Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner

June 18, 2023 by 1 Comment

Fullerton Wine has a tasting room in the Slabtown area on NW Pettygrove, with a unique perspective of offering wine to highlight all the AVA (American Viticultural Area) of the Willamette Valley. To help this vision, winemaker Alex Fullerton and father Eric offers fine wine and they love pairing with food, offering dinners and dueling pairings with other winemakers. I’ve attended and loved a dinner previously, and recently attended another one with their new executive chef Andrew Thomas who recently started offering winemaker pairing dinner menu options for non-meat those reducing meat eaters.
Rosemary Focaccia Bruschetta Roasted Summer Vegetables, Gremolata, Toasted Spice Pepitas Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Wood Fired Grilled Steak, Whiskey Braised Cipollini Onions, Thyme Brown Butter, New Potatoes, Romesco Sauce

In a very inclusive move, the wine pairing dinners are offered so that diners can select from a Traditional (omnivore) menu, Pescatarian, or Vegan food pairing. So those with dietary restrictions are thoughtfully accounted for which is worth spotlighting, beyond their convenient location within Portland and great wines. It’s also fun to see how they efficiently create the twists in dishes to meet the restrictions. Here’s an example walkthrough of the Fullerton Pairing Dinner June 16 & 17, 2023 to see what an experience might be like.

We started with a welcome pour of 2021 Three Otters Rosé. This easy to drink and very affordable summer pleaser started as a competition between father and son on who can make the best Rosé (whole cluster pressed vs skin contact over 6 days) and both were blended together when Alex discovered the sum was better together. You’ll notice the family love of otters on the wine label as well as part of the family crest and if you look carefully, an otter calendar hanging inside the tasting room.
Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner welcome pour of 2021 Three Otters Rosé

First Course

Seasonal Vegetable Gazpacho, Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Peach, Croutons
This course was the same for both of us and was well balanced with the acidity and sweet of the fruit. It was paired with the bright 2022 Three Otters Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley AVA.
Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Seasonal Vegetable Gazpacho, Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Peach, Croutons Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Seasonal Vegetable Gazpacho, Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Peach, Croutons

Second Course

Aleppo Seared Scallop with Israeli Cous Cous Salad Roasted Summer Squash, Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion, Basil Ladolemono Dressing
🌱Vegan: Israeli Couscous, Crispy Chickpeas, Roasted Seasonal Squash, Blisters Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion, Basil Ladolemono Dressing
Both were paired with 2018 Lichtenwalter Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge AVA which is one of my favorites from Fullerton, with a smooth blend of fruit with spice accent in the flavor profile that’s subtle but distinguishable.
Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Aleppo Seared Scallop with Israeli Cous Cous Salad Roasted Summer Squash, Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion, Basil Ladolemono Dressing Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Vegan course of Israeli Couscous, Crispy Chickpeas, Roasted Seasonal Squash, Blisters Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion, Basil Ladolemono Dressing

Third Course

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Fullerton Wines Food and Wine Dinner

December 22, 2021 by Leave a Comment

The Portland tasting room of Fullerton Wines made news recently with adding chef Rob Grisham to lead the food pairings with wine for dinners on Thursday nights.
Fullerton Wines Food and Wine Dinner Fullerton Wines Food and Wine Dinner

The menus may change often (weekly – you can get a preview seemingly on their webpage for reservations), so consider this only an example from their opening week. My dinner included a horizontal wine pairing flight that highlighted five pinot noirs (they actually offer seven pinots from 2017 and different vineyards, so your vertical wine flight may vary), each from a different AVA.

Fullerton Wines’ wine portfolio focuses on Burgandian varietals and the terroir of Willamette Valley wines with pinot noir, pinot noir rosé, pinot gris, and chardonnay. This family owned business includes their Five FACES line (a nod to the five members of their family), but also in particular a Single Vineyards series highlighting single vineyards and different AVAs, mostly with sedimentary and/or volcanic soil. That makes the food and wine pairing not only delicious, but educational as well. As each wine is poured, I enjoyed hearing the family vineyards that the winemaker Alex Fullerton, sources each wine from, and hearing stories about each wine and vineyard that really connect you locally.
Fullerton Wines Food and Wine Dinner Fullerton Wines Food and Wine Dinner

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Farm to Table Dining with Field and Vine Dinners

August 20, 2019 by Leave a Comment

One of the happiest discoveries I made when I first moved here to Portland is how accessible it is to not only enjoy farm to table dinners in Portland with many restaurants, but it is also very easy to enjoy and support local producers by dining at the farms and vineyards, right at the source. This is not just a summer activity either. For instance, Field and Vine Dinners are scheduled from spring through the end of the year.
Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner

With over 30 of their Dinners in the Field events scheduled a year, Field and Vine farm to table dinners probably have one that fits your calendar. As of this post there are still 14 more dinners available. They are also pretty affordable – a great majority of the dinners are priced at about $100, and that includes all of the food, drinks, and gratuity.
Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner

I really applaud Field and Vine events for the variety of locations for their dinner series. You will find dinners set out in the field for dining al fresco of course, but also in barns, barrel rooms, and even at a classic horse show, an alpaca ranch (upcoming on September 21 2019) or elk farm (upcoming October 12 2019). If you are reading this past 2019 – not to worry, they re-visit many of these locations every year.
Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner

You will find family-style 6-7 course dinners paired with wine from local vineyards, but Field and Vine also partners with beverage partners too like Westward Whiskey, Portland Cider Co., Trail Distilling, and Coin Toss Brewing – and there are still tickets to dinners with these libation friends still on the calendar coming up this year. Some of the dinners may be in collaboration with other local makers like farmers, chocolatiers, and cheesemakers.
Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner Dining in the vineyards with Field and Vine Dinners: Elk Cove and TMK Creamery Dinner

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