willamette

POUR SOME LOVE: a blending event

POUR SOME LOVE — A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Our Flagship Pinot

Ever wonder how a wine goes from barrel to bottle — and what choices shape its final character? We think it’s one of the most fascinating parts of winemaking, and we’re inviting you to experience it with us at POUR SOME LOVE, our special Pinot Noir blending trial.

On Thursday, July 31st, from 6–9 PM at the winery bar, we’re opening up our cellar, our notebooks, and our palates for a hands-on look at how we craft our Love & Squalor Willamette Valley Pinot Noir — the wine that started it all for us.

So, what happens at a blending trial?

Each year, once all the separate Pinot Noir lots have been aging in barrel, our winemaker Matt (with plenty of help from Alana, our assistant winemaker and Jess Kate the tasting room wrangler) tastes through every single barrel, takes notes, argues with himself, and tries to figure out what the best possible version of that vintage should be. Should it be brighter? A little more savory? Should we add a splash from that tiny block on the hill? Which barrels stand out — and which should we hold for our single vineyard bottlings?

At POUR SOME LOVE, you’ll get to sit at the blending table with us. We’ll pour you samples of different Pinot Noir lots — all from the same 2024 vintage — and show you how small blending decisions make a big difference in the final wine. You’ll get to compare your trial blend with our current single vineyard Pinots and our other Pinot Noir tiers, tasting how site, barrel, and winemaker choices all come together in the bottle.

We’ll talk through our favorite vineyards, share what makes each one unique, and answer all the questions you might have about Oregon Pinot and the behind-the-scenes reality of blending wine.

What’s included?

  • Your ticket ($45 general public, $25 for our wine club members) gets you:

  • A seat at the blending trial with lots of Pinot to taste

  • A tasting of our other Pinot tiers & single vineyard wines

  • Time to chat directly with Matt, Alana, and Jess (our tasting room manager who knows our wines inside and out)

  • Light snacks to keep you steady

  • A little notebook to capture your tasting notes

  • A $5 coupon toward your future purchase of the 2024 Love & Squalor Pinot Noir once it’s bottled

  • 10% off any bottles you buy that night (or 20% if you’re a club member — a nice perk for our loyal folks!)

Why we love doing this

This is honestly one of our favorite things to share with our community. Blending isn’t fancy — it’s thoughtful, messy, delicious work that captures what we love most about making wine in the Willamette Valley: nuance, place, and that bit of chaos that keeps it interesting.

So if you’ve ever wondered how a wine like our flagship Pinot Noir comes to life, we’d love to have you at the table. Bring your curiosity (and maybe a friend), roll up your sleeves, and taste your way through the 2024 vintage with us.

Tickets are limited to just 20 people, so grab yours soon if you want in. We promise good wine, good company, and some good nerdy Pinot talk.

We can’t wait to pour some love with you this summer.



THANKS FOR THE NOMINATION NOW LET'S VOTE!

WILLAMETTE WEEK'S "BEST OF PORTLAND 2024"

THANK YOU FOR NOMINATING US!!
In the 2024 edition of Willamette Week’s Best of Portland City-Wide reader's poll, we were nominated for TWO categories:

Best Winery and Best Urban Winery

We're rallying support to secure the title! The spirit of Portland ignites us, serving as our muse, and fueling the fusion of our passion for wine with its vibrant energy and creativity.

Can you help us clinch the win? Just click the button below, register, and cast your vote our way. Your support? Invaluable.


Once you've voted, spread the word like raindrops in the Rose City!
 

Spring Squalor (& Love of course!)

angieinnewwinery

APRIL SALE

We are offering a 15% discount on all Pinot orders in the month of April. Join our NEWSLETTER for the discount code. WINE CLUB MEMBERS get 20% (contact us for this discount) click here for more —>

SAIL DOWN THE MOSEL WITH US

Did you hear we are hosting a chartered cruise down the Rhine and Mosel Rivers and you can join us?! We were given a special discount to share with fans of Love & Squalor wine. It is a significant discount, but there are only 12 cabins left, so if you are on the fence give our Travel Service a call right away. Mention the winery and this newsletter when you call or write to get the $1000 discount. Call Brad at Northwest Travel Service (425) 375-2676 or visit www.nwtravel.com
You can see more about our itinerary here —> UNIWORLD MOSEL in MAY

NEW RELEASES
(Wine Club Members get first dibs!)

GAMAY NOIR 2017
Only 100 cases of this gem produced. Great dark juicy fruit with uplifting aromatics and mouthwatering acidity.

