Corks and Caftans

This was a day of firsts. I sat in the back of Michael’s car—4 of us heading toward the coast with no less than 5 Apple devices and 3 DSLR cameras ready to capture and communicate the day—when it occurred to me that I’ve never looked out over the Pacific Ocean. San Francisco Bay doesn’t [...]

The 2008 Beaux Frères, The Beaux Frères Vineyard Pinot Noir—a gift from a good friend who trudged to VT for my birthday a couple weekends ago. He told me I didn’t have to open it until I was ready; no expectations beyond seeing it tucked away in wine fridge. But there was a problem: this was [...]

Gypsy Dancer first caught my eye when a glut of bottles, the A & G Estates Pinot Noir and the Cuvée Romy Pinot Noir, appeared on WineBid.com. They sat for months, getting chipped away at, before I plucked a bottle for myself. It wasn’t until it got home did I realize what that atypical quantity available for [...]

Riedel didn’t seek the help of California Pinot Noir vintners when this outstanding glass was produced a number of years ago; in fact, it was the Oregonian vintners that curried favor. The result was this monolithic glass—in every tasting room we had the privilege of entering on our trip last year. A monster bowl for [...]

Beep, bop, bop! Translates to —> Words fail me! We are so psyched the lovely Katherine Cole chose to mention Corks + Caftans in The Oregonian’s FOODDay article ‘What we like to read, watch click’! Corks + Caftans: This blog is the online wine-and-fashion musings of a cute young couple in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Confession: [...]

  I let go of my membership to the Justin Wine Society about 6 months ago. Another one of my remaining 3 is on the chopping block. Lean times. Vista Hills, however, is not going anywhere—ironically, there is no doubt that had they not contacted us a day prior to our visit to Oregon and [...]

*Disclaimer: I received this wine as part of a sample from Willamette Valley Vineyards* After Carey and I returned to the east coast from our trip to the Willamette Valley last March, we truly had a lot to reflect on. It wasn’t just a visit; we’d felt taken in. Every vineyard and winery we visited, big or [...]

Vineyard dogs and cats were the true masters of grape in Napa Valley. Their ambassadorial roles are witnessed by the thousands of visitors each year and even the subject of coffee table books—multiple coffee table books. Carey embraced the vineyard dog scene thoroughly. We threw sticks and soggy tennis balls, scratched little chins, looked under [...]

After attending the reading at Lange Vineyards, we drove back down from the Dundee Hills and got to squeeze in a few more hours with new friends. Farm to Fork in Dundee, OR is an outstanding restaurant with a killer wine list and sweet, sweet escargot—boogers of the gods, I say.

The impetus for our trip to Oregon probably isn’t what you think. When was the last time you traveled across the country for a book reading? Because that is exactly what we did. Of course we incorporated other activities, but had our friends at Lange not told us about the reading, the trip wouldn’t have [...]

While winding through Carlton and Dundee on the first afternoon of our arrival, the degree to which I underestimated the geographical scope of the northern Oregon wine industry became frustratingly apparent. Being guided by nothing in particular, just a Willamette Valley tasting room map dotted with an incredible number of dots on Carey’s lap, I [...]

Oregon officially became one of my favorite states this weekend: √ Sunshine √ Gorgeous, fluffy vineyard cat √ A bathtub in the grass √ Wine -Carey << Next Post Previous Post >>