"I had a wonderful opportunity to get out to the Willamette Valley in Oregon last year for a quick getaway with Alyssa. Among the many great wineries we were able to visit was Soter Vineyards. Many thanks again to local distributors The Libation Project for getting us an appointment, since you need one in advance to do their guided tasting. When I was asked to pick a wine for Surdyk’s Summer Sale, a wine from them was an easy choice. Some of their bottles are hard to get, so I went with the Pinot Noir from their Planet Oregon line, which sources sustainably farmed grapes and also donates 1% of sales to the Oregon Environmental Council. The Planet Oregon Pinot Noir is a treat, though, and much easier to find. We tasted several great Pinots while we were in the valley, of course, but it’s hard to beat this one for quality for the price. The same winemaker for the elite estate wines makes this one. It’s all sour cherries and red plums with some dried herbs on the finish. They’re pouring it next door at Sidebar and it was great with the burger, not too big but not too light." -Jason DeRusha