfect thing for a feeder. What a wonderful way to recycle! I begged them to send me pictures that I could share, and a few days later got an email from Jane. She sent me the pictures I had asked for and also included some pictures of her wildlife friends. It was a great visit. I can’t wait to see them again and hear all the news on them and their wild buddies.

Posted by Brooke Anthony, Sales Coordinator at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A panel wine and industry experts selected the best organic/biodynamic wines that were shown at this years London Wine Fair and Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir was at the Top! Good to the Earth and great in the glass. Thank you to the panel for recognizing our love, commitment and passion!

Sokol Blosser has been in the UK market for two years now. With the help of our UK distributor, Les Caves de Pyrene (www.lescaves.co.uk), I am proud to say that this market is becoming more familiar with the best that the US wine market has to offer. US wines seem to have a very small (very small) portion of the market and the wines that our currently on the shelves in London, let’s just say, may not be the best representation of what the US is capable of.

I spent three days eating around the London metro area and exhibiting at the London Wine Fair with 11 producers from Oregon and 11 producers from Washington, in a Northwest Pavilion. I am proud to say that Oregon Pinot Noir has a worldwide reputation. Winemakers from Sicily, Chile, New Zealand, Turkey, and even Burgundy stopped by to try our wines. Students and professionals studying to take their Master of Wines test come by to try a well. Most commented that they need to drink more Oregon Pinot Noir because during their studies an Oregon Pinot Noir is always near the top of their blind tastings and is always talked about during discussions of Pinot Noir.

For all the UK residents that have gotten a taste of Oregon Pinot Noir and the fun blends from Sokol Blosser, more is on the way. Give a quick call (01483 538820) to Eric, Doug or Amy at Les Caves and we will keep you connected to all that is special about the wines of Oregon! Cheers!

Posted by Scott Nagle, National Brand Manager at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... something really bright!! Finally! After the last few months having only a handful of partly-sunny days, we are finally seeing some sun on the vines here at Sokol Blosser. We need it - although our Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vines are developing nicely, they are about 2-3 weeks behind the normal rate. We are expecting bloom in the vineyards at the end of June!

Now is a great time to visit our Tasting Room! Bring a friend and a picnic, enjoy a glass of wine and savor the views on our deck or picnic areas. We hope to see you soon.

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are excited to announce a partnership between EcoShuttle and Sokol Blosser Winery!

EcoShuttle is a new transportation company that offers environmentally friendly transportation for a new travel industry. By utilizing 100% biodiesel, a non-toxic, biodegradeable, carbon-friendly fuel to power our vehicles, customers can truly enjoy trips guilt-free, providing the best combination of luxury and sustainability.

Be sure to visit the EcoShuttle website to learn more!

Posted by Kitri McGuire, Marketing Communications Manager at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)