Feature Stories & Wine Reviews

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BOOM! Wine Enthusiast Awards Two 90+ Scores for Bells Up Pinots

We rarely submit our wines for scoring by large publications. As a small, micro-boutique winery, most of the wines we make are so limited in quantity that they can’t be submitted. However, with the 2021 vintage, we were able to make just enough of these Pinot Noirs to send to Michael Alberty, Oregon Wine Reviewer for Wine Enthusiast for scoring—and […]

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Talk-A-Vino’s Anatoli Levine Reviews Three Bells Up Pinots

Anatoli Levine, who writes and reviews wines via his Talk-A-Vino site, checked in with us earlier this year for an update to his “Passion and Pinot” series. He’s profiled us twice before, first in 2019 and again in 2021. This time around, he wanted to learn more about the 2024 harvest and the latest developments in the vineyard. Here’s an excerpt […]

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Winery Reflections Praises 2023 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc as “Energetic” and “Terrifically Refreshing”

Husband-and-wife wine reviewers Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections just shared their thoughts on the ALMOST SOLD OUT 2023 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc. Sourced from Weinberg Vineyard in the Lower Long Tom AVA (one of the newest in the Willamette Valley), we originally released just 47 cases and are down to a scant handful left. Based in Southern California, Nathan […]

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James Melendez Puts 2021 Candide Estate Reserve Pinot Noir On His Top 100 Wines Of 2024 List

It’s that time of the year again! When wine reviewers reflect on the vintages they sampled over the past 12 months and post their Top 100 Wines lists. Wine reviewer, writer and videographer James Melendez of James The Wine Guy just released his own Top 100 Wines of 2024 list. On this, his 14th edition, we were delighted to discover […]

James The Wine Guy Awards 2021 Candide 95 Points!

James The Wine Guy (also known as James Melendez) is a wine reviewer, writer, and videographer who has created thousands of video wine reviews over nearly two decades. A former national wine marketing manager for a food and wine retailer, Melendez loves discovering new wines. He’s also a big fan of small producers. In the past year, he began filming […]

94 Points for 2021 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir from James Melendez

Prolific wine reviewer, writer, and videographer James Melendez — also known as James The Wine Guy — has produced thousands of video wine reviews over nearly two decades. A former national wine marketing manager for a large, off-premise food and wine retailer, Melendez is passionate about wine and business. In 2024, he began producing short-format reviews for Instagram and YouTube. […]

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Fodor’s Includes Bells Up in New “American Spirits” Book

Portland-based travel writer Margot Bigg has included us in yet another travel guide. We’re honored and thrilled to have made the cut for the newest edition of Fodor’s American Spirits: Exploring the Best Wineries, Breweries, and Distilleries in the USA. She writes: “If you’re after a wine-tasting experience that feels less like a formal presentation of wines and more like sitting down […]

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Bells Up Featured in KGW’s “What To Do With Chynna & Drew” Newberg Edition

Back on August 1 we were the ONLY winery featured in KGW-TV News’ “What to do with Chynna & Drew” Newberg segment, featuring morning anchors Chynna Greene and Drew Carney. The pair solicited viewers to nominate locations to visit while they were in town, and Bells Up Superfan Willie Hughey suggested us! Chynna and Drew bravely started their morning here […]

Big Blend Radio Gets Dave’s Suggestions for Holiday Wines, Gifts

Just in time for the Holiday Shopping Season, publisher and podcaster Lisa Smith welcomed Winemaker Dave back for a chat about wines for the winter celebration season. The pair talked about range of topics, including ideas for using wines tasted blind as an icebreaker game for gatherings of people who may not know each other well — or at all. […]

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Lonely Planet Travel Guide Quotes Bells Up’s Dave Specter

Travel writer Margot Bigg, who’s based in Portland, has featured us again! This time, she included a quote from Dave in the newest edition of the Lonely Planet Travel Guide for Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest. Margot wrote the intro chapter for the guidebook. She had room for two brief quotes from local business owners about their favorite season […]

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Big Blend Radio Features Dave Specter on Winemaker Insider Podcast

A couple of months ago, publisher and podcaster Lisa Smith invited Winemaker Dave for an interview on her Big Blend Radio Podcast’s Winemaker Insider/Success Express show. The recording followed up on a previously recorded Podcast featuring both Dave and Sara interviewed by Lisa and Linda Kissam, Big Blend Radio’s Wine Diva. In a wide-ranging chat, Lisa and Dave discussed the […]

