Drink Up, Chow Down

First of all, great name, right? Real Nice Winemakers is the brainchild of wine industry veteran Anthony Van Nice. He and his sommelier friends wanted to create wines that were truly representative of the Willamette Valley, and that also delivered great Oregon quality at a great price.  Because of that glorious trifecta of taste, quality and price (oh – and philosophy, but that’s messing up my trifecta analogy…) they’re my wine spotlight today. I dig them and I think you’ll dig them, too. They currently have two wines on the market: Black Magnolia Pinot Noir (in collaboration with Laurent Montalieu of Solena Estate) and Shallow Seas Rosé, priced around $22 and $18 respectively. I found the Pinot Noir to be elegant and light with oodles of red berries and savory notes of leather and light tannins. The bright acidity gave this wine a solid backbone, while the darker earthy tones provided for a surprisingly long finish. This wine is a prime example