Along with Burgundy, Bordeaux is France’s other most famous red wine region. Although not nearly as old as Burgundy, Bordeaux’s reputation has skyrocketed since the late 1980s, when the up-and-coming wine critic Robert Parker made certain vintages and producers famous. We’ll be discussing how to comprehend Bordeaux’s complex appellations and classification systems, and how to find lesser-known Bordeaux wines of high quality. As you might expect, dear reader, we’ll be enjoying a variety of styles from Bordeaux, ranging the breadth of styles Bordeaux has to offer.

purchase tickets here, $45

Founders of import company Black Lamb, Stetson and Kristyn are nationally recognized for their pioneering efforts in preaching a vinous gospel concerning the wines of Georgia and Central Europe. And get this…they just moved to the Portland area from New York City. We’ll be hosting Stetson for a tasting of four wines from a unique Slovenian producer. Read about Stetson, his import company Black Lamb, and KABAJ below!

My wife and partner Kristyn and I started our wine import company Black Lamb in 2018 in California. Most of our professional wine experience has been with indigenous wines from Central Europe and Georgia: we are attracted to low-technology, grower-produced wines that range from the dogmatically traditional to the new and unknown. KABAJ is an estate in the Slovenian wine district of Goriška Brda whose wines exemplify both.

We are excited to announce that winemaker Jean Michel Morel of KABAJ will visit Oregon for the first time this November. Caught between the Alps and the Adriatic Goriška Brda, this is the most northerly position where olives are grown and home to some of Europe's tastiest stone fruit. It is also one of the places where orange wine is old-fashioned, and KABAJ has long been dedicated to this style of vinification. The diverse selection KABAJ produces establishes that, at least in Brda, vinfiying white wine with the skins results in wines of greater drama, longevity and specificity than those vinified without the skins. Come meet one of the most experienced and opinionated professionals making the best of contemporary skin-fermented white (and red) wines. 

purchase tickets here, $15, with your ticket credited toward a purchase of two bottles at the event

If you have a foundational understanding of how wine comes into existence, and a grasp of the most essential concepts that surround wine, then it’s time to dive into wine tasting. Wine can (and should!) be mysterious, but we’re going to provide you with a firm foundation to understand—and thereby better enjoy—the wines you drink.

Before exploring the various areas of aroma and flavor profiles, we’ll talk about the key structural elements that compose a glass: sweetness, alcohol, acidity, and tannin. Alongside a little bit of science and a dose of psychology, we’ll provide tips and tricks to navigate the choreography and mechanics of tasting.

Allison and Kenny McMahon (and baby Penelope) are the forces of nature behind Arabilis, a relatively new label in the Willamette Valley. Both have Ph.D.s from Washington State University; Kenny’s dissertation was on the science of traditional method sparkling wine, and Allison’s was on the intricacies of Syrah. After spending some years working applying their expertise to research and data in a variety of fields, they came to the Willamette Valley with the intention of making Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and traditional method sparkling wine.

Allison and Kenny will be pouring a selection of their wines, including their newly-released (and killer!) bubbles!

reserve tickets here, free!

In and of itself, we will admit that wine is not a terribly spooky thing, and such, does not blatantly endear itself toward Halloween festivities. This said, we’ll be getting into wines that are kooky, sometimes off-putting, and always fascinating. Our flight will consist of wines that are not commonly found on shelves or restaurant glass pour menus: oxidative whites, gamey reds, and eclectic fortified wines are the name of the game tonight.

purchase tickets here, $45

Back when he was a teenager, Ora's co-owner, Dave, was very awkward. So awkward, in fact, that he was a competitive card magician and went to a magic camp (the one that the Disney movie is based on, that David Blaine, Michael Carbonaro, and Adrien Brody also attended). It's debatable whether or not he's gotten any less awkward, but hosting a magic show was always the ultimate goal of opening a wine shop. Sarah (Dave's far better half, and far better business partner) didn't permit OEL to be a hybrid magic/wine shop, so this is the next best thing we've got.

Your ticket includes a glass of wine or non-alcohlic beverage. Although minors are allowed, this show is geared toward a PG-13 audience (primarily because Dave's favorite word is the eff-bomb).

purchase tickets here, $20

We've recruited three friends to perform at our inaugural "Magic Uncorked" in honor of Portland Magic Week, and here's some info about them:

John W. Stevens has been called “The Mr. Rogers of Magic,” and is a family entertainer who has been delighting audiences for over 35 years. Known for his captivating magic tricks and joyful performances, John brings a blend of wonder and laughter to every show. His career has spanned generations, enchanting children and adults alike with his magical stories.

