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I Love Gamay Wine Festival
May 3, 2019 @ 6:00 pm - May 6, 2019 @ 10:00 pm
It’s time to give Gamay Noir its due. I Love Gamay is a first-of-its-kind event that brings together adventurous wine lovers and Oregon Gamay producers as well as a few friends from California, Washington and British Columbia for a great excuse to throw a party celebrating our favorite under-the-radar varietal. We also invite our distributor friends to bring small production Beaujolais to pour alongside our West Coast varieties! The Nightwood will play host to fun and educational events that let you get to know North American Gamay, as well as some incredible wines from our friends across the pond, France! Don’t miss the Gamay tasting salon on day one to kick off Oregon Wine Month from the Oregon Wine Board and Gamay Week. Local producers and wine experts will be on hand to offer their knowledge on this lesser known gem. Yes, Oregon is known for its esteemed Pinot Noir, but we want to blow the lid off Oregon’s other noir rouge grape!
The Parlour @ The Nightwood | Friday May 3rd, 2019 | 6pm – 8pm | $60
Join us at The Parlour at The Nightwood for a special Gamay class from our friends at Sunday School. Intimate and accessible, the evening will introduce you to the full range of Gamay’s temperaments — from fun and flirty to buttoned-up seriousness. You’ll taste samples from both Oregon and the Old World that showcase the wine’s versatility and character. We’ll tell the story of Gamay’s spectacular rise, fall and rebirth, and you’ll also discover why the grape is now gathering a cult of devout followers in the Willamette Valley and beyond. A full flight of Gamay (including bubbles!) plus enchanting bites from The Nightwood included.
Willamette Valley Trip | Saturday May 4th, 2019 | 9am-5:30pm | $150
Calling all Gamay fans! Let’s hop on a vintage bus and take an adventure to the beautiful Willamette Valley. This wine lovers paradise is practically in Portland’s backyard. In less than an hour we can be right where the grapes grow and the wine is made. Our favorite tour guide extraordinaire will be at the helm: Chevonne Ball of Dirty Radish, who leads exclusive tours in Oregon & France, including Beaujolais! (She’s Gamay-crazy like the rest of us!) Tom Monroe, co-owner of Division Wine Co & SE Wine Collective, will be our chaperone, waxing poetic about all things Gamay. Our chauffeur Jeff Kennedy of The Vintage Tour Bus Co. will get us there is style! This is a one-of-a-kind adventure not to be missed!
Gamay Field Trip Itinerary
9:00 am – Meet at The Nightwood for coffee + pastries
9:30 am – Depart The Nightwood
10:40 am – Hundred Suns Wine Tour + Tasting
12:40 pm – Depart for lunch at Pizza Capo in McMinnville
2:30 pm – Brick House Vineyards Vineyard Walk, Tour + Tasting
4:30 pm – Depart
5:30 pm – Arrive back at The Nightwood
The Nightwood Society | Sunday May 5th, 2019 | 4pm – 7pm |$35
Join us for the 3rd annual Gamay Tasting Salon at The Nightwood, featuring more than 25 wineries each pouring its latest Gamay Noir wines. Trail blazing Oregon wine producers have largely led the domestic growth of Gamay Noir, and this year we’ll be inviting some friends from California, Canada and France to celebrate I Love Gamay with us!
Grochau Cellars / Hanson Vineyards / Vincent Wine Company / Duck Pond Cellars / Cooper Mountain Vineyards / Ayres / Division Winemaking Co. / Anne Amie Vineyards / Love & Squalor / Craft Wine Company / Stedt Winegrowers / Evening Lands Vineyard / Brickhouse / Chehalem Wines / Edumunds St John / Failla Wines / Bow & Arrow / Walter Scott / Pray Tell / Cascadia Wine Imports / Syncline Winery / Andrew Rich Wines / Willakenzie Estate / Boedecker Cellars / Terroirs Originels / August Cellars / Burton Bittman Wines / Hundred Suns Wines / Maison Jean Loron / Bjornson / Bella Wines / Becky Wasserman & Co
The Nightwood Society | Saturday May 5th, 2019 | 8pm-12am | Free
Join us after the I Love Gamay Tasting Salon for a rip-roaring after party! Wines will be on the table and music will be cranked. The Nightwood Society is providing the snacks. Producers will be on hand to talk Gamay. Can’t wait to see you all there! A bottle of wine in hand and RSVP required.
Coopers Hall | Monday May 6th, 2019 | 3pm – 5pm | $30
Between Two Barrels: Wine & Conversation is an exciting opportunity to learn about the Gamayzing grape’s historical significance in France and its exploding interest in the New World with Oregon at the epicenter. Conversations will be moderated by one of our favorite sommeliers, Joel Gunderson, of Coopers Hall (and now a stellar Gamay maker). Joel will once again moderate the panel discussion and steer the tasting component.
Panelists:
Paul Gregutt – Contributing Editor, Wine Enthusiast
Steve Edmunds – Winemaker/Owner, Edmunds St. John (a pioneering CA Gamay producer)
Chevonne Ball – Founder, Dirty Radish (a leading wine tourism company focused on guided trips to the Beaujolais who is also working on a book about Gamay!)
Andy Fortgang – Co-owner/Wine Director, Le Pigeon
Bar West | Monday May 6th, 2019 | 7pm – 10pm | $75
Come along on our fantastic voyage of food and wine. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with our friends at WEST to host our inaugural Tour De Gamay! The Tour is an interactive tasting experience designed to build knowledge of our favorite varietal while building community through food and wine. Our featured Oregon winemakers are partnering with Portland chefs to create unforgettable pairings and flavors at five distinct stations. Each table will be curated by style and story, with winemakers pouring 1-2 wines paired with a beautiful dish from every chef created by a bounty of ingredients from our favorite local farms. Wine experts will be on hand to inspire conversation and answer questions about Oregon Gamay. The Tour is a unique educational opportunity to dive deep into Oregon wine and food. But like everything I Love Gamay, this is still a party, and we will be cranking tunes and getting loud!
*Most of the evening will be standing with a few tables available to rest and reboot. Bar West will be open with a full bar and dining menu available all evening. Get ready to engage in thoughtful conversation about farming, winemaking and anything else that has you curious about Oregon’s unmatched wine and food culture. See you there!
Althea Grey Potter | Oui Wine Bar
Lucian Prellwitz & Morgan Deeks | Bar West
Sarah Schneider | The Nightwood Society
Participating Wineries & Chefs | TBD