Portland Tasting Room Offers Vegan Small Plates & Paired Wines Every Thursday
PORTLAND OR, May 31, 2016: Every Thursday is vegan night at TeSóAria Winery’s Portland Tasting Room, beginning June 16, 2016. Chef Max Germano and Culinary Institute of America graduate Daniel Escalle are creating a weekly variety of seasonal vegetable-driven small plates intended to pair with the pioneering Umpqua Valley winery’s offbeat and award-winning wines.
Offered from 5-9pm each Thursday, the tapas-style vegan offerings will change according to Portland’s seasonal markets, and cost between $4-12. Dishes may include curried potato-cauliflower samosas with (Redacted) wine-spiced tomato chutney; a mezze board with carrot top-pecan pesto, roasted pepper hummus, curry-roasted cauliflower, and vegan flatbread; and som tam-inspired fresh spring rolls with charred peanut-black garlic dipping sauce. Each dish is specifically conceived and suggested to pair with individual TeSóAria wines (available by the glass or bottle), crafted by owner/winemaker John Olson.
As with most things TeSóAria, Olson is behind the new vegan program at the Portland tasting room. This is the way I like to eat now,” he says. “I feel so much better when I’m not eating meat. But even in Portland, there’s nothing out there for vegans who enjoy a fine wine pairing with their meal. It’s time.”
The Portland Tasting Room, which opened in December 2013, launched an experimental four-course vegan wine brunch May 22, 2016. The $45 prix-fixe event garnered intense interest and support from the Portland community, and is slated to return every other month beginning on July 24th. Weekly allvegan menus were the logical next step, joining free pizza Tuesday nights, “Hangry Hump Day” family-style dinners on Wednesdays, and “Date Night” prix-fixe dinners on Friday, among other popular special events. The winery’s website (www.tesoaria.com) announces each week’s food and wine offerings.
Olson founded TeSóAria in 2008, when he and his wife Joy purchased the former Palotai winery in Roseburg. Since that time, the Olsons have established an award-winning wine program and cult-like following for their unusual varietals and blends, which range from the Kadarka-based Bulls Blood to Riesling, Sangiovese and Vermentino. The winery’s unflinching commitment to social and environmental sustainability shows in its farming and winemaking practices, community involvement, and its capsuleand paper-free wine labels made of organic ink. The Olsons’ unique charisma, dedication and generosity of spirit have attracted over 1500 loyal wine club members, and TeSóAria wines sell out directly to consumers every year.
ABOUT TESÓARIA: TeSóAria is a pioneering boutique winery in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley known for its wide range of offbeat and award-winning wines, its tight-knit wine club family, and its unflinching commitment to social and environmental sustainability. Founders John and Joy Olson are constantly innovating with obscure varietals, environmental initiatives, and community events that bring diverse people together around our shared enjoyment of wine, food, and music. The winery takes its name from the forces that inspire its operations: Terra honors the importance of soil and terroir; Sol represents the sun’s life-giving light and soul behind the wines, and Aria evokes the magic of music to unite and inspire. Visit www.tesoaria.com.
