On Saturday, August 18, 2007 the Clark County Food And Wine Association learned how to blend wines at Urban Wineworks, located in the Pearl District in Portland.

On arrival at the location, we walked into what looked like a normal wine tasting facility, with barrels along the walls. We were shown to a small side room, given a glass of wine and presented with crackers and an array of cheeses.

There was a long table, set with a wine glass, beakers, a large syringe and a carafe for each person. Our instructor, Claudia, who is actually a sommelier, gave us wines to blend. They included a 2005 Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tempranillo from various wineries. We initially followed her blending recipes and then tried out our own. It was amazing how many different blends our members came up with as the "best"! Our carafes were then filled with our blend and sealed for us to take home. when the class was over, a number of us retired to a local Mexican restaurant that Claudia recommended. Its name is DF (which is pronounced better in Spanish 'Dee Efe') and served excellent food.

Those of you who liked Urban WineWorks event, there is an event that they are sponsoring through their Wine club:

Fall Vineyard Trip: September 22, 2007 at 10:00 a.m.
Meet Winemaker Marcus Goodfellow and Vineyard manager Jeremy Saville for a private tour of their Yamhill County vineyard. You must sign up for the Bishop Creek Wine Club to be able to participate in this wine tasting tour. Please contact Kris at 503/226-9797 or email kris@urbanwineworks.com

Visit Urban WineWorks on the web today!