Willamette Valley.
Bluefin in My Suitcase, Wine in My Backpack.

I flew to Portland Wednesday evening, and it was already dark by the time we landed — not much to see that first night. Winery visits started Thursday morning, and by Friday afternoon I'd tasted through barrel samples, hosted a sushi dinner for eight winemakers, and walked a vineyard three weeks from harvest. Here's what I saw.

Nicolas Jay — More Approachable Than Expected

First stop Thursday was Nicolas Jay, where I spent the morning with Rob, who used to work as a marine biologist in Alaska before moving into wine — we had plenty to talk about between fish and Pinot. The wines were more approachable in their youth than I expected, especially the Nysa Vineyard bottling.

Art + Science — Natural Cider in Yamhill County

Running late, I made it to Art + Science next, where Dan and Kim make natural cider, perry, and wine from foraged, organic, and biodynamic fruit, fermented with indigenous yeast in rural Yamhill County. Dan handles the ciders and wines; Kim makes the art. The ciders were delicious — we're working to add them to our fall lineup, so you'll be tasting theirs soon.

Shiba Wichern — A First Taste From the Barrel

Shiba Wichern Cellars was next, tucked deep enough in the woods that I wondered more than once if I was on the right road. Akiko was away in South Carolina, so Chris hosted. They've added Momtazi to their single-vineyard lineup starting with the 2024 — Momtazi's thicker-skinned grapes need time in the bottle before they show what they really are, so that window is still a ways off.

This was also my first time tasting straight from the barrel: two barrels of their Bracken Chardonnay, yeasty, citrusy, and whiskey-oaky on the nose. Bracken's energy and acidity came through in Akiko's hands as something quieter and less expressive than Violin's version of the same fruit, with a depth that sits back rather than announces itself. Chris told me: "Shelby's grapes are expensive. Early on we didn't think they were anything special, and we worried about the awkwardness of telling her we wouldn't buy her grapes a second year — we're friends. But as time went on, we realized her grapes really are special." I'm looking forward to that release.

Violin — Tension, Electricity, and a $30 Chardonnay

Violin is another longtime favorite, working out of a building that started life as a prune-drying facility and is now packed wall to wall with barrels. The 2023 and 2024 Willamette Valley Chardonnay is a blend of Sojeau and Bracken vineyard fruit — both Eola-Amity Hills — and I still can't quite work out how he sells it at around $30 retail. Starting with the 2025 vintage, Freedom Hill Chardonnay joins the blend; the barrel sample had a solid structure with an even, lingering bitterness on the finish. Whatever the 2025 Willamette Valley Chardonnay turns out to be, expect tension, electricity, and structure. I can't wait to taste the finished blend.

A Sushi Dinner for the Eola-Amity Gang

That night we hosted our Eola-Amity winemaker friends for a casual sushi dinner — eight winemakers at the table, two more sending bottles, twenty bottles opened over the course of the evening. The wine of the night was Violin's 2013 Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills, his inaugural bottling under his own label. The elegance of it — tertiary aromas fully developed, the fruit still very much alive underneath. I'll be drinking through my stash of his wines slowly over the years, especially the X-Omni, to watch how they evolve.

A New Friend: Arabilis

I also made a new friend at the table — Kenny from Arabilis, who brought a couple of bottles along. Their 2020 "Sequence" Willamette Valley Extra Brut Sparkling Wine stopped my chopsticks — sharp, intense, precise. It's their inaugural vintage, and they let the base wine sit on lees for five years before release; most people want to see cashflow a lot sooner than that. Both winemakers hold PhDs, so patience clearly comes naturally to them. Ambitious, talented, and exactly the kind of emerging producer I want to see more of in Willamette Valley. I'll have to be patient myself for wine from their own estate fruit (their aspiration) — knowing them, it'll spend a long time on lees, too.

Our guest bottles — two each from Novella and Six Cloves, both of whom I'd packed in my suitcase alongside the fish — were also well received. It felt good to see wines I love recognized by some of the top winemakers in the Valley.

Kelley Fox — The Most Elegant Winemaker in the Valley

Friday morning started at Kelley Fox, where Jonathan hosted an informative tasting. The Weber 2023 Pinot Noir was bright and approachable; the Maresh 2018 Pinot Noir had an aroma I wanted to keep smelling and never actually drink. I'll take my time with the 2022 and 2023 vintages I have at home, and I may pop one of the 2016 Momtazi I found at a local shop sometime soon.

Shelby's BBQ at Bracken Vineyard

Shelby of Perkins Harter — one of our seven wine partners — hosted us for a BBQ lunch that was spectacular, with a wide-open view across the Van Duzer Corridor, where you can watch fog roll in off the Pacific. The breeze alone was worth the trip. After lunch we walked the Bracken vineyard: well-maintained Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier, and Aligoté, all about a month from harvest. Best wishes to Shelby and her team for the 2026 vintage.

Back to Work — Murasaki Uni From Okushiri

It was an incredible short trip. Everyone I met is passionate and committed to quality, and makes people happy doing it — not so different from what we do with fish. Seeing them work cheered me up, and now it's back to the counter.

Today we received Murasaki Uni from Okushiri — the same batch I tasted with the winemakers on Thursday. It's tender, creamy, and elegant. Grab a good Oregon sparkler if you have one, and pair it with the uni.