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Rudy Tinoco has been performing magic for more than twenty-five years. His magic has been featured in Magic Magazine, The Hermit Magazine, The Linking Ring and Reel Magic Magazine. He specializes in close-up card magic, and also has the ability to entertain a crowd of hundreds with his stage show. He’s also the founder of The Magician’s Forum, an online magic forum that serves as a positive place for magic lovers to share their passion for all things magical

Rudy sees magic as a way to not only entertain and amaze his audiences, but also as a way to interact with people in such a way that they feel like they are an integral part of the magic.

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Award-winning magician Seren Goldsmith will leave you laughing and amazed with her unique blend of comedy and magic (science?). Is it really magic, or an example of Clarke's 3rd law? Come judge for yourself! Side effects of experiments may include laughter, confusion, and mild drooling.

Join us for an introduction to the basics of wine. All of us, at some point or another, have found ourselves boggled by retail shelves or restaurant menus. Between regions, varietals, styles, and jargon, approaching wine can seem impossibly daunting. This class is geared toward those who love wine, but find themselves a little (or maybe more than a little!) lost.

We’re going to cover the most essential concepts surrounding wine production and how to read a wine label. With these skills, you’ll be equipped with the right set of tools and questions to tackle the world of wine.

purchase tickets here, $25

Beloved by sommeliers for their versatility and gluggability (few grapes produce more delightfully chuggable wines than does Gamay Noir), the wines of Beaujolais rarely disappoint if one knows where to look. Beaujolais is a bit south of the famous Burgundian Côte-d'Or, and it has experienced a popularity boom in recent decades, thanks to brilliant marketing campaigns that introduced Beaujolais Nouveau to American markets for Thanksgiving. Being a birthplace of the natural wine movement, Beaujolais has so much more to offer than the bombastic bubblegum and banana of the Nouveau style, and we’ll be exploring the easy-drinking regional wines, and also the more site-specific wines of the Beaujolais Crus. We’re stoked to host Kellee Fiardet, Portland’s resident Bojo expert, who is our guest instructor for this shindig.

Meet Kellee Fiardet, a passionate and innovative young professional making waves in the wine industry. As the co-owner of New Wave Wine Co. an importing and distribution company based in the vibrant city of Portland, Oregon, Kellee has carved a niche for herself in curating a portfolio of small-production, natural-focused French wines that embody the essence of terroir. Kellee takes great pride in bringing these hidden gems to wine enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest, fostering a deeper appreciation for the artistry and individuality found in each bottle.

With an impressive tenure of over 15 years in the field, Kellee's journey began in the Oregon wine country but it was her time spent living in France where her love affair with wine truly blossomed. She immersed herself working harvest in Beaujolais for three consecutive years, gaining invaluable hands-on experience and deepening her understanding of the winemaking process. Her time in Europe also saw her collaborating with these same French winemakers, representing their wines internationally. Kellee honed her language skills and learned to speak French while living in France and furthered her expertise as a judge in wine competitions learning to hone her discerning palate and enhanced her ability to identify exceptional wines.

Kellee's dedication to her profession is evident in her diverse background. Prior to venturing into entrepreneurship, she worked for various importers, where she showcased her knowledge selling portfolios of French, Italian, and domestic wines. Eager to expand her education and appreciation of wine, Kellee travels the world, seeking out new experiences and opportunities to further her knowledge. She continuously strives to unearth hidden gems and introduce wine enthusiasts to the beauty of artisanal, natural French wines. Kellee's entrepreneurial spirit, extensive industry experience, and global perspective make her an inspiring figure in the wine industry, and her commitment to quality and authenticity sets her apart as a true connoisseur and advocate for the art of winemaking.

purchase tickets here, $35

Sam Parra and Adrian Cornejo were among the very first indie winemakers we worked with, in the early months of our existence, and we’re stoked to have them back for Hispanic Heritage Month! Sam is originally from northern California, where he first learned how to make wine before heading to the Willamette Valley. Adrian and his brother Hernan grew up on Hiyu Wine Farm (their dad moved up to the Gorge from Mexico, and took care of the orchards on the property before vines replaced them), where they helped to manage the vineyards and make wine; Nueva Aventura began almost 10 years ago, and Adrian trained under Nate Ready, the Master Sommelier behind Hiyu.

