Bells Up Winery: Small Lots Made with Heart

When I was twelve I was asked a life-changing question: “What instrument would you like to play?” I had just enrolled in the summer music program and I clearly said I wanted to play the French Horn.

But through some confusion and what I now see as a coup finagled by my mother and the music teacher—“Oh but a French Horn will be so heavy and awkward to carry around. Perhaps something smaller –maybe the English Horn?" (Which gentle reader I assure you, the English horn is nothing close to the French horn and in fact is a reed instrument- a double reed instrument!!) So in my naivety, I said “Okay, English Horn”. But it turned out the music department did not have any English Horns. And so, through this trickery --I ended up playing the oboe! And nobody in his or her right mind chooses the oboe! Trust me on this.

So what does this have to do with wine you may ask? Well, years later, wine is the balm I use to soothe that memory of never getting to play the French horn. And this brings us to the wonderful world of David and Sara Specter and their winery, Bells Up. David was a French horn player and thus the logo and name are a nod to the symphony life. Anyone who’s ever played in a band or orchestra will know “bells up” is the command to get ready, lift up your horn and give it your all.

And David truly embodies a “bells up” life in every way.  When I met David he seemed positively giddy talking about how the winery came to be and his enthusiasm was infectious. I felt at ease immediately upon meeting him.

David showing the compact winery space.

David and his wife Sara did what many of us only dream about. They took the ultimate leap of faith and went all in on starting a winery. They left their secure and comfortable life in Cincinnati, Ohio to chase a dream of wine. What started as a hobby for David became a full time obsession and led them to buy a former Christmas tree farm in Newberg Oregon. Here they toiled to clear the land and plant their first vines. And now instead of playing only the French horn David is a virtual one-man-band performing all the winemaking tasks and running the winery while Sara handles the marketing and business end of the baton.

I was lucky to get the chance to meet with David this past August along with some fellow wine writers to learn about his venture and taste the wines.

Small Lots Made with Heart

Bells Up makes very small quantities, of micro-boutique wines, and what they refer to as “un-domaine” wines.  Most of the allotments are earmarked for wine club members and those who visit the winery. So do yourself a favor and seek them out when you are in the area.

2018 Helios 
Estate Seyval Blanc, Chehalem Mountains AVA

You don’t see much Seyval Blanc in fact Bells Up is only the second vineyard in Oregon to grow it. But this was the varietal by which David won the national amateur winemaking competition prior to relocating to Oregon from Cincinnati, Ohio. One might say David is a bit of a Seyval Blanc whisperer, coaxing the grape to its full glory and expression. Grown in volcanic Jory soils, the grapes were aged sur lie for 6 months in stainless steel –delivering a gorgeous lean mouthful full of acidity with bright citrus and crisp apple flavors and a touch of pineapple and papaya on the finish.

2018 Rhapsody
Pinot Blanc Willamette Valley AVA

Light and bright the Rhapsody Pinot Blanc had a delicious peachy nose with flavors of and lemon zest and a slight nutty almond flavor on the finish along with a surprising yet enjoyable through line of salinity.

2018 Prelude
Estate Rose of Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains AVA

Yow! What a beast of flavor. The color is deep with nose of crushed rose petals and a full and savory mouth full of red currants and cranberries and a hint of mint. Great ratio of acid to fruit, with the body and structure to pair well with hearty foods.

2016 Titan
Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

A blend of 35% Pommard (Chehalem Mountains), 34% 115 (Yamhill-Carlton) and 31% 777 (Yamhill-Carlton) clones. Exhibiting highly enjoyable quaffability now with great aging potential. Medium body with notes of clove and violets on the nose. Good balance with fruit forward freshness and a layering of flavors tempered by long deep earthy tannins.

2017 Candide
Nemarniki Vineyard, Reserve Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains AVA

A blend of 71% Wadenswil and 29% Pommard clones both from Chehalem Mountains AVA and grown in Loess soils. Elegant and lyrical everything you seek in a Pinot Noir is here. Bright tart berries with a powerful undercurrent of clove, white pepper, and dark plums.

