A press release from our friends at Watershed Communications in Portland, including Lota LaMontagne and Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival (PIWFF) founder Lisa Donoughe, shared the following news:

“At this year’s Portland Indie Wine & Food Festival (PIWFF) where the Grand Tasting takes place Saturday, May 14, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. at The Bison Building (419 NE 10th Ave, Portland), Indie winemaker alumni are taking center stage and pouring their wines, including Oregon’s highly lauded 2008 vintage.

“Returning winemakers will be joined by new wineries (some releasing their first-ever vintages at the festival) that are selected at a blind tasting organized in collaboration with Cole Danehower, author of “Essential Wines and Wineries of the Pacific Northwest,” published by Timber Press.

“Now in its seventh year, PIWFF 2011 will feature an all-star line-up of wineries that participated in the festival from 2005 – 2010, mixed with officially selected new wineries, set alongside Portland’s top chefs in a cool industrial space.

“PIWFF is a once-a-year opportunity to mingle with wineries that have been integral in building the craft winemaking movement in Oregon… and more importantly, to taste and buy their hard-to-find wines direct in one stop. Think of a quality-controlled, winemaker farmers market.

“Since the competition and festival began in 2005, we’ve seen many of our undiscovered wineries earn top scores from major wine media and grow into some of Oregon’s most talked about wine brands,” Donoughe said. “With Oregon’s 2008 vintage being touted as one of the state’s best ever, we thought it would be valuable to invite all alumni back (first-come, first-served!) to show off their best stuff.”

“Past PIWFF chef partners have included local chef luminaries such as James Beard nominated chef Cathy Whims of Nostrana and chef/butcher Adam Sappington of The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar. Just as the winemakers are on site to pour their wines, so too are the chefs to prepare and serve their food.”

Details:

The PIWFF Grand Tasting takes place Saturday, May 14, 2011 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. at The Bison Building (419 NE 10th Ave, Portland).

Tickets are on sale now for $75, and $125 for VIP early entry (1 p.m.). General-admission tickets include a commemorative festival tasting glass, pours from all wineries, and food from top Oregon chefs who share the same craftsmanship and values as the artisan wineries.

A complete list of participating wineries and chefs is now online.