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Wine Characters Profiles Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter

The brainchild of winery public relations specialist Carl Giavanti, the Wine Characters site presents “Characters With Wine | Wines With Character.” Carl is specifically sharing the stories of producers he finds intriguing — as well as a review of a unique wine from each label — with both the wine consuming public and media. (He’s also using an interesting filter […]

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The Written Palette Features Bells Up’s Pairings of Wine and Music

The Written Palette’s Cori Solomon — a Los Angeles-based wine writer who visited us a few years ago — revisited our wines and story recently. We sent her a selection of our latest releases for review, and she published “Bells Up Winery: A Pairing Of Wine and Music.” She wrote: Often, we compare winemaking to a chef utilizing the ingredients […]

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Drink the Bottles Hosts Winemaker Dave for Virtual Tasting

Melissa and Jeff Lawson describe their Drink the Bottles website as “gathering place for wine and whiskey lovers without all of the snooty bullsh*t.” If that sounds familiar, well, they’re kind of like our spirit animals. Maybe it’s our shared Midwestern backgrounds? In any case, we just love wine reviewers, writers, and bloggers with an unpretentious and down-to-earth approach similar […]

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Drink the Bottles Reviews Six Bells Up Wines

In our previous post, we shared how Melissa and Jeff Lawson—married wine reviewers who curate the Drink the Bottles website—shared six of our wines with friends during a virtual tasting with Dave. They’ve sampled our wines before, writing some very nice reviews of the 2020 Jupiter Pinot Noir, the 2021 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, and the 2021 Rhapsody […]

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Winery Reflections Reflects on Virtual Tasting with Winemaker Dave

Like most wineries, we started offering virtual tasting appointments during Covid. But we’ve continued to do them for media whenever we can because it gives us an opportunity to connect with wine writers in a more personal way. So when we shipped our annual box of wines to Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections — who have been so […]

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Michael Apstein Reviews Five Bells Up Wines

Dr. Michael Apstein, who has written about wine for more than 30 years, recently agreed to sample five of our current vintages. Having previously featured us after a visit a few years ago, he shared his thoughts on each on his own wine review website, “Apstein on Wine.” Who is Michael Apstein? Apstein, who has produced more than 300 wine […]

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2023 Helios Seyval Blanc “Intriguing and Exciting” – Winery Reflections

Southern California wine reviewers, Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections, have shared their thoughts on our current 2023 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc. This isn’t their first rodeo with our hybrid grape wine. They also reviewed the 2019 vintage and the 2021 vintage. Here’s their thoughts on the 2023 Helios: Brilliantly bright and juicy beams of grapefruit, shaved lemon peel, […]

Winery Reflections Praises “Unconventional and Astoundingly Fun” 2022 Prelude Rosé

Nathan and Courtney Marton — husband and wife wine reviewers from Southern California — routinely share their thoughts on different vintages. They’ve graciously reviewed several bottlings of our Bells Up estate “Brosé,” the Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir (they’ve previously said incredibly complimentary things about previous vintages from 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021). So of course we were delighted […]

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Bells Up’s Joy Estate Seyval Blanc Brut Featured in Oregon Wine Press

Although we are sadly sold out of it, we were honored that Tamara Belgard Turner included our Joy Estate Seyval Blanc Brut in her June 2024 Oregon Wine Press feature, “Méthode Untraditionnelle.” Her article noted the significant uptick in bubbly bottles in the Willamette Valley made from both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but also from other varietals as well. We’re […]

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93 Points for 2022 Prelude Estate Rosé from James Melendez

James Melendez — also known as James The Wine Guy — is a prolific wine reviewer, writer and videographer. He has produced thousands of thoughtful, wine reviews in video format since November 2006. Passionate about wine and business, Melendez is a former national wine marketing manager for a large, off-premise food and wine retailer. Recently, he began producing short-format reviews […]

International Wine Report Reviews Three New Bells Up Pinot Noir Releases

Senior Editor Jeremy Young of International Wine Report recently asked us to send him three of our latest Pinot Noir releases, so we did. Jeremy and Winemaker Dave tasted together via Zoom call, which allowed Dave to explain the intention behind the composition of 2021 Candide, 2021 Maestro, and 2021 Jupiter. Jeremy joined International Wine Report’s editorial team in 2020. […]

