Last Saturday I attended  downtown McMinnville's monthly  "Third Saturday Art and Wine Walk" where I poured samples for Wednesdays Wine,  a wine retail shop on 3rd Ave.

It was a wonderful experience. I met so may people, mostly residents of McMinnville and area but a few tourists and local business owners as well. The store manager, Kathy Campbell,  offers local and international wines and an olive oil bar where patrons can draw olive oil from bulk offerings by the ounce. What a cool idea. Another feature was a co-located artisan cheese bar, Abbie and Oliver. I met Andrea McEvay owner operator of the bar who also helped me with the wine pour setup and managed the purchase transactions.  She introduced me to an Italian  cheese (Grana Padano) that goes superbly with Pinot Noir wine. It seems to enhances the fruit character, hard to explain you have to try it. It was great, I ended up buying some to take home. As an appitizer I take a small piece of it and munch it as I enjoy what else, our PV Pinot Noir before dinner.

The pour was an unbridled success. I sold more wine then I anticipated and into a slow market ( after the hoildays). Andrea commented that I had sold more, a lot more, than what is typical for a wine representative. I feel it is because the customers want to know about the wine, the viticulture that is the foundation for a great wine and how the wine is made. For me it is fun to talk about my labor of love, I enjoy every minute of it!

I look forward to returning to the Art and Wine walk in the near future. Especially now that Wednesdays Wine stocks our Pinot Noir. If you are in the area, drop by and see Kathy and Andrea they are small business at its best.

www.downtownmcminnville.com/

www.wednesdaywines.com/

Neil Frederickson