¡Salud! serves up pinot with a purpose for Silver anniversary

At a recent press event held at Ponzi Vineyards, winemakers shared the importance of ¡Salud! for Willamette Valley vineyard workers. Viki Eierdam

2016 marks the 25^th anniversary of ¡Salud! and you can be sure the cuvées will be better than ever!

A wildly successful program that provides healthcare for Willamette Valley vineyard workers, ¡Salud! earned this recognition by partnering with Tuality Healthcare, premier Oregon pinot noir winemakers and lovers of Oregon pinot from all walks of life.

Maria Ponzi said “…The least we can do is provide health care for our vineyard workers.” Viki Eierdam

Since its inception in 1991, ¡Salud! has raised over $11.6 million. According to Leda Garside, RN and services manager, approximately 4,000 people were serviced through Tuality Healthcare in 2015 thanks to the funds provided by ¡Salud! events put on throughout the year. Of that number, 30 percent are children of vineyard workers and 12 percent are spouses. Garside stressed that “it’s all about families” when targeting preventative medical care.

From a mobile medical unit, cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, vaccinations and a variety of other testing can be conducted as well as eye screening (crucial for the amount of time vineyard workers spend in the sun) and limited dental care. Referrals to community providers are handled on a case by case basis.

Leda Garside, RN and services manager, shares how vineyard workers are helped by Tuality Healthcare through funds provided by ¡Salud! events. Viki Eierdam

At a recent press event held at Ponzi Vineyards, Maria Ponzi said “The Oregon wine community has really been raised on sustainable farming and we’ve extended that idea by caring for our own. We rely on this industry. This program (¡Salud!) is so essential and becomes more so as we move forward.”

She went on to say “They’re expecting over one million people to come through the Valley this year. The least we can do is provide health care for our vineyard workers.”

This year marks the fourth annual Summertime ¡Salud!, held on Thursday, July 28. The day begins with a wine tasting reception, gourmet hors d’oeuvres and an al fresco dinner at Stoller Family Estate. Wineries from Oregon, France and Australia will be pouring 13 spectacular wines and this is your chance to reserve ¡Salud! Cuvées before the premier November event.

From a mobile medical unit, a variety of preventative care tests and procedures can be conducted. Viki Eierdam

The Annual Big Board Auction and Gala is a two-part event beginning Friday afternoon, November 11 at Ponzi Vineyards where guests enjoy heavy appetizers, taste over 40 ¡Salud! Cuvées and bid on lots of five cases of pinot noir crafted exclusively for ¡Salud!

“They’re very unique cuvées you can’t get anywhere else and you can only get them one night,” Ponzi said.

The party continues on Saturday night, November 12 at Portland’s historic Sentinel Hotel. A more upscale event, the evening begins with a sparkling reception followed by a silent auction, multi-course dinner, live auction with a frenzy of paddles and live music and dancing at the after-party. To emphasize its Silver Anniversary, ¡Salud! has invited the founding wineries and Tuality Health Care workers to partake in the festivities.

 

For more information or to purchase ¡Salud! event tickets, go to http://www.saludauction.org/.

Willamette Valley winery has its day at the races

Willamette Valley winery, Angela Estate, recently sponsored a racecar for TRG-Aston Martin Racing team member and family friend, Lars Viljoen. Photo supplied

Angela Estate Winery of Dundee, Oregon recently stepped onto the track in a big way by being the main sponsor of a race car at this year’s Rolex 24 Hours Endurance Race at Daytona, held on January 30.

Owners of Angela Estate, Antony and Angela Beck, are longtime friends of driver, Lars Viljoen. When they heard he’d qualified for the TRG-Aston Martin Racing team, they seized the opportunity to support him and enjoy publicity on a national scale for their Willamette Valley winery.

Prior to the event Jessica Endsworth, Angela Estate general manager, said “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to represent the Oregon wine industry at such a prestigious event and on a national level. I don’t know if another Oregon winery has attempted a sponsorship of this size before, but we are certainly excited for the challenge.”

Perks of sponsoring a car included Angela Estate Pinot Noirs being featured in the Aston Martin VIP Lounge and poured at several race-related events, increasing the exposure for this small production Oregon winery. Closer to home, Angela Estate has been received well-earned accolades for their two, single-vineyard offerings including the Great NW Wine Competition, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator.

Behind the scenes is winemaker, Ken Wright, responsible for Panther Creek Cellars, Ken Wright Cellars and co-founder of the non-profit organization, Salud! Interestingly, Wright and the Becks share a commonality far removed from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA where Angela Estate is located. Wright’s fledgling passion for fine wine began in Lexington, Kentucky where the Becks own Gainesway—a thoroughbred stallion farm.

