Cheers to the Portland Trail Blazers With Limited Edition Wines

Some very cool labels on these two very cool wines by Adelsheim Vineyard.
Some very cool labels on these two very cool wines by Adelsheim Vineyard.

OK, Warriors fans, don’t hate me for writing about the Portland Trail Blazers.

After all, it’s really two special wines that I’m concentrating on here. And admittedly, I am partial to Oregon pinot noirs, which one of these is.

To celebrate the monumental 50th anniversary of the Portland basketball team, Adelsheim Vineyard, the first winery founded in the Chehalem Mountains in the Willamette Valley, has come out with two limited-edition commemorative wines: a pinot noir ($50) and a chardonnay ($50), both 2017 vintages.

Both come bearing some pretty snazzy labels, too. Black with gold etching, they depict iconic illustrations of the Portland Coliseum, Moda Center, and jersey designs.

My kind of pinot.
My kind of pinot.

It’s thought to be the first NBA wine collaboration of its kind. (Warriors, what’s up with that?) And 10 percent of sales of these wines will be donated to the Trail Blazers Foundation.

I had a chance to try samples. The chardonnay, aged 5 months in stainless steel and 12 months in French oak, is thankfully no butter bomb, but a lovely white with smooth body and subtle acidity, a floral fragrance, and loads of honeysuckle and peach notes.

The pinot noir is plenty earthy as I like it, with a big hit of cherry and cocoa, along with a silky body.

These are lovely wines to enjoy, no matter what team you root for.

Both wines will be released to the public on Sept. 24, and available for sale on the Adelsheim site.

Winner of the Food Gal Contest

In last week’s Food Gal contest, I asked you why you most wanted to win a copy of my brand-new cookbook, “East Bay Cooks: Signature Recipes from the Best Restaurants, Bars, and Bakeries” (Figure 1). The best answer wins a personally signed copy.

Congrats to:

Joanna, who wrote, ” I attended college in the East Bay but never had a chance to really explore restaurants in the area due to living on a college student budget. Now that I’ve graduated and have become more interested in home cooking, it would be great to check out some of these recipes.”

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