Plus: July means Portland Pride
 
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49º | Showers | 84% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:50 a.m. | Sunset 4:40 p.m.
 

It’s time for other wines to shine

Q+A: Mallory Smith, co-founder of Alt Wine Fest
Martin Skegg and Mallory Smith, founders of Alt Wine Fest, sit on the lawn sipping wine with lavender and vineyards in the background.
Martin Skegg and Mallory Smith started Alt Wine Fest in 2019. | Photo by Cheryl Juetten Photography + Alt Wine Fest
When it comes to Oregon wine, pinot noir grapes have spent so long in the spotlight it’s incredible they’re not all raisins by now.

Alt Wine Fest, back for its third year Sunday, July 16, at Abbey Road Farm, aims to give some love to lesser-known vinos and the 80+ different grape varieties that grow in the state.

We spoke with the event’s co-founder Mallory Smith about why novice sippers and oenophiles alike are ready to take a detour from the mainstream.
People play lawn games at the Alt Wine Fest.

Lawn games, food, and live music — we raise our glass to that.

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Photo by Cheryl Juetten Photography + Alt Wine Fest

What was the process of getting Alt Wine Fest off the ground?

At the bottle shop I worked at, the only people consistently excited about Oregon pinot noir were out-of-towners. Local customers were looking for something else.

Not only was it an untapped market, but we saw a huge opportunity to highlight a lot of smaller producers and showcase underdog grapes.

The introduction of something new and different, and the fact that dozens and dozens of these wines would be available in one place, meant that the momentum of the festival and the excitement for it kind of carried itself.

Three hands raise glasses of wine against a blue sky at Alt Wine Fest.

Parking is limited, but certain tickets include shuttle service. Have a plan to drive safely.

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Photo by Cheryl Juetten Photography + Alt Wine Fest

What’s new for the third year?

This year we’ve added VIP tickets — one-hour early entry allows guests more intimate conversations with winemakers — and a second food truck, Wooden Heart, will be serving woodfired pizza alongside Ricky’s iconic tacos.

If you had to pick your favorite more-obscure Oregon grape variety, what would it be and why should people know about it?

Oh my gosh, it’s so hard to pick just one. I love trousseau and mencia, lighter reds grown in Chehalem Mountains and Eola Amity Hills, respectively.

When the Willamette Valley was first planted with vineyards in the 60s-70s, lots of other non-pinot noir varieties were planted and plenty of those are still around today, like for example, Semillon vines that are 55 years old planted on historic David Hill vineyard outside Forest Grove.
More info before you go
 