British racing driver, Lars Viljoen, sported the Angela Estate-sponsored car at the 2016 Rolex 24 Hours Endurance Race at Daytona. Photo supplied.

Although British racing driver, Viljoen, was not at the podium at the end of the grueling race, Angela Estate’s bold move to go where few wineries (if any) have gone before is indicative of Antony Beck’s pioneering lineage. The South African-born son of Graham Beck, he continues to oversee his father’s legacy near Cape Town as well as his own Oregon winery.

Wright made beauty from a difficult year. The 2013 vintage of Angela Estate “Abbot Claim” and Pinot Noir are elegant representations of why Willamette Valley pinot noir has gained international recognition. Admittedly, the “Abbot Claim” took some opening up but, wow, did it open. Plenty of earthy characteristics combined with a refined structure, spice components and bright cherry notes. The fact that it didn’t open up right away, to me, only means it’s going to age beautifully. The Pinot Noir was pure bliss from the first pour; plenty of delicate tannins and a racy acidity that demonstrates how pinot noir can hold up to red meats as well as it accompanies a portabello mushroom and wild-caught salmon.

The 2013 vintage of Angela Estate “Abbot Claim” and Pinot Noir are elegant representations of why Willamette Valley pinot noir has gained international recognition. Viki Eierdam

Viljoen might not have made it to the winner’s circle this time around but Angela Estate pinots will linger on the palates of racing fans for some time to come.

**If you like what you’re reading, follow Corks & Forks by clicking the ‘Follow’ button or follow Corks & Forks  on Facebook or Twitter @WACorksandForks.

Grassroots effort provides healthcare for Willamette Valley vineyard workers

Mark and Vickianne Vlossak of St. Innocent Winery celebrate with guests at the Saturday Dinner and Auction Gala. Andrea Johnson Productions

The wine community is made up of a vast number of people who comprise nearly as many roles from the viticulturist to the oenologist, the marketing manager to the tasting room staff and the distributors to the consumers. But, were it not for the skilled laborers who perform the vital role of caring for and harvesting the grapes, the enjoyment of each precious vintage could never occur.

True, some smaller vineyards are still hand-tended by the owner but, as a business grows—and, yes, a winery should be considered as much a business as it is a passion—even a few hired hands become necessary to keep up with production.

In areas that have gained international notoriety, such as the Willamette Valley, a significant amount of seasonal workers is required to tend to the vines and bring in the harvest. By its very nature, this type of work proves transient as field workers follow ripening crops from one area of the state or country to the other. Thus begets a basic needs issue; temporary workers do not qualify for employer-covered healthcare.

Many of the medical services provided to Willamette Valley vineyard workers through Tuality Healthcare and ¡Salud! are done so via mobile outreach efforts. Viki Eierdam

Leave it to the vineyard owners of Pinot Noir country to tackle a solution cooperatively and effectively. In 1991 ¡Salud! was created. In partnership with another community-focused organization—Tuality Healthcare—Oregon winemakers have made basic medical services likeflu and tetanus vaccinations, cholesterol screenings, vision exams and disease management possible for a population that would otherwise wait to seek medical treatment until a condition became acute, causing undue burden on the patient and a drastic increase to the cost of medical care at that level. Many of these services are provided via mobile outreach efforts.

Winemakers like Brian Marcy of Big Table Farm poured exclusive cuvées during November’s Oregon Pinot Noir Auction. This wine label, designed by Clare Carver, is a rendering of the vineyard worker who picked the grapes for their ¡Salud! cuvée. Viki Eierdam

Through events like ¡Salud! Oregon’s Pinot Noir Auction and Summertime ¡Salud!, this grassroots effort has raised over $10 million since its inception and their 2015 Oregon Pinot Noir auction took in $800,000 alone; an 11 percent increase from 2014.

Held for the past 24 years in November, 2015’s Friday Auction was moved from Domaine Drouhin to Ponzi Vineyards to accommodate the over 500 attendees sipping on 45 ¡Salud! Cuvée Pinot Noirs made especially by Vintners Circle members for this event. Funds were raised through ticket sales, sponsorships and wine bids on exclusive cuvées created for and available during this weekend only.

This year’s ¡Salud! Oregon’s Pinot Noir Auction will be held November 11 and12. The Saturday Dinner and Auction Gala is a more formal gathering typically located at The Allison Inn & Spa in Newberg, Oregon wherein featured wines are paired with a sumptuous, locally-inspired dinner.

To learn more about ¡Salud! or purchase 2016 tickets, go to www.saludauction.org.

**If you like what you’re reading, follow Corks & Forks by clicking the ‘Follow’ button or follow Corks & Forks  on Facebook or Twitter @WACorksandForks.