Story by Jessica Swanson

The Columbia Gorge American Viticultural Area, or AVA, is marketed as “a world of wine in 40 miles.” Because of its unique topography, varying elevations and micro-climates, grapes from all over the globe thrive in this four county area — Skamania and Klickitat in Washington, and Hood River and Wasco in Oregon. White Salmon is overlooked as a home to some of the most interesting and experienced winemakers in the Gorge.

One such winery is Major Creek Cellars, owned by Steve Mason. Steve is a new winemaker, on the eve of his sixth crush, but a dedicated afficiando of the craft. Steve, a chemical engineer and environmental manager for Boeing, was in the company’s Employees Winemaking and Brewing Club, known for producing more than a dozen well respected professional wineries. Steve started windsurfing in the Gorge in the 1980s and soon bought the property in Snowden that Major Creek Cellars now sits on. He wasn’t planning to start a winery or grow the half-acre of pinot noir he has today. But good food and European travel led him to wine — and he is hooked.

“I got into it for fun, pleasure, passion. And we’re going to keep it that way,” he said.

His winery is open only by appointment, as are many in the White Salmon area, but he participates in tastings at venues such as The Gorge White House and Hotel Monaco in Portland and sells his wine at Blackbird Wine Shop in Portland and Vino Manzanita on the Oregon Coast.

Each year, Steve makes a syrah, a cabernet franc, a pinot noir, a traditional rosé, and he has a 2004 grenache. Major Creek Cellars may be the smallest winery in the Gorge, producing only 200 cases a year. His wife Jeanne is director of quality control, or “head cellar rat.” Together they handpicked 300 pounds of grapes from an order in their basement for the first pinot noir they made.

“It was a very good way to treat the pinot,” he said. “It is easy to bruise and there are experts who can taste it.”

Steve buys grapes by the pound from vineyards in Oregon and Washington and plans to start using grapes from the Columbia Gorge. The AVA is “growing and maturing fast,” he said.

White Salmon Vineyard is owned by Peter Brehm, who has been brokering frozen fruit for winemakers since 1971 and buying grapes from the Columbia Gorge since 1988. Today he grows 10 grapes at a 550-foot elevation on 20 acres of Underwood Mountain and produces 1200 to 1300 cases on site. Four distinct soils have been planted and trellised to create the best grapes for their particular wine. Established in 2003, his was the first winery in Skamania Co.

Joel Goodwille owns Wind River Cellars in Husum. Joel got his start with Ernest and Julio Gallo and purchased Wind River in the mid-1990s. He co-authored the Columbia Gorge American Viticultural Area application, which was approved in 2002 and led to an explosion of wineries and vineyards in 2005. Wind River produces 3500 cases a year.

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Story + photo by J. Maury Harris

While new to the downtown Vancouver scene, Charlies Bistro feeds off tradition.

Chef and owner, Peter Dougherty of La Bottega, began by paying tribute to his grandfathers – both named Charles. He also focused his menu on old-fashioned American comfort foods, with a smattering of family specialties and a pinch of modern flair.

Recognizable classics like beef wellington, rumaki and buffalo wings grace the menu. But when talking American tradition, nothing trumps a thick hamburger resting on a bed of fries.

To be exact, a half-pound, ground chuck burger in a sesame brioche bun. That’s the heart of the Charlies Burger.

Dougherty’s personalized touch gives it soul – thoughtfulness demonstrated when the melted white cheddar accentuates the roasted poblano pepper. Thick-cut bacon and balsamic caramelized onions help deepen the flavor, while leaf lettuce and organic, hydroponic tomatoes impart a crisp freshness.

Even the house-made mayonnaise brings a more natural texture, rich fattiness and robust flavor.

“The whole is greater than the sum, so to speak,” Dougherty said. “It has a great flavor profile, of which the pepper is probably the most interesting element.”

The pepper’s subtle smokiness adds a rich nuttiness and a smidge of heat that falls in the mild to medium range. To complement the whole, Dougherty adds a side of savory rosemary French fries sprinkled with parsley.

The dish is priced at eleven dollars, but a quarter-pound lunch version saves two dollars.

“The food is definitely the forefront – the driving force behind the restaurant,” he said. “It’s a focus on scratch cooking with fresh, local and organic ingredients whenever possible.”
Breakout:
Charlies Bistro
1220 Main St., Vancouver
www.charliesbistro.com
360-693-9998

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Story by Jessica Swanson

Urban Abundance, a new project of Slow Food Southwest Washington, plans to reach into Vancouver’s food history in order to serve its future. Director Warren Neth was offered a grant from a community member to increase the food supply in the four neighborhoods that meet at Mill Plain and Grand boulevards, just east of downtown Vancouver: Harney Heights, Edgewood, Central Park and Hudson’s Bay. The program will center on providing the bounty from community fruit and nut trees to Vancouver’s emergency food system.

Warren, former community involvement coordinator with Columbia Land Trust, just got word that the city of Vancouver’s GIS department will provide maps of the four neighborhoods as well as the whole Fourth Plain corridor. The maps will identify the soil profile, publicly owned open spaces, water lines and community centers.