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Bells Up Lands on Wine Flavor Guru’s List of Top Newberg Wineries

George Moore is an entrepreneur with a talent for connecting with people and sourcing premium grapes. Moore and his wife Sylvia Thomas-Moore—a 20-plus-year wine industry veteran herself—previously owned a vineyard in Sonoma County. Due to health reasons the pair retired from vineyard life in 2021 and co-founded their new passion project: Wine Flavor Guru. Wine Flavor Guru’s Mission They explain, […]

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2020 Zenith Vineyard Reserve Candide Rated “Excellent” by Great Northwest Wine

Great Northwest Wine’s team of reviewers — led by President and CEO Eric Degerman — recently sampled and posted their review of our now sold-out 2020 Candide Zenith Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir. Degerman has been writing about Pacific Northwest wines (including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Idaho) for more than 35 years. He also publishes a print magazine under the […]

Drinks Business Features Bells Up Wine and Truffle Pairing Luncheon

The Willamette Valley is increasingly becoming known for its truffles as much as for its Pinot Noir. The region is capitalizing on the bounty of these fragrant nuggets with multiple truffle-themed events and tours during peak truffle season: January through March. Among them is the Bougie Truffle Tour, led by Stefan Czarnecki of Black Tie Tours. Stefan invites select winemakers […]

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SoCal Restaurant Show Invites Bells Up Winemaker Dave Back for Follow-Up Interview

During our virtual tasting with the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), we reconnected with Andy Harris. Andy — pictured above with Winemaker Dave during Andy’s visit here in September 2019 — is co-host and executive producer of The SoCal Restaurant Show. As the ultimate locals’ guide to food, restaurants and beverages with a side of travel with […]

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Urban Bliss Life Calls Bells Up “A Must Stop” in the Willamette Valley

Honest to goodness, the hardest working wine, food, travel, and lifestyle blogger and writer Marlynn Schotland — the force of nature behind Urban Bliss Life — is a treasure. We’ve been honored to know her for many years now, and she’s the most cheerful, enthusiastic, and supportive person. It’s always a pleasure to host her and her husband Alain for […]

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The New Wine Review Highlights Bells Up’s Helios Amid “Spectacular” Oregon Whites

Having written for Wine Enthusiast for over a decade, Virginie Boone is currently a Senior Contributing Editor to The New Wine Review. The publication — which debuted in 2023 — seeks to become the most interesting place on the internet for people who love wine. Based in California, Virginie is both a wine writer and critic who has written about […]

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Bells Up’s Dave Specter Featured on KOIN Wine Wednesday Morning Show

Local TV station KOIN invited Winemaker Dave to join co-hosts and anchors Emily Buriss and Travis Teich for the “Wine Wednesday” feature on the KOIN News AM Extra morning show. Emily and Travis asked Dave about the winery name, how he matches the personality of each wine to a different piece of classical music, and his background as a French […]

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Bells Up Included in “Best of the Valley” Issue of Willamette Living Magazine

Willamette Living magazine’s Best of the Valley 2023 issue included a multi-page spread featuring Newberg. Written by Elaine Rea, the Day Tripper “Getaway to Newberg” article showcases several local bed and breakfasts, shops, and eateries. It also includes Bells Up in the “Things to See & Do” section. Notably, we’re the only local winery mentioned! Elaine, who toured the area […]

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Play Stay Eat Calls Bells Up “Charming” and “Friendly”

Freelance travel writer, photographer, and videographer Scott Kendall hangs his hat in The Woodlands, Texas — when he’s not jaunting around the globe covering amazing destinations in the U.S. and Europe. The founder, editor, and curator of PlayStayEat.com, Scott recently paid us a visit on a tour of several Willamette Valley wineries and restaurants. Scott has since published a recap […]

Photo courtesy of John and Linda Compisi.