2017 Villanelle
Tonnelier Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir, Yahmill –Carlton AVA

Although this lovely pinot was named after a duet for French horn and piano—
I like to imagine it was named for my favorite assassin—Villanelle, from the TV show Killing Eve. This wine is dark and brooding revealing deep and dark fruit flavors with great balance. It’s beautiful and intense with a killer finish.

Killing Eve’s Villanelle contemplating the Villanelle Pinot

2017 Firebird
Summit View Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley Syrah

Sourced from the Oregon side of Walla Walla in the high elevations of the Milton-Freewater area. I love Walla Walla Syrah and the Firebird rings true with many characteristics from the region. Bells Up makes the Firebird Syrah in a style that echoes their Pinot methodology, giving it a lighter palate, but lush concentrated flavors and vibrating with spicy acidity.

Plan a Visit

Tastings are by appointment only as the winery is small and David himself will guide you through the wines. So plan ahead a make a visit to Bells Up. You will not be disappointed. And don’t be surprised if David’s enthusiasm doesn’t make you consider taking a leap towards a dream of your own.

Many thanks to Carl Giavanti of Giavanti PR and Consulting for arranging all the logistics and hosting a wonderful day trip in Willamette Valley.

Bells Up Winery
27895 NE Bell Road
Newberg, Oregon
503-537-1328

There’s Something About Carlton...

Carlton, Oregon may not have the starring role in a Farrelly Brothers movie, but it could certainly have its own reality show about the spirit of collaboration, fine wine, and beautiful living. Yes, there’s something about Carlton, and almost everyone one I spoke to mentioned there was an irresistible quality that drew them to the community.

After WBC12 Portland ended, I was part of a group invited back to Carlton, site of the Cuffed in Carlton extravaganza, for a closer look at what makes the tiny town so appealing for wine tourists as well as those just seeking an escape to a spot that puts the O in hospitality. That’s O, as in "Oh yeah, this is the place.”

Walk in the Park

I’ve been to many walk around tastings over the years but Carlton’s Walk in the Park was one of the most pleasant and relaxing events ever. It was a welcome down shift from the red line of WBC activity. At Walk in the Park we were left to wander at our own pace and just unwind. I sampled many of the wines in the tasting tent and then strolled through the art exhibits. There was a great band jamming out on one end of the park and a row of classic cars on display. I felt like Goldilocks --in that I’d found the perfect size festival, not too big, not too small, just right. O--"Oh yeah."

Republic of Jam

Come for the Jam,  Stay for the COCKTAILS! 

Later on after Walk in the Park we reconvened on Main Street at Republic of Jam with our hosts Amy and Lynette. What’s the best way to revive a tired wine blogger? With cocktails! But not just any old cocktails, no, these were inspired creations prepared from fine ingredients with speciality syrups and jams made on the premises. O--"Oh Yeah, this is the place!!!”

Losing my head at Republic of Jam

When @winebratsf talks...people listen!

Amy and Lynette of Republic of Jam -- the hosts with the most.

Post cocktail hour we stepped next door to the Horse Radish for live music and dinner. I almost did not recognize the place since the last time I was there for the Cuffed in Carlton Dinner. What a transformation. Now it was back to its regular configuration-- perfect for kicking back and enjoying the show. I’m sure we had some wine with dinner but all I remember was the excellent beer from Fire Mountain Brewery.

Casa della Valle

Joe and Eve of Casa della Valle

After dinner we were all given directions to our respective lodging arrangements for the evening. Melanie (@dallaswinechick) and I were pointed in the direction of Casa delle Valle, a few blocks away on Pine Street. We were told to follow Pine for several blocks and bear right as the road curved. You can’t miss it we were assured. We came to a fork in the road but it was very dark and we were unclear which way to head. We stumbled a few more blocks onward and I saw a man across the street from us. “Excuse me.” I yelled. “Is there a B and B around here?”

--A what? What’s a B and B? he replied. 

--Um, it means Bed and Breakfast.

--Oh that – yeah, it’s right in front of you.

