Annual food, wine event a tasteful affair

Wineries on hand to offer attendees variety of samples

With varietals flowing at the first day of the Oregon Wine and Food Festival on Friday, strategy is key to avoiding painkillers the morning after.

This year's 27th annual festival continues today in the Jackman-Long Building at the Oregon State Fairgrounds.

For those who tasted the reds and whites at the festival's first day, planning was the only way to navigate the more than 75 vendors.

Al and Anne Rasmus, of Keizer have attended the festival for more than 15 years. In their tenure, they've developed a plan for picking and choosing the bottles they take home.

"We'll buy a case," Al Rasmus said.

The Rasmuses use a list of vendors to take notes and determine which 12 wines they'll purchase, so they can taste what they want then return to do the grunt work.

"He's even got a hand-truck in the car," Anne Rasmus said.

The event gives novices and wine veterans plenty of options, with the majority of booths featuring Oregon and Northwest wineries. The event is planned by Excel Marketing and Events, and 15 percent of proceeds from ticket sales benefit St. Vincent de Paul and the Exchange Club, said Lorne Brown, a spokesman for the festival.

"The spirit (of the event) is to promote Oregon agriculture, wine and art industry, and enjoy it, too," Brown said.

For some, their strategy was strength in numbers. Joe Niederhauser and his wife, both of Salem, split tastes so they could try more wines. By 5 p.m., Niederhauser had sampled about 30 different wines by his estimate and had returned for a second sample of the 2006 Baco Noir red from Melrose Vineyards in Roseburg.

"It's the best red wine, especially with the chocolate," Niederhauser said.

The lack of food was the only complaint from festival attendees Friday.

"There's hardly any food," Anne Rasmus said. "I don't know why, maybe they're feeling the economy and didn't want to pay for a booth."

"The food just didn't show up," said Cody Parker, a wine pourer for Melrose Vineyards.

Brown said wine pourers are responsible for cutting off anyone who may have had too much, though he said it's never been a problem at the festival.

But nevertheless, a taxi cab waited outside the building for those who'd had too many refills.