Bites, Flights and Sights Files Two Features on Bells Up

Husband-and-wife writers John and Linda Compisi cover food, drink, and travel on their blog, Bites, Flights and Sights. Passionate about travel, the pair are based in Reno, Nevada. Both are WSET Certified and serve as wine judges for several California wine competitions. They also co-founded the High Sierra Wine Society. The pair recently sampled two of our wines during the […]

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Jeff Kralik, aka The Drunken Cyclist, Named 2019 Jupiter Pinot Noir “Red Wine of the Year”

Sometimes praise and props slip by us. And it is SO EMBARRASSING when that happens. We even use Google Alerts, which are supposed to trawl the internet, looking for mentions of “Bells Up Winery.” Yet, sometimes those fail. And sometimes the praise is so over the top unexpected that we never in a million years would have thought to look […]

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Jancis Robinson Scores for Bells Up Wines Released

Under the category of “better late than never,” we finally got the scores from the wines reviewed by Samantha Cole-Johnson, the local wine reviewer for Jancis Robinson’s website. Samantha visited us well over a year ago—in June 2022—and did not write descriptions of the wines. However, we’ve been told that any wine that receives a score of 15 or higher […]

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Winecountry.com Lists Bells Up Among 9 Willamette Valley Wineries for Oregon Wine Newbies

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of wineries in the Willamette Valley? Not familiar with Oregon wines? Looking for a place to start? Check out this Winecountry.com article by travel and wine writer Penny Sadler, “9 Willamette Valley Wineries for Newcomers to Oregon Wines.” Sadler also blogs under Adventures of a Carry-on. She also recently wrote about us on her own […]

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Winery Reflections Revels in 2020 Candide Reserve Pinot Noir’s “Tantalizingly Plush and Expressive Display”

It’s always a joy to feel appreciated. And whenever Southern California-based wine writers Nathan and Courtney Marton review one of our wines, that’s precisely how we feel. Particularly because the dynamic duo sample a lot of wine and post reviews on their Winery Reflections website and social media accounts routinely. It was extra special to read their review of the […]

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Big Blend Radio Interviews Dave & Sara, Calls Wines “Special & Exquisite”

Dave and Sara Specter were recently featured on the Big Blend Radio Podcast in a joint interview conducted by Lisa Smith and Linda Kissam. The four of us discussed the wines we shared with them — 2021 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc and 2021 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir (just released) — as well as our story and approach to winemaking and […]

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Fodor’s Oregon Says Bells Up Tastings “Like Sitting Down With Old Friends”

Fodor’s Travel, publishers of both printed books and online travel guides, recently released their 2023 Oregon guidebook. Writer Margot Bigg, who’s based in the Portland area, visited us in the spring as she was researching the updated version of the 2023 publication. We were honored to see that she graciously included us in the print edition! Here’s what she had […]

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Great Northwest Wine Declares 2020 Titan Pinot Noir “Outstanding!”

The esteemed palates at Great Northwest Wine — a collection of regional wine reviewers led by wine writer Eric Degerman — posted their review of our latest wine release, 2020 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, rating it “Outstanding!” Degerman has been writing about Pacific Northwest wines (including Willamette Valley wineries and other producers in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Idaho) […]

All photos by Richard Schmitz, courtesy of Travel Awaits.

Travel Awaits Calls Bells Up an “Amazing Boutique Winemaker Worth A Visit”

Travel writer MaryRose Denton recently filed an article with Travel Awaits, an online publication focused on travelers aged 50+. The publishers started the online resource in 2018 seeking to fill a void in the travel industry by focusing on more mature, active travelers who eschew the idea of simply “sitting and watching the world go by.” Denton, who makes her […]

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Winemaker Dave Goes to Bat for Bâtonnage in Wine Searcher Feature

As part of Winemaker Dave’s approach to making white wines, he’s all-in on using bâtonnage as a technique for building body and enhancing mouthfeel. It’s a big reason for the popularity of our Helios Seyval Blanc, Joy Seyval Blanc Brut, and Rhapsody Pinot Blanc white wines. The method ensures a better balance between flavor and acidity, making all three wines […]

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Seattle Refined Puts Bells Up on List for Perfect Wine Weekend

Seattle Refined, a digital, social, and broadcast media publisher, is dedicated to sharing memorable stories from the Pacific Northwest. Content focuses on the interesting people, cool places and fun things to eat, drink, wear, create, try, and visit while living in or exploring the area. To that end, travel writer MaryRose Denton filed a story entitled “Puget Sound to Pinot: […]

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International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association Features Bells Up

The International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) offers programs and resources for professionals writing in the field, including Food Wine Travel Magazine, which featured our 2022 Joy Estate Seyval Blanc Brut recently. Among their activities is a monthly Zoom call featuring a different winery. Winemaker Dave and Money Honey Sara were the guests for the February session. Roughly […]

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Adventures of a Carry-On Features Bells Up Story, Wines