Hey, we are wine bloggers not Lewis and Clark. Anyway that’s my explanation and I’m sticking with it. We rang the bell at Cassa delle Valle and were greeted by Eve who owns and runs the B & B with her husband Joe. Eve showed us around and I immediately knew Melanie and I had lucked out with the accommodations. Casa della Valle is more than a B & B-- it’s a treasure trove of antiques and collectibles; a mini museum of all things beautiful and many things kitsch. We spent close to 35 minutes just gawking and gazing at all the fabulous items Joe and Eve had collected over the years. O--"Oh yeah, this is the place.”

That night, tucked into my comfy bed, I got my first deep sleep of the week. In the morning I awoke to a gentle thumping sound that turned out to be Ms. DallasWineChick doing her calisthenics in the other guest room. That girl is in shape!

Breakfast at Casa della Valle--
notice the grape pattern on the china.

Eve prepared us a lovely breakfast and I wondered if she had chosen the grape leaf china pattern just for us. I seemed to be exactly the kind of special touch she would make for her wine blogging guests. I asked Eve how she started collecting. “Well,” she said, “My mother was weird …” Mine too I thought. No wonder I felt so at home there. Cassa della Valle may not be the fanciest or most expensive lodging choice in Carlton, but it is hands down the most fun and interesting. I guarantee that.

Just a few of the many wines of the region

If you are planning a trip to Willamette Valley region of Oregon and looking for a fine wine experience wrapped around great food, small town charm and hospitality-- look no further than Carlton. O--Oh yeah, Carlton is the place.

Details:

Walk In the Park

Republic of Jam

Casa della Valle
Carlton Business Association

Featured Wineries & Tasting Rooms:

Cliff Creek
Ken Wright Cellars
K&M
Lemelson
Luminous Hills
Seven of Hearts
Wildaire Cellars

Brew House:
Fire Mountain Brewery

Link to Melanie’s Account of UnCuffed in Carlton

Diary: Wine Bloggers Conference 2012 - Portland, Oregon

Welcome to Portland--Land of VooDoo

How it all unfolded at the 2012 Wine Blogger Conference in Portland, Oregon.

THURSDAY August 16 

12:00 PM

Arrive Santa Rosa Airport with a contingent of WBC people bound for Portland, Oregon including:

Taylor Eason @TaylorEason, Lisa Mattson @lisamattsonwine, Nick Solga @fermented, Sheri Housman @SLHousman, Anthony Burich @aburich, Robert Larsen @RSVineyards, and many more.

Talyor gets nabbed at security for carrying a dangerous corkscrew and is forced to relinquish it. Oh TSA, when we will ever again be able to travel without fear of corkscrews? Standing in line I notice many signs warning passengers that Marijuana is still an illegal drug and not allowed on the plane. And yet they take our corkscrews.

2:30PM

Arrive PDX and jump on the MAX train to the Doubletree. After a short pow-wow with the WBC organizers I’m off to taste some wine at last.

4:45PM--New releases from Two Shepherds with William Allen. You can read all about the tasting here in this post Flock it to Me.

5:54 PM —

Reunion with wine and travel writing colleague Mattie Bamman of @ravenoustravelr whom I met on a press trip in Croatia. Mattie lives in PDX and this is his first WBC—it’s catch up time – so we head off to the Doug Fir Lounge for cocktails and tasty fare.

At Doug Fir Lounge with @ravenoustravelr

7:30 PM—Wine of Oregon Welcome Reception

This was a great overview of the wines of Oregon and I like that it was dedicated to just wines from the region. Since Mattie is a local he was my spirit guide through the selections. This was one of my favorite tasting events of the conference. 

11:30 PM After Party-Party Zone--

I stop in at a few parties, but I call it a night early because I have work to do. Impossible but true. I must do a final edit on the manuscript for my travel humor anthology—Leave the Lipstick, Take the Iguana-- that’s due back to the publisher in three days.

FRIDAY August 17^th

10:00 AM

I work the tradeshow table for the Wine Tourism Conference and while I’m not able to leave to get any of the Argentina wine paring treats, I do get a few tasty samples thanks to Xandria of @brixchik_xan.  By the way, if you are a blogger and want to attend the Wine Tourism Conference in November you can register for a special rate here: https://www.zephyradventures.com/WTC_bloggers.htm.