Events
Thursday, July 13
Friday, July 14
  • Comedy in the Park | Friday, July 14 | 6:30 p.m. | Laurelhurst Park, Southeast Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard + Stark Street, Portland | Free | Join Kickstand Comedy and the Portland Mercury for this summer-long series featuring some of Portland’s favorite local and national stand-up comics.
  • Dueling Piano Show Bar | Friday, July 14 | 9 p.m. | Barrel Room, 120 NW Couch St., Portland | Free | The battle will be grand and filled with audience participation, singing, and dancing.
Saturday, July 15
  • AfroNature Presents: A Coastal Kickback! | Saturday, July 15 | 10 a.m. | Floor Solutions, 2121 NW Front Ave., Portland | Free | Meet up in the morning and road trip to Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area for a day of laying on the beach or hiking sand dunes.
  • Portland Pride Festival and Parade | Saturday, July 15-Sunday, July 16 | Times vary | Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 98 SW Naito Pkwy., Portland | Free, $10 donation suggested | It’s July so wave those rainbow flags high as we gather to support the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
Sunday, July 16
  • Sea Sickening Boat pRide | Sunday, July 16 | 2-5 p.m. | 1010 SW Naito Pkwy., Portland | $55-$110 | The Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Mariah Balenciaga of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” are ready to set sail for a voyage of incredible drag performances. Bon voyage.
  • UB40 | Sunday, July 16 | 7:30 p.m. | The Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E. Burnside St., Portland | $72 | This English reggae band has aged like red, red wine (make you feel so fine).
Events calendar here
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News Notes
Number
  • 48 hours. That’s the new (yet-to-be-certified) world record for the longest drag performance, achieved this week by Darcelle XV Showplace’s Drag-A-Thon. The event also raised more than $270,000 for LGBTQ youth advocacy nonprofit The Trevor Project. The show must go on indeed. (KATU)
Plan Ahead
  • Paseo, the BIPOC-produced art and music festival in Portland’s South Park Blocks, is back this summer with Sunday fun-days — on July 16, 23, and 30. Check it out for family-friendly activities and learning across three themes: “Creative Revolution,” “Green Grooves,” and “Land Back.” (Portland Tribune)
Sports
  • Depressed Timbers fans — put this season out of your mind by reliving the glory years at this Saturday’s home match against the Columbus Crew. Diego Valeri will be inducted into the club’s ring of honor, becoming the first player from the MLS era to earn the accolade. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Eat
  • Seafood lovers, meet Câche Câche, the new raw bar so good they named it twice. It’s actually French for “hide-and-seek,” tucked in the back of Fracture Brewing’s taproom. Guests can walk in or make a reservation to dig into oysters and other dishes, like the delicious brown butter lobster roll. (Willamette Week)
The Word
  • C-SweeP0 — that’s the winning submission in Oregon City’s contest to name its brand new street sweeper. Kennedy Gibb, a 7-year-old Oregon City resident, came up with the punny homage to the golden droid from “Star Wars” — as a reward, she gets a ride in the gleaming cleanup vehicle. (KOIN)
Health
  • In an effort to financially “right the ship,” Legacy Health will offload some of its lab facilities to Laboratory Corporation of America — approx. 700 of the hospital chain’s employees will also transition over. Details of the sale were not revealed. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)
Opening
  • Breakside Brewing is almost ready to rock the suburbs. Its Beaverton location (12675 SW First St.) will open this Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Stop by the test run for beer-only service from the mobile bar. Eventually, several food carts will join the outdoor space. (The New School)
Finance
  • Everyday investors profit from a $45 million Banksy collection (yes, the Banksy) thanks to Masterworks, who last sold one of the artist’s works at a 32% net gain. Masterworks has completed 13 exits (all profitable), with three recent sales delivering net annualized returns of 17.8%, 21.5%, and 35%. PDXtoday readers can skip the waitlist to join.†*
Shop
  • Parking your car on sunny streets while running errands around town? This No. 1 bestselling sunshade keeps your car’s interior cool and minimizes rays.*
† See important Masterworks disclosures.
Civic

Signs, signs, everywhere the signs

How Portland’s street signs are made
A digital printer prints street signs for the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
Residents of Southeast Franklin Street, this one’s for you. | Gif by @pbotinfo
Take a minute to think about how many street signs there are across the city. Two or more at every intersection, with additional posts sprinkled in here and there — our basic math says, that’s a lot.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation recently shared a behind-the-scenes look at the process of making these graphics inside the department’s North Portland maintenance facility.

There, digital printers, an applicator, and a large cutting machine are used to create street name designs. Ultraviolet protection and anti-graffiti measures are also added to extend the life of each sign to 12 years (and beyond in some cases).

To report a missing or damaged street sign, reach out to dispatchers at pdxreporter.org, call (503) 823-1700, or email pdxroads@portlandoregon.gov.

According to PBOT, the sign maker is fabricating approx. 500 signs a week ahead of a mass update this fall. Where would we be without them? No really, we’re lost...
 
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The Wrap
 

Today’s edition by:
Ben
From the editor
A great way to beat the heat this weekend? Pick up a paddle and head to the nearest body of water you can find.

I plan on posting up at Sauvie Island Beach — just a 40-minute drive outside of Portland. It’s got everything I could need: calm water, sand for my toes, birds to watch, and the spectacle of seeing massive cargo ships in the distance.
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