Adrian and Sam will be pouring a selection of wines ranging on the unconventional side of things. Sam will be showing his dessert and hibiscus-infused wines, as well as two different expressions of Tempranillo, while Adrian will be showing mostly red wines on the bigger end of the spectrum.

reserve tickets here, free!

Let’s be honest, the dominance of single-varietal bottlings in the American wine market is a bit boring. But at the fun fringes, the iron grip of Cab and Chard is loosening and whole new kinds of wine are ascendant. Not just a single variety, not just made from grapes, the co-ferment has arrived for your drinking pleasure. Join us for a survey of the rainbow of colors and flavors possible when grapes are fermented in combination with other fruits and sometimes even herbs, honey and flowers. Fizzy, foggy, funky, electric, versatile with food, and with lower alcohol to keep the party going, many of these styles have a long tradition being rediscovered today. We’ll focus on Oregon producers who are playing a leading role in the co-ferment revolution. Piquettes, ciderkins, wine-cider hybrids, weird fruits in the mix, we’ll have it all. Get hip to the new/old forefront of fermentation with these delicious, unique, and truly sustainable beverages.

Because these are generally lower ABV products, Oliver will round out the tasting with a number of coferments and blends from his own cellar, including some he made himself with Oregon fruit over the last couple of years.

A native New Yorker, Oliver Longwell caught the wine bug in 2012 after a number of years working in government and politics. He has worked for leading wine retailers in New York and Los Angeles, with a particular focus on organically-farmed and natural wines. Oliver is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and works as a freelance wine consultant. He enjoys experimenting with fermentations, especially ciders. He and his wife moved to Northeast Portland in 2021 and welcomed their first daughter in 2022 and second daughter in 2024.

purchase tickets here, $35

more info coming soon!

Strade Bianche is a Portland-based importer and distributor, focusing on low-intervention and small-production wines. We’ve worked with Strade since our early months, and we’re fortunate that one of the three founders, Andrea (Jeremy and Bobby are the other two), is visiting Portland from Italy, and will be pouring some of his favorite wines.

One of the main reasons we love Strade’s portfolio is because Andrea is an Italian native, where he lives, establishing close relationships with the winemakers he imports, many of whom are old friends from growing up in Italy. Few other importers can boast of this situation, where someone with their boots on the ground is devoted full-time to discovering hidden gems in small villages.

Come to this free tasting, and explore some awesome wines!

reserve tickets here, free!

Steiermark, or Styria as it's known in English, is the deeply-lush, steep-sloped wine region in southern Austria, hugging the Slovenian border. While wildly underappreciated, Styria is home to some of the most well-farmed and thought-provoking white wines in the world. Familiar varieties like Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc share vineyard rows with lesser-known favorites like Gelber Muskateller and Welschriesling, and orchard fruits are abundant throughout the region. This class, led by Dana Frank of High Five Selections, will be a fantastic introduction to what makes Styria so special and why the wines should be on your radar.

Dana has been an enthusiastic part of the Portland wine industry for over 15 years, most recently as the owner of Bar Norman. She has worked in hospitality for most of her career and is the co-author of the book Wine Food, published in 2018. In 2019 she founded The Wild Bunch, Portland's natural wine fair. High Five Selections is her newest venture, importing Austrian wine to the US alongside her husband, winemaker Scott Frank.

purchase tickets here, $40

Burgundy is certainly one of the most sought-after wine regions in the world, and its influence on the global wine scene is unparalleled. Ancient Romans and not-so-ancient monks shaped Burgundy’s history of winemaking, and nearly all the appellations in Burgundy result from monastic culture’s meticulous scholarship and study of vineyards. Given Burgundy’s storied history, it is a rather difficult place to understand, and Burgundian labels are notoriously befuddling. We’ll be discussing this history, cracking the code of Burgundy’s highly confusing appellations, and pouring a killer flight of Pinots and Chardonnays, including Premiers and Grands Crus.

purchase tickets here, $50

Alsace is one of the most strikingly beautiful regions in France, and has straddled the oenological, epicurean, and cultural traditions of both Germany and France for centuries. Belle’s village in “Beauty and the Beast” was indeed modeled after a picturesque Alsatian town, and no doubt she would have enjoyed the lovely wines made on the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. Tonight we’ll be communing with Belle and her furry love, tasting through a flight of the best that Alsace has to offer, from Grand Cru single varietals, to field blends, to delectable botrytized and late harvest dessert wines.

purchase tickets here, $40

Shawn and Lisa Fischer planted two acres of grapes in the Chehalem Mountains AVA in 2016, and their family worked for several years to clear the land in preparation for further vineyard expansion. Pinot, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Albariño replaced blackberry bushes, wild roses, holly, and lots of poison oak. Between working by hand in their little vineyard, refurbishing oak barrels, dry farming, and using sustainable farming practices, these folks are doing things right.