SAUVIGNON BLANC 2018
This wine has been quietly building a grassroots fan base over the years. Aperitif style SB with rich fruit and good zing. A splash for the pot and two for the chef.

ROSÉ OF GEWÜRZTRAMINER "A Frayed Knot" 2018
What started out as a weird experiment has now become a perennial 'go-to'. Different enough to stand out from the rosé crowd. 120 cases made.

NEW WINERY AND TASTING ROOM

As you may have gathered (and as our local wine club members have had the pleasure of seeing in person) we are under construction for our new winery space and tasting room. We’re hoping to be open this summer. Keep up with the progress on our Instagram (@loveandsqualorwine) or Facebook
SUMMER 2019. There will be parties!

WINE CLUB

Our next shipments and pick up party will be in the first week of May. Don't know what to get the wine lover in your life? Buy them a membership to our "Friends With Benefits" wine club. Twice yearly shipments catered to your tastes at club discount prices. We can get your first shipment out in time for summer feasts if you order soon. For more info click here or eMail us at info@loveandsqualorwine.com

UPCOMING EVENTS

We’ll be at POUR OREGON a Cellar 503 wine festival, on Sunday, April 28. This is the biggest collection of Oregon craft producers all pouring in one place. Join us in downtown Portland to experience wines from small, boutique producers from throughout the state as we kick-off Oregon Wine Month. And, raise a glass for a great cause: $10 from each ticket benefits Make-A-Wish Oregon. more here—>

#ILOVEGAMAY event — We were at the first two, were you? Join us for the 3rd annual Gamay Tasting Salon at The Nightwood featuring over 25 wineries pouring their latest Gamay Noir wines. Trail blazing Oregon wine producers have largely led the domestic growth of Gamay Noir and this year there will be some friends from California, Canada and France to celebrate I Love Gamay with us! more here —>
The Nightwood Society | Sunday May 5th, 2019 | 4pm - 7pm $35

Bay Area L&S fans, keep your eyes peeled. Matt will be headed down at the end of May for the First Ever WEST COAST RIESLING SOCIETY EVENT. West Coast Riesling Society will showcase of Riesling producers from California, Oregon and Washington with seminars, a grand tasting and dinners throughout SF 5/27-5/31 watch our social media for more info.

INTERNATIONAL PINOT NOIR CELEBRATION: Matt has participated in IPNC as a Maitre d'Hotel since 2001, and has served on the board of directors for 6 years. This year he’s honored to be the board president and additionally Love & Squalor will be a featured winery. We look forward to seeing all of your familiar faces at the party, and if you've never had the opportunity to attend, well we can't recommend it enough. Feel free to reach out and we will tell you why you simply must experience the IPNC at least once.

You can find out more about the International Pinot Noir Celebration and how to join us here —>

WHAT?! A Rosé of Gewürztraminer? Here's a nice review...

Great Northwest Wines review of Love & Squalor 2015 A Frayed Knot Rosé of Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley

One of the leaders of Portland’s urban wine scene, Matt Berson, finally has answered the pleas of his peeps and given them a rosé — and he chose 30-year-old Gewürztraminer from prized Sunnyside Vineyard near Oregon’s state capital. Foot-pressed fruit grown by Lucille Wisniewski and Tom Owens produces an intriguing pink that could at first look be mistaken for a Pinot Gris rosé where it not for the tropical nose of lychee, rosewater and kiwi with peach pie and honey. That exotic blend of fruit makes it way to the palate with a dry approach, picking up hints of strawberry and peach skin with a lingering finish that blends pink grapefruit with tangerine. That he tagged this #orangeisthenewrosé bodes well for a 2016 version.

Rating: Excellent
Production: 110 cases
Alcohol: 13%

By Great Northwest Wine on October 1, 201 

Oregon's Best Wines!

AwardPlaque

They blind-tasted over 400 wines. Four days of arduous sipping and spitting. They chose just 15 white wines and only four were Rieslings. Love & Squalor 2010 Willamette? No. 12!

I am extremely grateful to the tired palates at the Portland Monthly for their nod. I'll buy you guys a beer.

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No.12

Best-buy-graphic

Love and 
Squalor

2010 RieslingWillamette Valley, $18

Matt Berson’s zesty riesling—made with organic grapes—is sweet, lush, and refreshing, offering flavors of peaches and mangoes for a balanced palate that’d be a perfect picnic sipper. Pack a backpack with a baguette, smoked salmon, Peppadew peppers, and a corkscrew, and you’re set for a wonderful meal.

Here's the link.