As explained in the previous post, Sara plotted and schemed with an enormous cast of characters to plan a series of over-the-top birthday surprises for Dave’s Milestone Birthday on September 27, 2018. After a very busy morning of breakfast, a helicopter tour of downtown Portland, and picking up a pair of houseguests for the weekend, we all returned home for some downtime.
The capstone event of the day was a surprise dinner party for 22 at Subterra Restaurant, one of our favorite places in Newberg. Dave was, indeed, surprised when the private dining room doors were thrown open.
Hosting the event at Subterra was a no-brainer; in fact Sara booked it a year before the actual event. And she asked Martin and Janet Bleck, the restaurant’s owners, to create a 4-course meal in honor of Dave’s birthday.
The kicker, however, was asking them to put BACON in every course—even dessert. She also bought wines from some of our favorite friends and producers to pair with each course. As you can see from the menu and the food pictures, the Subterra team absolutely outdid themselves.
Of course, dessert arrived with a musical accompaniment. And a three-foot tall flame.
After all that merriment, there was one final surprise of the night for Dave. Our friend Hannah coached him on how to saber a bottle of bubbles—which he had never done before.
Happy Birthday Dave. It was a blast planning and celebrating your latest trip around the sun. Thank you for letting everyone toast you, and for being a good sport.
The answer, for us, was that life is too short to spend unhappy. So we turned the basement hobby that brought Dave joy — winemaking — into Bells Up Winery.
Today — micro-boutique, un-domaine and always open by appointment — Bells Up composes 600 cases annually of handcrafted, classically-styled Oregon Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Rosé, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Seyval Blanc (the Willamette Valley’s first and only planting).
May 3 @ 4:30 pm – 10:00 pm Rosmarino Osteria Italiana
Join Dave and Sara on Friday, May 3, 2024 for another remarkable winemaker dinner featuring Bells Up wines paired with Chef Dario Pisoni’s incomparable Italian fare at his restaurant in Newberg, Rosmarino Osteria Italiana. There are TWO separate dining opportunitiesL Outdoor, Enclosed Patio Dinner (Doors open at 4:30 pm & Dinner starts at 5:00 pm) Main Dining Room Dinner (Doors[...]
Jun 1 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm The Allison Inn and Spa Ballroom
Bells Up is excited to be one of the featured wineries at the Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers Association’s (CMWA) fifth installment of Magic in the Mountains. The event will again be hosted in the ballroom at the Allison Inn and Spa, just a stone’s throw away from our winery and vineyard. Magic in the Mountains will be held on Saturday, June[...]