Movember

On November 1st, the guys of Union Wine Co. proudly joined the Movember movement, shaving one final time to create clean slates for the mustaches they will grow during the month. The ceremonial shave even included JP, our winemaker, who gave up his cultivated 10 year beard for the cause, with some determined help from the crew.

Movember_2The Movember Foundation is a nationwide campaign that helps raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues; specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health. The lack of understanding on the health issues men face is alarming:

  • The average life expectancy of men is five years less than women.
  • 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
  • Men are 24 percent less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the last year.

There are lots of complicated and sometimes controversial reasons why men’s health is in a relatively poor state; to change this, The Movember Foundation encourages men to grow a mustache throughout the month of November. Using the mustache as a catalyst, the idea is to bring about change and give men the opportunity and confidence to learn and talk about their health and take action when needed.

By the end of the month, the guys will all be sporting mustaches, some more impressive than others. Join us in learning more about men’s health by visiting The Movember Movement and NAMI by following us as we document their bristly progress on our blog and social media. Feel free to visit our donation page and help us make a difference.

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Monthly Cocktail: Boo

MC_12This months cocktail is made in the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve.
Enjoy!

Makes 2 Servings
1.5 oz Rum
1.5 oz Aquavit
1 oz Aperol
3 oz Toasted Pumpkin seed infused Muscat wine
2 oz gomme syrup or strong simple syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
15-20 drops of Bitterman’s Xocolatl Mole Bitters
 2 cinnamon sticks

Pumpkin Seed infused Muscat Wine
375ml of Wine (a half bottle)
50g of toasted pumpkin seeds
(You can use any aromatic wine, such as muscat, gewürztraminer, riesling, even possibly sauvignon blanc.)
 Leave seeds in the wine for a few hours or overnight.

  1. Chill two glasses very well.
  2. In a large mixing glass with ice, add the Rum, Aquavit, Aperol, Muscat wine, simple syrup, lemon juice and bitters. Stir well
  3. With a torch, burn the end of the cinnamon stick, lay on a non-reactive surface and turn the well chilled glass upside down over the burned end of the cinnamon stick. Leave for 15-20 seconds or longer
  4. Turn the glasses over and grate the unburned end of the cinnamon stick over the top of the glass. Make sure to get some on the rim of the glass.
  5. Strain the drink into the glass and garnish with the cinnamon stick.

Thanks to Chefsteps for the idea of the burning cinnamon stick.MC_4

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Tasting Truck Build Out

Our Citroën H-van has been spending its evenings with another crew.  The good folks over at Orange PDX  took a few slabs of old barn wood and some steal to create an amazing build out for our tasting truck. Thanks Orange for letting us roam around and capture some behind the scenes moments and Wendy Etter for the great design.  We look forward to seeing you all at our weekend home on SE Division and 33rd!

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Behind the scenes of our Pinkies Down Videos

Our primary goal at Union Wine Co. has always been to make great wine without all the fuss and so we recently teamed up with David CressEric Edwards and Story Manufacturing Co. to make some videos that illustrate just a few of the challenges of trying too hard when drinking wine.

Click here to watch the videos.

Here are a few behind the scenes photos from the shoot. Stay tuned for more videos by following us on Facebook or Instagram. Cheers!

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SF Can Launch

This week we stepped away from work at the winery and headed to San Francisco to celebrate the launch of our Pinot in a can with our friends at Marine LayerTaylor Stitch, and Huckberry

We spent time exploring this wonderful city visiting shops and restaurants that we have long admired from afar, such as Sight GlassCoffee and Swan Oyster Depot  to name a few.

If you’re in San Francisco and would like to try our Pinot in a can please join us at select Marine Layer and Taylor Stitch locations next Thursday, August 14 for a special event and “pinkiesdown” sale. More details are in the invite below. Cheers!

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Photography David L. Reamer