Raise a glass and toast to Oregon Gamay Noir with up to 25 wines, special tasting events, an Oregon Gamay wine bar takeover at Ned Ludd, and a collaboration Oregon and French Gamay dinner with acclaimed chefs Jason French and Cathy Whims.

PORTLAND, Ore. (March 7, 2017) – Wine lovers have fallen hard over recent years for the deliciously perfect food and all occasion pairable Gamay Noir grape. Trail blazing Oregon wine producers have largely led the domestic growth of Gamay Noir and this year will launch the first ever celebration dedicated to all Oregon grown Gamay Noir. On Monday, May 1st and Tuesday, May 2nd 2017, join 20 producers of Oregon Gamay Noir at Elder Hall in Portland for two days of unique wine events including special tasting events and a finale collaboration dinner with chefs Jason French of Ned Ludd and Cathy Whims of Nostrana.

Most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley in France, Gamay Noir is showing exceptional promise in Oregon’s cooler climate and volcanic soils. Beloved for its delicate, peppery and strawberry-like fruity notes, Gamay Noir makes the perfect wine for both food and casual enjoyment.

The festival was founded by Thomas Monroe and Kate Norris of Division Winemaking Co. and Michelle Battista and Jason French of Ned Ludd & Elder Hall. Using the classic winemaking techniques they learned in Beaujolais and the Loire Valley, the winemaking team of Division Winemaking Co. has been pioneering Gamay Noir in Oregon since 2011, producing several different cuvees from vineyards across the state.

WHEN:

Public tasting, Monday, May 1st from 4 – 7 p.m.

Ned Ludd Special Oregon Gamay Noir Restaurant and Wine Bar, Monday, May 1st from 5 to 10 p.m.

Collaboration dinner with Jason French & Cathy Whims, Tuesday, May 2nd at 6 p.m.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 3rd.

DETAILS:
The inaugural I Love Gamay celebrates the incredible all-Oregon line up of Gamay wines. For more details and the most up to date information, visit http://www.ilovegamay.com/; or follow along on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilovegamay/; and on Instagram @i.love.gamay.

Direct Ticket Links

Tasting Salon Ticket / $35 – https://www.elderhall.com/events/58

Collaborative Gamay Dinner / $125 – https://www.elderhall.com/events/59

Tasting & Dinner Ticket / $150 (SAVE $10) – https://www.elderhall.com/events/60

About Division Winemaking Company

“Pair with good times, good food and good people” is the philosophy of the Division Winemaking Company, founded in 2010 by Kate Norris and Thomas Monroe. Inspired by the wineries of Loire, Burgundy and the Northern Rhone, the urban winery creates sustainable and unique varietals of minimalist approach Oregon wines including Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, Rose, Chenin, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Cot, Syrah, and Grenache. Division Winemaking Company (DWC) includes the Division Winemaking Company label, the more approachable Division-Villages label and as well as Gamine inspired by the Rhone Valley and a personal expression of co-founder Kate Norris’ love of the region. Both Norris and Monroe have been passionate about wine for most of their lives, for Monroe it started with an entry level sommelier course in college, for Norris it was spending time at her family home in the Loire Valley, France. Once the pair decided to trade cubicles for winery cellars, Norris’ family home in France proved to be a perfect place for their immersion into viticulture and enology. DWC represents a new generation of winemakers that are looking beyond the status quo to create unique styles of wine, with a purpose, a story and without traditional barriers, embarking on what Norris calls “the Oregon adventure.” Norris and Monroe have been leaders in pursuing the Oregon-Loire Valley confluence, cultivating grapes that are native to the French winemaking region known for Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Gamay. From their minimal intervention approach, focusing on terroir and true varietal expression over more industrialized techniques, to their promotion of unique varietals through pioneering campaigns like #DrinkChenin, their award winning wines serve as an example for sustainable production and connection between the old world experience and applying it in a new world environment.

In 2016, Norris and Monroe were named to Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 tastemakers list. DWC has been named an Oregon Winery to Watch by Wine Press Northwest, a top urban winery by Wine Enthusiast, and winemakers to watch in the San Francisco Chronicle article All you wanted to know about this year’s Winemakers to Watch. DWC wines have been featured in a number of articles including the Division 2012 Willamette Valley Gamay Noir as the number one pick by Eric Asimov in the New York Times article Wines for Thanksgiving the Refresh the Palate, in 2016 Asimov listed Division Winemaking Company among the Willamette Valley’s excellent small producers of pinot noir, and Portland Monthly selected the 2015 Division-Villages Les Petits Fers Gamay Noir as one of Oregon’s Top 50 Wines, the 2013 Division-Villages “Les Petits Fers” Gamay Noir in the San Francisco Chronicle article 2014 Top 100 Wines: Zinfandel and Other Reds, and was featured in a 2016 Punch article on wineries pioneering the Oregon-Loire Valley confluence. The inaugural #DrinkChenin day was featured in the Wall Street Journal, and their Chenin Blanc was featured by Eater in 2016. The 2011 Gamay Noir was also the only wine from the United States to win a gold medal at the 2014 International Competition of Gamay in France. Find more information at www.divisionwinemakingcompany.com, Facebook Division Winemaking Company, Twitter @divisionwineco or by calling 503-208-2061.

About SE Wine Collective

Kate Norris and Thomas Monroe, of Division Winemaking Company, founded the Southeast Wine Collective in 2012 in response to their personal interest in creating a unique multi-faceted urban winery, coupled with increasing public interest in the urban wine movement. The urban winery and wine bar brings together like-minded wineries who are sustainably growing their businesses and offers a venue for commercial custom crush wine production, tastings and events in an area of SE Portland that already hosts a thriving restaurant and nightlife scene. The collective is made up of eleven wineries: Division Winemaking Company, 51 Weeks, Gersing Cellars, James Rahn Wine Company, Laelaps Wines, Loop de Loop, Ore Winery, Pampleau, Stedt Cellars, Welsh Family Wines, and Willful Wine, while continuing to work as an incubator for future wine brands and budding industry ideas. Currently 20 varietals are produced at the Collective ranging from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc to lesser-known varietals such as Gamay Noir, Mourvedre, Chenin Blanc, Muscat, and Arneis. The wine bar features pours and flights from all 10 Collective members and their inspirational wines along with draft beer and a diverse food menu by in-house chef Althea Grey Potter. In 2016, co-founders Monroe and Norris were named to Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 list of tastemakers. The Collective was listed among the Top 20 Best Wine Bars in America by Wine Enthusiast, 10 Best Urban Wineries in USA Today and Best Wine Bars in The Oregonian. Travel + Leisure called the Collective a must for any wine connoisseur’s Perfect Weekend in Portland, It has also been featured in FOOD & WINE magazine’s A Winemakers’ Beaujolais Nouveau Party, the New York Times article “Bringing the Wine to Portland, Ore.”, Wine Spectator’s “The New Portland,” Portland Monthly’s article “Meet Portland’s Top Urban Winemakers,” and Portland Monthly’s Best Restaurants 2014 7 Days In Portland piece. Wines produced at the Collective have been mentioned in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times. The wine bar hosts large and small events, wine release parties and pop-up dinners and is available for rent for private parties. Its hours are Mon. 4 – 9 p.m., Wed, Thurs. and Fri. 4 – 10 p.m.; Sat. 1 p.m. – 10 p.m. and Sun. 1 p.m. – 9 p.m. The Collective is located at 2425 SE 35th Place, Portland, Oregon 97215. Find more information at www.sewinecollective.com, Facebook SE Wine Collective, Twitter @SEWineColl, Instagram @SEWineCollective or by calling 503-208-2061.