Parliament of Vowels
By Michael Alberty
Austriae est imperare orbi universo, Latin for “Austria is destined to rule the world,” is a House of Habsburg motto, which is abbreviated A.E.I.O.U. A small winery in the Cascade Foothills takes those letters to heart with a new Austrian-inspired wine named “Failed Empires.”
, hosted at Hanson Vineyards, a small family-owned winery in Woodburn, is located within audible distance of the bells of Mount Angel Abbey in the Cascade Foothills. The small winery promises some cool selections, if you’re willing to exit the path well-traveled. It’s also a place of great debate, concerning alternative history.
Interstate Love Song
By Michael Alberty
How could anyone resist a sparkling wine named for a film that uses a child’s imagination, beehives and Frankenstein’s monster to critique fascism?
The wine takes its name from Victor Erice’s 1973 film about Spanish life under Generalissimo Francisco Franco, who is still dead. It’s also the only sparkling wine in America made with grapes from three different states: California, Oregon and Washington.
The Spirit of the Beehive is an effervescent love letter to diverse valleys, long road trips and cooperation. The wine exists only because of kismet involving Joshua Hammerling of