Layne’s Wine Gig Presents
GEN-PORTLAND
By Layne V. Witherell
No, this isn’t about Gen X or Gen Z, but it is about gentrification. The tourists and snowbirds are finally flying the coop, and the season is relatively short. So, it is the right time for me to explore some trends and practices in this little city that we love. As we become more famous, the “gouge factor” has set in. We see it every time we go out to eat.
Recently restaurants seem to have been granted a license to steal when it comes to wine pricing. Surprising, since there are good wholesale values out there in wine’s era of declining overall sales. Do this little test: is that wine by the glass that you just ordered four, five, or six ounces? There is a lot of inconsistency out there, and it comes right out of your pocket.
Two of the most popular restaurant wines serve as “gouge worthy” examples in my opinion. Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve Chardonnay, wholesales at $12.31 a bottle. So, at $12 for a four-ounce glass (six glasses per bottle) you are getting screwed. Likewise, Cakebread Napa Chardonnay wholesales at $33.85 a bottle. At $120.00 a bottle on a wine list – your credit card should catch fire.
The Burgundy/Beaujolais Switcheroo
One of my least favorite wine moments is the one I describe as the “switcheroo.” There are two famous regions in southern France: Burgundy and Beaujolais. Burgundy has well known provenance, is grown in limestone rich soil, and is made from the notoriously finnicky Pinot Noir grape. It is prohibitively expensive. Beaujolais on the other hand is just to the south and made with Gamay, a more productive, fruitier, more friendly grape grown on granite. I have noticed a tendency lately to list high-quality Beaujolais as Burgundy. What’s the big whoop? About $50+ per bottle worth of big whoop that just got charged to your bill.
Fleurie, Cru Beaujolais, $12 (available at Trader Joe’s, 87 Marginal Way, Portland).
Run, don’t walk for this one. There are ten “cru” or named vineyards in the region. This is the softest and most floral of them all. Cru Beaujolais usually run upwards of $30 a bottle. When listed as Burgundy on a wine list or at an event, they can set you back upwards of $75. Best with salmon.
Ch. De. La Chaize Brouilly “Cru” Estate Bottled Beaujolais, $25-$30 (readily available locally).
It has a core of Gamay on granite. Pair it with grilled lamb.
Wines Worth Chasing
The season is short. I get it. But we locals are still around and we eat and drink. I chase all wines including those featured in wine dinners, on wine lists, and in stores. Sometimes, there are wines listed that I chase for years. These are the pick of the crop.
Roots Wine Co. “Klee” Pinot Noir, Oregon (enjoyed at Bread and Olive, 935 Congress St., Portland).
This is an absolute classic expression of pre-pandemic, non-tourist selection and pricing. Klee (named after the famous Swiss artist Paul Klee) was presented as a Wine Wednesday taste and sold by the glass at $12 for a 6oz. pour and $30 by the bottle. Wholesale cost is $15.00 a bottle. This is “wine sanity” in its purest form.
It has all the “Oregon” bells and whistles: vegan, indigenous yeasts, unrefined, organic… yadda, yadda. It even has on their website the usual set of illuminating (?) tasting terms like strawberry leather, stewed plums, and rose oil. Did you catch all that?
I find it to be just downright delicious even with that description of rose oil. You can find it at retail in the low twenties per bottle. That is a whole lot of strawberry leather for the money. Congrats to Bread and Olive for turning us on to lightly grilled tuna’s best friend. Wine Wednesday is every first Wednesday until the tourists descend again.
Ant Hill Farms (purchased at RSVP, 887 Forest Ave., Portland).
Grapes are farmed in the Anderson Valley and Sonoma Coast regions. This didn’t last long.
Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, 2023 (reg. $37.99, sale $14.99).
Silky smooth Pinot Noir. Lovely from the start to the finish. Pair with mortadella.
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, 2023 (reg. $37.99 sale $15.99).
Lean game bird style Pinot with a hint of funk. Treatments of chicken breast.
Campbell Ranch Sonoma Coast, 2023 (reg $54.99 sale $21.99).
We have had several bottles. It’s like a funky artisan cheese. “From a planet with nitrogen-based forms,” says Pete Wells of N.Y. Times (writing about cider, but it applies to this totally idiosyncratic wine). Only a 200-case production from a mere 14-acre vineyard. You decant it for two hours and gaze at more sediment in the bottle than you have ever seen! This wine is a marvelous experience. Reminiscent of foraged mushrooms.
Dig around a bit in our glorious neighborhood (now that we have it back). You will be rewarded.