Wine writer and blogger Penny Sadler has been writing about wine and travel for over a decade. She’s chronicled adventures throughout prominent Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese wine regions, as well as those in Texas, California, and New York. She recently joined us for a virtual wine tasting through the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) and subsequently […]

The Boston Globe Includes Bells Up in Willamette Valley Travel Coverage

A pair of travel writers for The Boston Globe, Diane Bair and Pamela Wright, recently featured our region in an article entitled, “In search of good pinot noir, truffles, and friend time in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.” One of the activities the duo experienced was a “Bougie Truffle Tromp,” hosted by Stefan Czarnecki of Black Tie Tours in March. These events, […]

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Winery Reflections Declares 2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir “Bold and Beguiling”

The latest Bells Up wine to be reviewed by Southern California-based wine reviewers Nathan and Courtney Marton is the 2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir. The Martons sample a lot of wine, posting reviews on their Winery Reflections website and social media accounts nearly every day. They’re among our biggest cheerleaders, having reviewed many of our wines over the past several […]

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Food Wine Travel Magazine Features Bells Up’s Joy Seyval Blanc Bubbles

Wine and travel writer Pam Baker—who visited us last August with her husband Gary on assignment for WineTraveler.com—recently filed a new story for Food Wine Travel (FWT) Magazine. The feature, “Where to Find Sparkling Wine in Willamette Valley,” recaps several producers of bubbles in our region. Pam featured our new 2022 Joy Estate Seyval Blanc Brut in her coverage. Based […]

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Winery Reflections Praises 2019 Titan Pinot Noir’s “Juicy and Expressive” Character

Southern California-based wine reviewers Nathan and Courtney Marton — who post on their Winery Reflections website and social media accounts nearly every day — recently shared their impressions of our 2019 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. The pair is always incredibly generous with their time and notes, having reviewed previous vintages of Titan, including 2015 (now available as a library […]

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The Pink Grape’s Anthony Metzger Interviews Winemaker Dave for Video Podcast

Winemaker and podcaster Anthony Metzger produces video interviews of winemakers from around the world on his YouTube Channel, The Pink Grape. His purpose is to have fun, be entertained, discover new wines, and meet great people. So, when he reached out to ask if Dave would spend a few minutes doing an interview, of course we said yes. Metzger asks […]

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Wine Writer Elizabeth Smith Covers Bells Up’s “End of the Beginning”

During harvest, award-winning wine writer and journalist Elizabeth Smith paid us a return visit. She previously covered us for an assignment in the Napa Valley Register, and asked if she could pop in again during another trip to the Willamette Valley. A former college professor who also happened to have a musical background, we had a great visit with Smith […]

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WineTraveler Calls Bells Up A “Best Willamette Valley Winery to Visit for Wine Tasting”

This past August we had a delightful time hosting wife-and-husband wine and travel writers Pam and Gary Baker. The pair were visiting Willamette Valley wineries on assignment for Winetraveler.com, the largest wine tourism-focused website in the U.S. Based in California, the Bakers have visited and reported on several famous wine regions. The pair is also a member of the International […]

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Weinnotes’ AJ Weinzettel Interviews Dave and Sara at Bells Up for Podcast Video

Local wine writer, A.J. Weinzettel, produces the Weinnotes website and video podcast series. He paid us a visit a couple of years ago, and asked if we’d be interested in participating in one of his podcast recordings. Of course we said yes! He writes, in his intro to the recording: The podcast for this week is all about Dave and […]

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2020 New World Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is “Unique and Highly Compelling” says Winery Reflections

Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections recently reviewed our 2020 New World Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and we are THRILLED that they enjoyed it so much. The Southern California-based pair have been enthusiastic supporters and reviewers our wines for many years (they even visited us back in 2019). But we’re still always a little nervous when we send them samples (or […]

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Hippie In Heels Puts Bells Up on Best Wineries in the Willamette Valley List

Regional writer Aliya Hall filed a report for the travel and tourism website, Hippie In Heels, to help readers discover “The Best Wineries in Willamette Valley“… and we were thrilled to discover we were included! The article offers a guide to help visitors decide which wineries to visit during their time in the Willamette Valley. Hall writes: Oregon might be […]

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Winerabble Reviews All Three Bells Up 2020 Pinot Noirs