The maps will be the basis for the project’s four “areas of abundance”: planting, planning, gleaning and stories. Warren’s background is in oral history and ethnography. He grew up on an organic berry farm in Ridgefield and listened to the elders in his family talk about the abundance Vancouver once held. He is organizing neighborhood meetings in the project area that will provide space and time for residents to talk about fruit and nut trees in their neighborhoods, as well as backyard gardening and harvesting, eventually identifying people to interview for an interactive website that features “stories of abundance.” Warren is hoping to find elders in the community who remember orchards, victory gardens and gleaning groups of long ago.

Also, Warren will be tapping workshop participants and other interested volunteers for its first community planting. Vancouver’s Urban Forestry department has offered to supply nut trees to be planted in a neighborhood park. Where the interest is greatest is where the first trees will go. One of the project’s goals is to plant many fruit and nut trees in community spaces and organize groups of gleaners to harvest the trees to increase the supply of fresh food to those in need.

Private citizens with fruit and nut trees can also register with Urban Abundance to have their trees harvested, as can
harvesters and those in need of donations. Visit www.myurbanabundance.org to
get involved.

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The inaugural uptown tour of chicken coops in downtown Vancouver neighborhoods, organized by community members that believe in the positive impact local sustainable food sources have on our health, community, and environment, is an opportunity for participants to gain valuable insight and inspiration from experienced coop owners.

The first ever self-guided tour of urban poultry coops in the downtown Vancouver area is set to kick off Saturday afternoon on the 17th of July from 12 to 4 p.m.

This is a fun and affordable event for you, your family and all your friends! This tour enables you the flexibility to determine your own route as you get to know your neighbors and peck their brains on raising urban fowl.

The $10 tickets are on sale at Mint Tea (2014 Main St) and Arnada Naturals (1705 Broadway). A map of coop locations and wristband passes will be available for pickup the day of the event at ticket locations. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Hough Foundation.

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J.

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Art, food, wine and music will be featured at the first annual Artists in the Vineyard art festival on Saturday July 24 from noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday July 25 from noon to 4 p.m. Come and meet the artists and enjoy a glass of wine while you stroll the bucolic setting at Confluence Vineyard and Winery. Artists will dedicate a portion of their proceeds to support the Oregon Food Bank and Neighbors Helping Neighbors. Representatives from glassybaby will be on hand selling their hand blown glass votives, and a portion of their sales will also go to OFB and Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

The winery is located at 19111 NW 67th St. in Ridgefield. For more information contact Kathy Winters 360-887-2160.

Also, go to Paper Tiger Coffee Roasters today for the Ethiopian pour-over. It’s open LATE tonight and it’s making me very happy this afternoon.

J

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J.

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Windows into Art has an interactive map online now. What a great project, bringing to life downtown Vancouver storefronts: http://www.windowsintoart.org/vanusatourist.html

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Last September, an art gallery Vancouver was looking for opened on West Ninth Street. Lincoln’s Gallery, born by local alternative folk band Lincoln’s Beard, is fresh and laid back. You won’t find framing or art supplies here – you may not even find the doors open, but when they are, feel free to sit on the couch, nurse a bottle of water and soak up the Renaissance aesthetic of its owners, Tyler Morgan, Kris Chrisopulos and Dwayne Spence.

Kris is an art teacher at Prairie High School, while Tyler teaches history in Camas. Dwayne is long a music promoter in the Vancouver area and an artist who has shown in other venues. In the band, Tyler plays trumpet, keys, glockenspiel, mandolin and sings; Kris plays guitar and sings; and Dwayne plays bass, banjo and sings back-up. The band has one full-length record, Our American Cousin, and will soon be releasing another.

“There aren’t too many relationships you have where you can do something like this,” said Tyler.

Tyler and Kris have no experience running a gallery and say they had no loftier intentions than creating a space where they could play, practice and hang friends’ art, as well as their own. But they are already booking months out and have shown local artists such as Reid Trevarthen, Selfless Creations, Anni Becker, Mitch Tarbutton and James Jacob. While Tyler said most of the off-the-street inquiries are about the coin shop next door, the first opening was shoulder-to-shoulder people. The band plays at each opening and uses the space primarily to practice.

Kris said the concept for the gallery came together organically, and stays together because people keep supporting them. He said it was something “I’d like to see in the place where I live.”

Artists and friends sometimes volunteer to keep open hours for the gallery – otherwise it’s open on First Fridays, other Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and by appointment.

The gallery fronts a space leased by fellow artist Brian Ripp, owner of Divergent Clothing.

“Brian has been a great influence,” said Kris, who collaborates with him on artwork. Kris said running a gallery and working with other artists inspires him to stay in the studio.

“From the art standpoint, I have produced more art than I ever have,” said Kris. And he added, “if somebody backs out, it’s up to you to fill the wall.”

Lincoln’s Gallery
106/108 W. Ninth St., Vancouver
lincolnsgallerymail@gmail.com

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