Anthony, the Fischer’s son-in-law, will be pouring four wines, from a rosé of Tempranillo to their experimental red wines based on Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. These are delicious daily drinkers, so come check out this nascent project!

reserve tickets here, FREE

If you’ve come to appreciate how wine can elevate a meal, but want to understand how wine and food interact–in both desirable and undesirable ways–then this is the class for you. As we taste through our flight, we’ll be investigating how these wines interact with various food components (salt, fat, acid, and heat, as it were). We’ll empower you with the resources to ask the right questions of wine stewards and sommeliers when you’re looking for the perfect bottle or glass to accompany your meal.

purchase tickets here, $25

No doubt that skin contact and rosé wines have been experiencing a renaissance in recent years. While many of these wines tend to be gluggable delights, there are certainly more structured and complex wines that have been around for many centuries. We’ll be diving into the whole spectrum of skin contact wines, from the hyper-traditional to the new-fangled experimental, and we’ll discuss the producers, regions, and varietals as we taste through our flight of 6 wines.

purchase tickets here, $35

If you have a foundational understanding of how wine comes into existence, and a grasp of the most essential concepts that surround wine, then it’s time to dive into wine tasting. Wine can (and should!) be mysterious, but we’re going to provide you with a firm foundation to understand—and thereby better enjoy—the wines you drink.

Before exploring the various areas of aroma and flavor profiles, we’ll talk about the key structural elements that compose a glass: sweetness, alcohol, acidity, and tannin. Alongside a little bit of science and a dose of psychology, we’ll provide tips and tricks to navigate the choreography and mechanics of tasting. Our flight of six wines will highlight a diversity of styles to focus our conversation.

purchase tickets here, $25

It’s hot out there, perfect weather for rosé refreshment! But rosé is a surprisingly diverse and versatile category of wine that has many worthy applications besides summertime sipping. This class skips over the pink tsunami of industrial plonk that washes in every spring in favor of the bold, unexpected, and under-the-radar gems of the genre. We’ll taste a handful of small-production, naturally-made wines that showcase what rosé can offer in the hands of artisan winemakers. We’ll offer ideas for interesting food pairings and bust some malignant myths that have pigeonholed rosé in the eyes of consumers. The goal is to enjoy some delicious wines perfect for the season but also inspire you to think pink all year-round.  

A native New Yorker, Oliver Longwell caught the wine bug in 2012 after a number of years working in government and politics. He has worked for leading wine retailers in New York and Los Angeles, with a particular focus on organically-farmed and natural wines. Oliver is a Certified Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers and works as a freelance wine consultant. He enjoys experimenting with fermentations, especially ciders. He and his wife moved to Northeast Portland in 2021 and welcomed their first daughter in 2022 and second daughter in 2024.

purchase tickets here, $30

The story behind Little Bastions is a compelling one. Chase and Casey find old, forgotten, dilapidated vineyards and orchards (using Google Earth, no shit) in the Columbia Gorge, and then contact the landowners to inquire about farming their land. “Little Bastions” refers to these plots of land. These dudes are super hands-on throughout the entire winemaking process: they tend to vines and trees, harvest the fruit, and make everything in a minimal-intervention style. We’ll be tasting through a slate of their juice, including a hybrid grape-tree fruit fermentation that all the cool kids are raving about.

Their label art has a hilarious explanation, which I feel compelled to share. Chase and Casey were looking through their friend’s sketchbook, hunting for inspiration for label artwork. They found an image of the bourgeoisie looking with disdain upon drunken monkeys below them, and realized that—in their words—”we’re the drunken monkeys!” This piece has adorned most of their bottles ever since. Dear reader, if that factoid isn’t enough to convince you to try their wines, I’m not sure what will.

purchase tickets here, $20

Riesling is a tragically maligned grape in American cultural consciousness, given that several decades ago, a few companies decided to artificially sweeten their wines so as to appeal to the American palate’s love for sugary things. And while there is a long tradition of crafting off-dry to sweet wines from Riesling, there’s infinitely more to the grape than the schlock that nearly destroyed its reputation.