Based in Portland, wine experts and reviewers Michele Francisco and Matt Talbot produce Winerabble, an online resource covering all things Pacific Northwest wine. Their extremely accessible, unpretentious approach ensures that their content is newbie friendly. Yet, as both have backgrounds in wine buying, marketing, tasting, reviewing and judging, they’re a great resource for connoisseurs as well. Michele and Matt have […]

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Wine Industry Network Advisor Asks Winemaker Dave for Thoughts on 2023

Online publication Wine Industry Network Advisor is the go-to resource for the wine business, covering a variety of industry news and topics. As part of its goal to connect and speak with North American wine professionals, the magazine queried a variety of winemakers for a feature to kick off the New Year. They posed two questions, which Winemaker Dave answered… […]

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2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir Scores 94 Points From Drink The Bottles

Located in the Midwest, wine reviewers, writers, and bloggers Melissa and Jeff Lawson curate and produce content for their Drink The Bottles website. The couple personally sample and review every wine they post about, with a decidedly unpretentious and down-to-earth approach. The pair only feature wines they feel have universal appeal. As they write: “These are wines that we would […]

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Bells Up’s Prelude Estate Rosé Featured By A Blonde Vintage

Marissa Ooyevaar, who creates travel, wine, and lifestyle content across multiple channels as A Blonde Vintage, is a Willamette Valley wine insider and connoisseur. A couple of months ago she paid us a visit and tasted through our lineup, subsequently including us in her feature, “The Best Oregon Wineries In Oregon Wine Country.” Marissa also included us in a recent […]

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91 Points for 2021 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc From Drink The Bottles

Taking a decidedly unpretentious and down-to-earth approach, Midwesterners Melissa and Jeff Lawson curate and produce content for their Drink The Bottles website. The wine reviewers writers, and bloggers personally sample and review every wine they post to their site. Their intent is to focus attention on wines they believe have universal appeal, noting: “These are wines that we would be […]

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Winery Reflections Declares 2021 Prelude Rosé “Expressive and Irresistible”

Southern California-based wine reviewers Nathan and Courtney Marton (who visited us pre-Covid) share their impressions of different vintages on their Winery Reflections website and social media accounts nearly every day. The pair recently documented their thoughts on the newest Bells Up estate “Brosé,” the 2021 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir (they’ve previously said very kind things about previous bottlings […]

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Oregon Wine Press Interviews Winemaker Dave for Feature on 2020 Wildfires

Oregon Wine Press Editor-in-Chief Michele Francisco is one of our favorite local wine writers and reviewers. She’s a straight-shooter with a knack for great storytelling, and one who doesn’t back down from a challenge. And yet, even she admits to thinking twice about writing about the wildfires that hit Oregon—and, more specifically, the Willamette Valley (including one that was less […]

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Great Northwest Wine Deems 2019 Titan Pinot Noir “Excellent!”

Great Northwest Wine’s review team — led by President and CEO Eric Degerman — recently sampled and posted their review of our now sold-out 2019 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Degerman, who has been writing about Pacific Northwest wines (including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Idaho) for more than 35 years, recently began publishing a print magazine under the Great […]

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Wine Writer John Vankat Praises Bells Up’s 2021 Helios Seyval Blanc in Arizona Daily Sun

When we heard that Flagstaff, Arizona-based wine reviewer and writer John Vankat, wine columnist for the Arizona Daily News and Northern Arizona’s Mountain Living Magazine, was looking to sample wines made from uncommon or lesser known grapes, we debated sending him the 2021 Helios Seyval Blanc. Shipping wine to Arizona in the middle of summer is no small (or inexpensive) […]

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Drink the Bottles Awards Prelude Estate Rosé 92 Points

Wine reviewers, writers, and bloggers Melissa and Jeff Lawson curate and produce content for their Drink The Bottles website. The pair personally sample and review every wine they post about, with a decidedly unpretentious and down-to-earth approach. Located in the midwest, the duo only write about wines they believe have universal appeal. As they explain it: “These are wines that […]

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VinePair Features Winemaker Dave’s Harvest “Must Have”

VinePair, one of the largest digital media companies delivering accessible, entertaining, and inspiring content about drinks culture and important trends and topics in wine and other adult beverages, recently featured Bells Up winemaker Dave Specter in a round up article for Harvest 2022. “We Asked 10 Winemakers: What’s the One Thing You Can’t Live Without During Harvest?,” written by Mark […]

