Thanks to all that attended our first concert of the summer (Sat July 11th)! If you missed it we had a couple hundred intrepid souls who ’suffered’ through great music, good wine & unbelievable weather @ Jo-Lilli pond. The night was fabulous with a fun band – Jawbone Flats- who streamed the music live across the world. We had phone calls from North Carolina and the Midwest who listened in to the show. One of them asked us to turn up the music (I am not a techie-but wouldn’t that be easier from your laptop/stereo?). Perhaps that was due to the ‘dead-head’ & ‘little feat’ covers that the band mixed in with original material.
An evening show at the pond, with a sunset, wine & friends is a tough way to spend a summer Saturday night in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. And thanks to all the folks that traveled the 30 minutes out from Portland. We are really sorry there were no sirens, traffic or snooty wine geeks to add to the evening.
Next up for music on the pond is Saturday July 25th with “Colonel Angus & His Privates”. Party Time rock n roll – so a fun time should be had by all. Music is from 6-9 with $5 cover for adults. Limited food (BBQ) & picnic plates, beer & wines by the glass are available. (no outside beverages please). Join us!
And if you have any pictures of the event (my battery went dead) or ideas on how to make the evening better please contact us – info@stjosefswinery.com
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
Oh my gosh… have we been discovered!!?? No- there’s no jam packed interstate or traffic jam in our tasting room. But the folks at Portland monthly magazine have listed us as their favorite sipping spot. (way cool!)
- “Dozens of picturesque wineries dot the Willamette Valley, but for family-owned coziness try St. Josef’s, which has a terra-cotta-colored fountain courtyard and a glittering blue pond. We’ve yet to find a better sipping spot.” —BWB
Over the course of the summer we have been thrilled to have so many people come ito the winery tasting room that have never been here before. And what’s fun is that most of them are from Portland. We have had the great good fortune to have many loyal customers that have recommended us to other folks. And many people are spending the summer exploring the back roads here instead of going down to Napa & Sonoma and spending their hard earned money on California wines instead of local ones.
They’re finding the East Side of the Willamette Valley is uncrowded & unspoiled. Many very small family wineries and lots of vineyards (many like us sell to the other side). There are several great biking routes out this way- we just had a 50 person group out this way and everyone was amazed and the uncrowded country lanes and the off the beaten path feel. For Portland biking & hiking reccommendations there are some good ones in this month’s Portland Magazine. Check out the rest of the current Portland Monthly for great hiking & biking tips for across Oregon & SW WA. The East WIllamette Valley is a great place for a bike ride & wine tasting- lots of scenery , not cars.
Friday, June 19th, 2009
Join us at our Estate Vineyard & Winery- just 30 minutes south of downtown Portland. We have been working on our 3 tiered amphitheatre overlooking the pond at our winery. Richly planted with roses and herbs it also will host some great casual musical events this summer. A prefect place to enjoy a summer evening- sitting on the lawn in the country, good music and a glass or two of award winning wine.
- Sat July 11th- Jawbone Flats plays NW Roots Rock. They call it “Funk with Flannel”.
- Sat July 25th- Colonel Angus & His Privates- Party Time Rock N Roll
- Sat Aug 8th- Parrot Heads of Portland unite! Cheeseburger in Paradise Party with the Schwing Daddies
- Sat Aug 29th- Rust plays 70s & 80s rock. Makes you want to have a mullet again….
All concerts are from 6-9 pm with $5 fee per adult. Wines by the glass & light food are available. Picnics are encouraged- but no outside beverages please.
Come on out & visit!
Friday, May 1st, 2009
Spring has sprung and the first bud break has hit our vineyards. You may know that when the buds come out on the vines that it kicks off the season at a winery. Last year the ‘bud break’ was really late due to a cool spring. What happened is that less fruit developed – but what did develop was much more intense in terms of both flavor and body. We are currently going through secondary fermentation on our Estate Pinot Noir and 2008 is really shaping up. Lots of pepper, spice and vanilla. I was stuck in the cellar for a couple of days tasting the barrels to see how the process was going. (yes- it’s a tough job but somebody has to do it). Unfortunately I couldn’t decide which barrels I liked the most. We are looking forward to having some folks come out & do some tastings with us. Let us know if you have some friends who might like to ‘help’ out.
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
This is the first blog in awhile for our boutique Oregon Winery. We had a completely sold out Valentines’ Winemaker’s dinner. The evening started with appetizers in the barrel room paired with some of our wines. Local Portland OR chef Bronwen paired some lovely tidbits to go with our barrel aged Chardonnay, our Estate Pinot Gris (that’s Grigio for you from out of state) and the award winning steel Chardonnay. Several of the reserve wines were also available including the Kitara Pinot Noir. Always in demand the 2003 vintage is showing extremely well- and since we only make a few hundred cases – the results are always special. The barrel room has recently been renovated with faux murals depicting a wine aging cave several miles long. Napa Valley watch out…. Specially chosen & prepared entrees were served upstairs along with more wine, food & camaraderie.
We will be hosting seasonal winemakers dinners several times during the year. Since we also have a sustainable fresh market farm we have the opportunity to really enjoy the bounty of the Willamette Valley.
Please join us!
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
Welcome to our all new blog and thank you for visiting! Please check back here often to find out about up to date news and events from our winery!