12:30 PM—Keynote with Randall Grahm

Grahm’s speech was loquacious and erudite, 100% unfiltered and with minimal manipulation delivering the message we should all live it up before the Grim Reaper takes our wine glass away. Well, actually that’s not what he said at all--that’s just my interpretation. I found his speech felt rather maudlin and Doom-trospective, but hey, we are all getting older. I loved the fact the speech had footnotes--how very DFW.

1:30PM—White & Rose Speed Tasting

Great showing of white’s and one very interesting shaped bottle from Fontanta Candida passed by our table. The rep from the winery described the bottle as “very sexy” and suggested we all touch it. I must admit...Feeling is believing. (see photo above in right hand corner)   

2:30PM—Winery Dinner Excursions--

Pick a bus any bus. Spin the big wheel--where you go nobody knows…or do they?

Picking the right bus is essential to a good WBC experience, so I don’t leave things to chance. Instead I employ the ancient method of dowsing to locate the correct bus. This method entails holding a corkscrew lightly in the hands and walking up and down the bus aisle. When the spiral, aka the worm, dips down it portends that bus is a great choice. I get on several buses and don’t feel the vibe, until finally my wine-witching-sixth-sense tells me BUS 8 is the ONE! My corkscrew dowsing method did not fail. I was on BUS 8 bound for the Carlton Extravaganza!!

While much has been tweeted about our ‘bus bust’ in Carlton you really had to be there to see the Academy Award worthy performance by Officer GoodBody, er, I mean Officer Martinez from the Carlton Police department. He definitely spooked some folks from California that rushed to the on board bathroom to dispense of their “medicine”. You Carlton folks better keep your eye on Office Martinez—Hollywood may come calling for him –Wine it does a body good!

Our first stop after the arrest was at Carlo and Julian a boutique winery making lovely Spanish inspired wines like Albariño and Tempranillo. We tried the Albariño with red tuna cervichi and edible nasturtiums. Afterwards we took a short walk through the vineyards and up to the tree of life for more wine and edibles. It was a magical setting despite the heat.

Next a geology lesson on the area and what makes the wine great with Ken Wright of Ken Wright Cellars. We tasted a vertical from the Sayovna vineyard, but it was a bit too hot to capture their true essence.

Then we took a short stroll down main street to The Horse Radish restaurant that had been transformed into a showcase of Carlton wine and food. A buffet style feast was served in one section of the space and the local winemakers set up along the perimeter of the room with their wines. We sat at long tables decorated with colorful planters down the center. 

We received a most hilarious program complete with Officer Goodbody on the cover that described the food and which wines to pair with each. The menu was so extensive including Chinook salmon, duck confit salad, pork loin, braised short ribs, grilled flank steak, and fabulous desserts that deserve their own post. 

The standout of the evening for me was the Chinook salmon prepared in the authentic Salish style baked over an open fire on alderwood racks. A new word needs to be invented to describe this type of taste sensation. Perhaps--Yumincredibleiousious. 

So much goodness under one roof – I felt like I was at a family wedding without all the annoying relatives. Just pure enjoyment. And I do believe that the Carlton dinner was hands down the best meal of the entire WBC. It was a sensory overload of the highest order. An incredible effort by the Carlton folks and it felt like they too were having a great time. I may just have to buy a second home there.  

Some of my fave wines of the night:
2010 Seven of Hearts GSM

2009 K&M Alchemy Cuvee Pinot Noir
2007 Cliff Creek Cellars Cab Franc

2005 SpofFord Station Estate Syrah
2010 Ghost Hill Pinot Noir Blanc
2011 Omero Pinot Gris
2010 Alexana Revana Vineyard Riesling

As we left the dinner we were handed gift bags with some swell swag including samples from Republic of Jam and truffles from Honest Chocolate.

9:30 PM—Night of Way Too Many Bottles

I loved the idea of Night of Many Bottles in concept and I bet it looked great on paper, but in reality this was waaaayyy too many bottles in a room much too small to accommodate it.

11:30
A pop-up Bubble Lounge near the lobby. This was great and unexpected pleasure.

