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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How to Make Wine Can Chicken

How to Make Wine Can Chicken

It’s no secret that at Union Wine Company, we’re proponents of thinking outside the box. Or in this case, outside of coq au vin.

This Memorial Day Weekend, we brought a new take on our Underwood cans to life. At Austin’s famed Hot Luck Fest, we partnered with Chef Doug Adams (his new restaurant Bullard PDX will open in the new Woodlark Hotel this fall) to bring our vision of Wine Can Chicken to life. Most people have heard, and some have tried, the infamous BBQ dish “Beer Can Chicken,” but no one had experienced what true wine can chicken could be – until this weekend.

Amidst 100 degree heat, we paired 1,000 pounds of chicken with 300 cans of Underwood Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris to create the ultimate show stopper.

Want to recreate the dish at home? Chef Doug Adams shares his recipe below.

Ingredients:

For Rub:

  • 2 Guajillo chiles
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp Orange juice
  • 2 tbsp Lime juice
  • 1 tbsp Fish sauce

Directions:

  1. Remove giblets from chicken; discard.
  2. Rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry.
  3. In a small sauce pan, toast chiles on high heat till fragrant. About 2o seconds a side.
  4. Put the chiles and garlic in pot with just enough water to submerge the chiles. Simmer for 5 minutes and let stand until chiles are soft.
  5. Place the chiles and garlic in a processor with water and a pinch of salt; process smooth. mix with citrus and fish sauce. Rub marinade all over the chicken.
  6. Prepare barbecue grill and preheat for indirect-heat cooking.
  7. Carefully lower chicken over the wine can until can is inside body cavity. Pull legs forward so chicken stands upright on can.
  8. Carefully set chicken and can, in this upright position, on center of grill (not over direct heat); cover charcoal grill and open vents; close lid on gas grill.
  9. Cook until temperature reaches 160*, about 1 hour.
  10. Using oven mitts, carefully remove chicken with can from grill, keeping it upright.
  11. Let chicken stand on can for 15 minutes, then, holding a towel around the can to steady it and protect your hands, with a large carving fork, carefully remove chicken from can to a carving platter or carving board.
  12. Carve chicken and serve, adding salt and pepper to taste.
  13. Garnish with spicy pickles or avocado salsa.

 

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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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