This class will explore 6 Rieslings from several regions across Germany, from the famous Mosel to more southerly territories. We’ll be nerding out about the grape’s history, Germany’s wildly frustrating appellation system, and tasting through a swathe of Rieslings from acclaimed producers.

purchase tickets here, $40

A number of years ago, we stumbled into a little tasting room during our first visit to Walla Walla. This winery only had one Google review at the time, and we were absolutely blown away by the wines of Kendall Mix. When we opened Ora et Labora, we asked Kendall if we could carry his wines, and he was gracious enough to obtain a license from the OLCC. We’re currently the only bottle shop in Portland to carry his wine!

Here’s a bit of Kendall’s story: originally from Canada, Kendall’s parents Lawrence and Elinor (hence “Lawr-elin”) encouraged him to move to California to attend UC Davis’s school of oenology and viticulture. Kendall moved to Washington to make wine from Red Mountain AVA, but for a few reasons didn’t sell what he made for a decade, as he made juice for other wineries.

Here’s what makes Kendall’s red wines so unique: he cellars them for a decade before releasing them, and they are remarkably well priced. Each year, Kendall makes tiny quantities (mostly in 50-100 case allotments) of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from the appellations surrounding Walla Walla, and relatively recently began crafting white and rosé wine.

We’re thrilled that Kendall is making a rare trip to Portland to pour his wines for us, and get ready for a lineup ranging the spectrum of Kendall’s styles, with a focus his aged Cab Sauv, Syrah, and Rhone-style GSM blend.

purchase tickets here, $30

Join us for an introduction to the basics of wine. All of us, at some point or another, have found ourselves boggled by retail shelves or restaurant menus. Between regions, varietals, styles, and jargon, approaching wine can seem impossibly daunting. This class is geared toward those who love wine, but find themselves a little (or maybe more than a little!) lost.

We’re going to cover the most essential concepts surrounding wine production and how to read a wine label, while drinking through a flight of six wines to provide experiential understanding of these ideas. With these skills, you’ll be equipped with the right set of tools and questions to tackle the world of wine.

purchase tickets here, $25

Join us for an introduction to the basics of wine. All of us, at some point or another, have found ourselves boggled by retail shelves or restaurant menus. Between regions, varietals, styles, and jargon, approaching wine can seem impossibly daunting. This class is geared toward those who love wine, but find themselves a little (or maybe more than a little!) lost.

We’re going to cover the most essential concepts surrounding wine production and how to read a wine label, while drinking through a flight of six wines to provide experiential understanding of these ideas. With these skills, you’ll be equipped with the right set of tools and questions to tackle the world of wine.

purchase tickets here, $25

Houstonian Jonathan Honefenger was named one of the five best young sommeliers in the country a number of years ago by Wine & Spirits, but decided to move out to Oregon to make wine from his favorite varietals right before the pandemic hit. Because of Jonathan’s reputation in Texas, the majority of his very limited production juice makes its way to the Lone Star state, but he’s on the rise locally. In our minds, Jonathan’s uniqueness lies in his expertise as a sommelier coupled with his expertise in the vineyard. He’s a dude who spends a lot of time in the midst of his vines, all so that he can know his fruit as intimately as possible in pursuit of making the best wine possible. Not only is Jonathan a stellar winemaker, but he’s also a magnetic personality, and you’ll have a blast learning from him.

Come join us on Friday, July 5th from 5-8pm to taste through a lineup of four wines from WiLD CHiLD, ranging from juicy Gamay to single vineyard expressions of Pinot and Chardonnay.

$20, purchase tickets here

Natural wines are a major phenomenon in the wine world; such wines emphasize the influence of terroir on grapes, and low-intervention winemaking processes. This said, the world of natural wine can be terribly confusing, so we’ll be debunking some myths and addressing what makes a natty wine so “natural”. Given that producers of natural wines tend to be on the smaller scale because they rely so heavily upon hands-on (rather than purely mechanized) labor and vinification techniques, our flight will get into stuff that very well might shock and surprise your tastebuds (for better or for weird!).

purchase tickets here