Posts By: Joan

Grilled Pizza Cook-off 2.0

There is a tradition at Union Wine Company that involves two tenacious competitors and a heck of a lot of dough. It rolls around every 2-3 years, similar to snowfall in Portland, and like snow after a month of solid rain, it is warmly welcomed by all.

We’re talking about the (Sometimes) Bi-annual Grilled Pizza Cook-Off. The humble but hardy contestants include Ryan Harms, our owner, and JP Caldcleugh, our winemaker. JP took the cake in the last cook-off, and after a couple years of regrouping, Ryan was ready for a comeback.*

Each contender put a lot of heart into their homemade dishes. Ryan devised a signature sauce with hand torn tomatoes that kept us coming back for slice…after slice…after slice. JP concocted a prosciutto pie that featured pizza’s best friend: basil, fresh from the Amity Vineyards garden.

As per tradition, the entire Union team gathered in the winery parking lot to do the real hard work – judging the pizzas. Everyone loves a good comeback story, and in true Hollywood fashion this year’s pizza crowning went to Ryan.

However, with full bellies and faces adorned in post-pizza glow, it was agreed that we all truly won the grilled pizza cook-off.

*Or, our Director of Finance Eric was just in the mood for pizza.

 

Photography by David L. Reamer

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Rosé Iced Tea

Grab that rocking chair. This twist on a summertime staple will quickly become your cocktail of choice for those front porch happy hours.

Rosé Iced Tea

2 bottles Underwood Rosé (or 4 cans)

1 quart-size sachet Smith Teamaker Hibiscus Iced Tea

5.25 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2.75 oz simple syrup

Steep 1 quart size sachet of tea in 2 bottles of Rosé for an hour, no longer than two hours. Remove sachet, add simple syrup and lemon juice to wine and stir. Serve over ice with a lemon twist. Makes around ten 5 oz drinks.

Photography by David L. Reamer

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Rosé Sangria

With these hot temperatures hitting the country, Rosé Season is in full swing. Stay cool with our take on sangria using Underwood Rosé.

Rosé Sangria

Serves two

1 Can Underwood Rosé

1/2 oz lime juice

1/3 C grapefruit juice

2/3 C grenadine

ice

 

Mix all ingredients. Garnish with small slices of pink grapefruit. Add ice and enjoy.

Choose your own adventure…

To make it sweeter, top each glass with ginger ale
To make it bubbly, top each glass with sparkling water
To pack an extra punch, add 3 oz of white rum to the mix

Photography by David Reamer

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WINE ON A MISSION

You may have guessed already, but a bunch of women casually sipping white wine spritzers is not the scene here. Yes, these ladies are smiling, and drinking white wine, wearing the now iconic Wild Feminist Tee by our good friends Wildfang, but there’s a lot more behind this picture.

Let’s start from the beginning.

It all began when two friends, our fearless leader Ryan, and Wildfang’s CEO – and force of nature in her own right – Emma Mcilroy, started talking about the idea of wanting to make a positive impact after the 2016 election. It was at that moment that the idea of creating a special, limited edition white wine that gives 100% back to Planned Parenthood was born.

Playfully called GET IT GIRL, this Oregon white wine blend has a bigger message; that women’s rights are human rights. It’s also a bright and beautiful blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris that make this special edition a must-have right now.

The ultimate goal? To raise $100,000 for Planned Parenthood. Pretty kick-ass if you’re asking us. And it’s not just because we have plenty of women here working as assistant winemakers, harvest interns, accountants, cellar hands and marketers, that make it so very cool. It’s all of us, the men and women of Union Wine Company, coming together as one organization and committing to this cause together.

Put simply, the fight for women’s equality is far from settled, so this can of wine is just one step forward in doing some good. Enjoying great wine while doing so, isn’t so bad either! So, let’s drink to equality, shall we?

You can purchase GET IT GIRL here on our website, and at Wildfang’s West End bar.

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Capturing the Sun

 

_DLR6549In Oregon, we’re used to grey, rainy, and somewhat dismal winters. If you’ve lived here for more than a couple of years, you know what to expect. Though we appreciate it for what it does for our gardens and farms – it doesn’t mean we don’t yearn for the summer sun.

Inspired by a recent trip to the Mojave Desert, we came up with this cocktail as a form of liquid sunshine until the real thing shows up. Refreshing, with just the right amount of bite, it will cheer up even the bleakest of days as we impatiently wait for spring.

The recipe is for one drink – scale up for a party, just watch out for those cacti, they’ll bite.

_DLR6725Cactus Bite – one serving

5 oz Underwood Pinot Gris

4 oz Fresh Grapefruit juice

1 oz Campari

.5 oz Organic Agave Nectar

.5 oz Lime juice

 

Jacobsen Pure Flake Sea Salt

Lime wheel

_DLR6749

Strain grapefruit juice through a fine wire strainer into a pitcher. Measure all ingredients into a metal shaker tin. Add ice and shake until well chilled. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Sprinkle salt flake over the top of the drink. Garnish with a lime wheel.

**When scaling up for a party, measure all ingredients into a pitcher or punchbowl, stir, and serve over ice**

Photography by David Reamer

 

 

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