October 10, 2025 | wait, is this a cover?

Wait, Is This a Cover?  

The song begins. The first chords are struck. It's familiar and expected. And then all of a sudden, you're confused... since when did The Smashing Pumpkins cover Fleetwood Mac? (The answer to that, of course, would be 1994 with the release of 'Landslide' on Pisces Iscariot)

Covers of classics offer new pathways to enjoyment - bending genre and encouraging transformative reimagining.  It can teach us an appreciation of raw source material and its potential for expansion. And if we challenge ourselves to consider the world beyond music, the idea of 'covers' pops up throughout our cultural lexicon. From fashion to food, the world is full of riffs on classics. Wine is no exception. 

So this week, we're playing around with the thought of bottles that cover classics - whether that be a particular grape, region, or wine-making technique. A quick breakdown of our proposed playlist:

• Track One: Illahe Grüner Veltliner Willamette Valley 2022 - A riff on the quintessence of Austria, Illahe is one of Oregon's original producers of grüner, arguably the most important autochthonous grape in Austria
 
• Track Two: Day Wines Vin de Days l’Orange Willamette Valley 2024 - New wave Alsace by way of Willamette Valley, this blend borrows 3 of the French region's noble grapes but places Müller Thurgau as the new frontman  
 
• Track Three:  Stolpman Vineyards ‘Love You Bunches’ Sangiovese Santa Barbara County 2023 - Italian immigrants first brought the beloved sangiovese grape to California in the late 19th century, leading to this pop-punk take of the ever-so-classic Chianti 
 
• Track Four: Humble Roots Shiraz-Viognier South Australia 2020 - Cote Rotie, who?! The famed northern Rhone practice of adding a splash of viognier into syrah has been successfully adopted by the Aussies. It's giving Joy Division to New Order (but with much less angst) 

So join us as we jam out and find new favorites based on cult classics.

The playlist will be wacky.

Read on to learn more about what we're sampling, then stop by on Friday from 4-7pm to try them yourself!

Illahe Grüner Veltliner Willamette Valley 2022

Day Wines Vin de Days l'Orange Willamette Valley 2024

Stolpman Vineyards 'Love You Bunches' Sangiovese Santa Barbara County 2023

Humble Roots Shiraz-Viognier South Australia 2020