Midnight and Beyond: After Parties—

Oh did I mention I had work to do? …Yeah right….

After visiting several parties I call it a night. I get though 9 pages of the 280 page manuscript. At 2:30 AM I look at twitter and see things are still going strong, but I resist the urge to go back out and struggle to edit 10 more pages before crashing.  Final tally for the night in terms of attention span--
WBC: 1 Manuscript: 0

SATURDAY June 18^th 

Notes from a Wine Blogger on the Edge

Best session of the day was Off the Beaten Path Varietals AKA the GPS of Wines. This was a great blind tasting of many grapes I’ve never heard of. Pictured above: the best ‘narrative’ tasting notes of the conference by Mattie Bamman. Oh the joy and despair of wine tasting.

11:45 AM
I meet with the Girls Gone Wild contingent from Okanagan to run though my slides for Sundays presentation.

3:45 PM— Rex Pickett

Well depending on who you ask, Rex was a screaming success, or an utter flop. Tough crowd for Rex. But word on twitter is that he will head to Chile soon to research and start working on Part III of the Sideways trilogy. Hmm, wonder if the Malbec board coaxed him there to work the same magic on Malbec as he did for Pinot? What do you think the third book will be called? After Sideways, there was Vertical. Now what? Possibly “Corked!” Or “Fermented?” We’ll just have to wait and see.

4:30 PM—Red Wine Live Blogging

Some one spilled wine all over my notes for this session, so missing the details. This is a dangerous event if you have a laptop on the table or any device that should not get wet. Luckily it was just my paper notebook.

5:30 PM—New Wines of Greece

Loved the wines of Greece and their unpronounceable names-- the phonetic signs were very helpful. How to you say crisp, fresh, and delicious in Greek?

7:00PM—King Estate Winery Dinner

There was tremendous buzz leading up to this event and maybe that set my expectations too high. I felt there were a few glitches in what could have been a spectacular dinner, but it’s an enormous undertaking to serve over 350 people at once. Hats off to them for the effort. But I wish I’d gone with Michael Wangbickler who was tweeting about the great time he was having out in greater PDX.

9:00 PM—International Wine Night

The Le Cognac cocktail table was doing a brisk trade, but I found the Languedoc wines, wines of Alsace, and wines of Italy had the best offerings. Although in all honesty I did not get to many tables as the room was so crowded. 

12:00 AM -- After Party Scene

The Jordan, Chehalem, and Dundee Hills suites were all rocking.

Memorable Moment:  Standing in the glass elevator with @Consciouswine @ravenoustravelr @SFDoug chatting away and waiting for the elevator to move. Then we realized one must actually push a button! Push the Button! How come the Chemical Brothers are never singing Galvanize when you really need them??

I tried to make it an early night since I had a rehearsal with our friends from Okanagan at 8:30 AM – {Note to self: Don’t agree to anything that early again.} I followed some of the party tweets on twitter before I turn out the lights.

When I finally fell asleep I dreamt someone slid a whole pizza under my door with olives and anchovies spelling out WBC. So weird. During the day I drank so much water I knocked my electrolytes out of whack. I think the dream was my subconscious telling me I needed salt. 

SUNDAY June 19^th 

7:30 AM
Am I really up? I drag myself downstairs get some coffee and rehearse the WBC13 presentation.

10:30 AM 

Ignite presentations – these were surprisingly good. I congratulate those brave enough to participate in front of the oft fickle and sometimes ultra critical WBC audience. But all were well received.

11:15 AM—WBC13 Announcement OKANAGAN!!

Despite tripping up the stairs leading to the podium, I managed to deliver my Top Ten Reason You Should Go TO WBC13 presentation without a hitch.

1:00 PM --Over and Out
Just as quickly as it started WBC12 was over. There was a rush of hugs and goodbyes and then a small group of us were whisked on to the Blitz Bus and back to my new favorite place on the planet—Carlton!! #BlitzCarlton 

My next post will detail my stay in Carlton and all it’s wonders.

See you all in Okanagan for WBC13. I already registered! Have you? Better get your spot secured, because if you miss WBC13 in Okanagan… as I said in my presentation… you’re an idiot.