Young Rogues in the Rogue Valley - Northwest Wine Anthem Feature

From the Northwest Wine Anthem:

Today on the Anthem, a pair of rogues in the Rogue Valley may just be making the region's most compelling wine. The first part of our Southern Oregon Wine focus for May is about God King Slave Wines.


Read the full article here!

We are so appreciate of such a flattering review of our wine and efforts. Clive has been such a great supporter and we feel incredibly fortunate to have impressed his palate.

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Favorable Tweets!

When tweets like this pop up in your feed, consider it a great day. And we did.

Thanks Clive - Northwest Wine Anthem.

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A Look of What's to Come.

2011 Sauvignon Blanc. 

2010 Syrah - Tempranillo.

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Padrone Peppers and Sauvignon Blanc

Padron Peppers are possibly Chris's favorite food. They literally melt in your mouth with a small amount of salty heat and lingering pepper flavor. He was first introduced to them in Santa Fe at the incredible Spanish restaurant, La Boca, where his cousin worked as a chef. Since then he seeks out restaurants featuring them on their tapas menus (he was in heaven when we traveled to Spain), but unfortunately in Southern Oregon they are tough to come by. So, he is growing his own and preparing the seeds for germination today. We will have our first crop mid-Summer. 

Padron peppers are best enjoyed as an appetizer prepared very simply by cooking them in a hot olive oil coated pan and sprinkling with sea salt prior to serving. 

These beauties will pair nicely with our 2011 Sauvignon Blanc that has lively acidity, striking citrus and underlying gooseberry notes. The wine will be released May 1, 2012. 

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Rogue River Rafting & Wine Tour Returning to the Wild & Scenic this July!

Paddle by Day -  Sip Local Wines by Night

The second annual Rogue River Rafting & Wine Tour will return to the Wild & Scenic this July 18th-20th. Floating down the Rogue has never been better as Chris and I will be pairing Southern Oregon wines, cheeses and chocolates with Craig and Tina from Rogue River Outfitter's first-class hospitality.

Guests will enjoy three adventure-filled days paddling on the river and two comfortable nights in riverside lodges, the rustic Black Bear Lodge and the gorgeous Paradise Lodge.

Last year's trip featured the debut of our 2009 Syrah-Tempranillo along with wines from Troon Vineyard, Quady North Wines, God King Slave Wines, Del Rio Vineyards, Folin Cellars and Abacela paired with delicious meals prepared by our guides.

Our Testimonials from Last Year's Trip

We felt the selection of wines showcased some of the best from our region and we were so excited to share them with such eager wine enthusiasts. It was an incredible collaboration to enjoy the scenery and adventure of the iconic Rogue River with the wines that are produced in this valley. - Chris 

The scenery was beautiful, the wildlife was exciting, the river was thrilling, the food was exceptional, the lodging was comfortable, but the best part was the people, including the guides. We came together and are taking away lifelong memories. Wine has always been such an important tool in bringing people together and building lifelong friendships and this trip was no different. I hope we continue this trip for years to come and are able to share our regional wines in such a unique way. - Christine 

The tour was a highlight of our Summer and we hope you jump on board for round two! Won't you join us? 

Book Today!

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Oregon Micro-Wineries Dinner Announced

We will be traveling to the Willamette Valley to feature our wine at Restaurant503 in West Linn on Thursday, April 19th. Hosted by Tim Shimmel from Oregon Wine Sales, we are among great company as the menu will feature wines from his incredible portfolio including Noble Pig Wines, Ghost Hill Cellars, Laura Volkman and Anam Cara Cellars. 

6 Course Prix Fixe Dinner
Thursday, April 19th at 6:30 PM
$65/person
Reservations Required 503.607.0960

1st Course
Assorted Canapes
2008 Noble Pig Pinot Blanc

2nd Course
Grilled Shrimp
fennel orange salad
2010 Ghost Hills Cellars White Pinot Noir

3rd Course
Scallop Ceviche
mango salsa
2009 Laura Volkman Chardonnay

4th Course
Duck Confit
polenta cake & cherry jus
2009 Daedalus Pinot Noir

5th Course
New York Strip Steak
potatoes rosti, grilled asparagus & rosemary demi glace
2009 God King Slave Syrah/Tempranillo

6th Course
White Chocolate & Pear Bread Pudding
2009 Anam Cara Late Harvest Gewurztraminer

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Vintage South - Southern Oregon Pivotal to Oregon WIne Industry

In case you missed Saturday's Mail Tribune front-page story Vintage South by Janet Eastman, here is your second chance to read about Southern Oregon's progression in the Oregon wine industry after last week's Oregon Wine Industry Symposium.

Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch

 Southern Oregon Will Play Pivotal Role in Oregon's Branding

A few of my favorite points:

• Regions that rely on one wine can suffer when that grape goes out of favor. "There is a folly to hitching your wagon to one varietal," said Martin, who owns Troon Vineyard in Grants Pass and sells zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah, viognier, sauvignon blanc and blended wines.
• "Southern Oregon is our insurance policy," said Joe Dobbes, one of the state's larger producers with Dobbes Family Estate wines and the lower-cost Wine by Joe.
• "The quality of the grapes has improved over time," Dobbes said. "They are planting the right grapes and clones in the right spots. It takes time to figure that out."
• "It was the best conference I've been to in the industry," said Christine Collier, a former Willamette Valley Vineyards employee who now works for Troon and bottles tempranillo under her own label, God King Slave. "It felt so collaborative and 'brand Oregon,' instead of 'brand Willamette Valley.' "
• Speaker Rob McMillan, founder of Silicon Valley Bank's wine division, predicts a 7 to 11 percent growth in the fine wine category across the nation and said that Oregon is getting back in balance between supply and demand. Kurt Lotspeich of Trium wines in Talent said it was the most positive report he's heard in five years.
• Southern Oregon University climatologist Greg Jones gave a presentation on last year's tough harvest and his forecast that this will be a "recovery" year with a warmer summer. Afterward, he was standing in the middle of the convention hall amid a sea of 140 vendors.
• SOWA's Martin said that direct-to-consumer sales have increased 50 percent in Oregon. "That's impressive," he said, "but there is a limit to that. It won't keep growing at that rate. So we have to go on the road and take the conversation to the next step, that we make great pinot noir, but also other varietals."
• Sam Tannahill of A to Z Wineworks in Dundee, who buys sangiovese from Del Rio Vineyards as well as pinot noir and pinot gris from the Moores and Aguila Vineyard, spoke at Wednesday's general session called Oregon Wine in the Eyes of the World. "People like diversity," he told the audience. "They don't want to drink pinot noir every day of the week. If they like the wines of Oregon and they don't feel like a pinot noir, they will try a syrah, pinot gris or chardonnay."

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Get it While You Can, Portland!

Korkage Wine Bar & Shop in SW Portland is featuring our Syrah - Tempranillo by the glass this weekend. Supply is dwindling, so get it while you can, Portland!

- Chris & Christine

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Wine Pick - The Oregonian

High fives to all our website readers!

Katherine Cole of The Oregonian selected our wine as her wine pick and writes some kinds words:

2009 God King Slave Rogue Valley Syrah-Tempranillo ($26): When they aren't working their day jobs at Troon Vineyard and Folin Cellars, Christine Collier, 24, and Chris Jiron, 27, are the youngest winery owners in Southern Oregon. The two are off to a fine start with their first release, this meaty, spicy, herbaceous red; they'll release a sauvignon blanc in the spring. After a couple of name changes (they're transitioning from "Long Story Short Cellars"), the pair settled on a title for their label that's taken from the famous Constantin Brancusi quote, "Work like a slave, command like a king, create like a god." It's pretty heady stuff for a couple of 20-somethings. 
 --Katherine Cole- 



http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2012/01/small_bitesparsnips_paper_towe.html


Made our night!

- Chris & Christine

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Partnership with Oregon Wine Sales

The morning after the 22 hour travel day back from Barcelona, I woke up to a email seeing if we were interested in northern Oregon distribution.

I turn to Chris and said, "Are we?"

We hadn't made it that far in our business plan or goals, yet. Should I be admitting that?


But, you can never plan when opportunities come knocking.

So, I replied, "Sure, we'd be interested in hearing your proposal. Why don't we plan to meet in the next month or two when we are back in Portland."


But, as luck had it, Tim from Oregon Wine Sales was headed to our side of town and encouraged a meeting within the hour. I was willing to throw back on plane clothes and tease my hair so it look purposefully messy, although it was quite the opposite. Why not?

First impression of Tim, he is a go-getter. He has band together with two other industry alum and is putting together a portfolio of brands that we are honored to be on the same page as. I mean seriously, look here!

So, we are excited to announce our partnership with Oregon Wine Sales. We have committed some of our last remaining cases of our 2009 Syrah - Tempranillo to the crew and have confidence they will help us share our wine with many more people. Stay tuned...

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