Posts Categorized: Partners

10 Things I Learned Without Cell Service

wine can

Guest written by Logan Dralle, founder of Her Oregon Life and Union Wine Company Ambassador

Ah, The Alps of Oregon. Covering 360,000 acres, the Eagle Cap Wilderness is Oregon’s largest wilderness area, and one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon. I call it Oregon’s next best secret, for those willing to put the hours in behind the wheel – it took us about 8 hours to get to our trailhead from Portland.

My friend Crystal and I knew when we requested our PTO dates that we would risk the chance of early snowfall in the Wallowas, but we were all in. Over the course of two days we hiked into Mirror Lake, and summited Eagle Cap.

Here’s what I learned from this trip:

  1. Camp robbers come in all shapes and sizes. Never leave your food unattended.
  2. A Pringles can doubles as coffee ground storage and a backcountry trash can.
  3. The weight of your backpack does matter and so does alcohol percentage. Carrying 35 pounds on your back is hard, so what’s another few pounds in Underwood wine cans at two servings each?
  4. Backpacking without wine is just sitting in the woods.
  5. Cell phone addiction is real. Set it down and remember you are out here for a reason.
  6. Bear sh*& is really big. Be prepared.
  7. You will learn more about yourself. Including how you smell without a shower.
  8. It doesn’t take long for you to miss a real toilet.
  9. Don’t forget to download offline music onto Spotify. Nothin’ like a good ole’ backcountry dance party.
  10. Taking a real vacation is so, so, so important.

In an always-on world full of countless hours spent in front of screens, the best advice I’ll ever give is to pack your bag and get out there. Mother Nature has her ways of reminding you what matters most.

logan dralle logan at wallowas wallowa fox wallowa tent

Photography by Crystal Frankenbery

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We’ll Drink To This

 

At Union Wine Company, we’re passionate people. Passionate over the wine we make. Passionate about the place we live and work. And we care a lot about giving back to the organizations that keep our community thriving.

Last month, we presented a check for $100,000 to our local Planned Parenthood. This donation was the result of Get it Girl, our white wine blend made in collaboration with our friends at Wildfang, whose profits (all 100% of them) were given to Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette.

“This partnership was about more than making great wine. It was about using our platform to stand up for the values we believe in and make an impact for organizations that we care deeply about. It is an honor to be able to write a check of this size to such a fantastic organization. Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette is dedicated to helping people in the local community, something that we at Union Wine Company believe strongly in.”

– Ryan Harms

Union Wine Company Founder, Owner

We are pretty darn proud that our company was able to raise this amount of money for an organization doing so much for our community. It’s far and away the largest donation Union Wine Company has ever made. Even so, we wanted to do more.

After our founder, Ryan Harms, presented the check to Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, our team hunkered down in a conference room – powered by coffee, pastries (and maybe some Bubbles) – to get crafty. After all, winemakers (and those that support the winemaking process) are good with their hands. We spent the morning stuffing bags and making buttons.

Donating $100,000 and making buttons for an organization our company cares so much about? We’d say that’s a pretty great way to spend a morning.

Thank you to all who bought a can or two or three for the cause. We couldn’t have done this without you.

Still interested in getting your hands on Underwood Get it Girl? Limited quantities are still available for purchase on our online shop, with 25% off.

 

 

Photography by David L. Reamer

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Rosé City Sour

For the first weekend at home in awhile, we worked with Portland bartender, Jacob Grier, to craft a Rosé cocktail that’s perfect for a night in.

Rosé City Sour

2 oz London Dry Gin

1 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice

3/4 rosé syrup*

1/2 teaspoon Green Chartreuse

Combine the gin, juice, syrup and Chartreuse in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Option to garnish with an edible flower.

*For the rosé syrup, combine 1 cup Underwood Rosé wine and 1 cup white sugar in a small pot and stir over medium-low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Pour into a clean glass bottle and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

 

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About the Bartender

Jacob Grier tends bar in Portland Oregon and literally wrote the book on beer cocktails, Cocktails On Tap. He also founded Aquavit Week, the weeklong celebration of the signature spirit of the Nordics. He enjoys working with unusual ingredients and introducing drinkers to spirits they’ve never tried before.

jacob

 

Photography by David L. Reamer

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The Story Behind The Riesling Radler

underwood riesling radler ingredients

At Union Wine Company, we’re fond of breaking patterns. We’re not afraid to mix our wine with other quality ingredients to bring new wine drinking experiences to life. Enter Underwood wine coolers. Our wine coolers are a combination of innovation, art and craft, paired with our commitment to stay local and support the artisans of Oregon. First up: meet the Underwood Riesling Radler.

More than a year ago our fearless leader, Ryan Harms (who’s always pushing the boundaries) asked our wine production team a question that started it all: what if we could make something along the lines of a Radler*, but with wine? 24 hours later, a trial blend was in front of him and the Riesling Radler was born.

*For those that aren’t familiar with what a Radler is: simply put, it’s a traditional German beverage that is half beer, half fruit soda.

goschie farms

Let’s rewind a little. Long before our Radler came to be, we partnered with Goschie Farms, nestled within the hills of the scenic Willamette Valley, to grow Pinot Gris grapes. We pride ourselves in developing and maintaining strong relationships with our growers, and Goschie Farms has been a staple in our winemaking process for over 4 years. More so, they have been a fixture in the Oregon hop farming community for 130 years. So, when we started playing with the idea of a Riesling Radler, partnering with them was a no-brainer.

hops at goschie farms

Goschie Farms is currently managed by fourth generation farmer Gayle Goschie along with her brothers Gordon and Glenn. In 2009, Gayle became the first woman to be awarded the International Order of the Hop, which is the highest honor in the hop community. Rumor has it that Gayle has been running forklifts since before she could walk, and on any given day you’re likely to find her in rubber boots working outside in the crop fields. Gayle strongly believes in the responsibility to conserve and improve our lands, not only as good business sense, but as critical to building future farm leaders.

gayle goschie

Sustainability continues to take a front seat in Goschie Farm’s daily operations. They are the first ever hops grower to be certified as Salmon-Safe, recognized for their conservation practices that protect water quality and native salmon. They also use solar power to operate their facility and have achieved their LIVE certification for sustainability.

goschie hops

Turning back to our Riesling Radler, under Gayle’s leadership and in partnership with our winemaking team, Goschie Farms helped us identify hop varieties that would achieve the flavors and characteristics we were looking for. The final formula combines Riesling wine, Crystal and Cascade hops and grapefruit juice. The goal was to pull some of the flavors from beer, while still keeping the Radler wine-based. The result is a session-able, 3% ABV wine cooler that bridges the gap between approachable wine and craft beer.

We couldn’t be prouder to work with Goschie Farms to put the hop in our Riesling Radler. Stay tuned to see what’s next…

“It’s far better to be challenged by the work than to be overwhelmed, and we all know how overwhelming it can be because farming is hard work. But it’s boots on the ground, hands in the dirt, good honest work.”

– Gayle Goschie

hop farm gayle goschie

Photography by David L. 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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