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Winery Reflections Calls 2021 Helios Seyval Blanc “Distinct and Delicious”

Winery Reflections’ Nathan and Courtney Marton (who visited us pre-Covid) have shared their latest review of a Bells Up wine, this time focused on our 2021 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc. The married power reviewers are based in Southern California, and are always so generous with their time and notes. We couldn’t wait to hear what they thought of our latest […]

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The Legacy of a Legend: Joe Henke Retires Henke Winery

It would be tremendously difficult to overstate the importance of Joe Henke, owner and winemaker at Cincinnati’s own Henke Winery, to the establishment of Bells Up Winery. Winemaker Dave at Bells Up owes Joe an enormous debt for generously sharing everything he knew about winemaking from 2009-2012. Joe took Dave under his wing as an unpaid cellar rat, allowing him […]

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Vino-Sphere Reviews Bells Up’s 2021 Rhapsody and 2021 Helios

Dave Nershi, publisher, writer and reviewer of the Vino-Sphere wine blog recently published his reviews of the 2021 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc and Rhapsody Pinot Blanc in a round-up of several Willamette Valley white wines. Nershi, who featured us previously after a tour of the Willamette Valley, posted “Willamette Whites Gaining Critical Acclaim,” noted the following: If you assume that Willamette […]

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Drink In Life Includes Bells Up In Coverage of 2022 Late Spring Frost

In the Willamette Valley this spring, April 14-15 (just in time for taxes!), our region got hit by an extremely late frost—the first late frost in some 80 years. As the Oregon wine industry didn’t kick off until about six decades ago, nobody in the knew what to expect. That triggered a panic within the winemaking/growing community, which seems to […]

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The Drunken Cyclist’s 2022 Rosé Review Panel Calls Bells Up 2021 Prelude “Excellent”

Once again, we submitted a bottle of our “Brosé” (2021 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir) to Houston-based wine writer and reviewer Jeff Kralik, who blogs under the moniker “The Drunken Cyclist.” Annually since 2017, Kralik has conducted what he believes to be the largest blind tasting of American “True Rosés.” This year’s tasting—the sixth annual—saw 51 entries, which were […]

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AdVINEtures’ Allison and Chris Wallace Feature Bells Up In Willamette Highlights Reel

Allison and Chris Wallace, travel and wine writers who author the AdVINEtures blog, recently posted a video recap of their journey through the Willamette Valley. (that’s them, pictured with Winemaker Dave, in the photo above). They previously featured us in a lengthy post, reviewing the experience and several wines. It was lots of fun to see their final compilation video. […]

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A Blonde Vintage Recommends Bells Up’s Tasting Experience

Willamette Valley wine insider Marissa Ooyevaar, who creates travel, wine, and lifestyle content across multiple channels as A Blonde Vintage, cut her professional teeth in the Oregon wine industry. So when she asked to visit us on a recent itinerary, we readily agreed. Not only was it a wonderful visit, Marissa knows her wine and we learned a ton FROM […]

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WineTraveler Highlights Bells Up Among “The Best Wineries to Visit in Willamette Valley”

Winetraveler.com, the largest wine tourism-focused website in the U.S., has shared its “Essential Willamette Valley Itinerary & Travel Guide for Wine Lovers” — and Bells Up has made the list of the site’s “Best Wineries to Visit in Willamette Valley.” The site offers travelers across multiple demographics insights and suggestions to help them plan their perfect wine vacation, with detailed […]

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Winerabble Declares 2019 Titan Pinot Noir “Mouthwatering”

Michele Francisco and Matt Talbot — Pacific Northwest wine experts and reviewers — produce Winerabble, an online resource covering all things wine with an extremely accessible, unpretentious approach. Both have backgrounds in wine buying, marketing, tasting, reviewing and judging. They’ve translated their endless curiosity about regional wines and the people who produce them into easy to understand, educational gems ideal […]

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2021 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc is “A Unique and Interesting White,” Says Winery Reflections

The latest Bells Up wine review from Winery Reflections’ Nathan and Courtney Marton (who visited us pre-Covid) features 2021 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc, sourced from Plum Hill Vineyards in Gaston and Elkhorn Ridge Vineyard in Monmouth. The duo of married power reviewers are based in Southern California, and are always tremendously gracious with their time and their praise, so we were […]

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Great Northwest Wine Rates 2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir “Outstanding!”

The team of iconic regional wine reviewers led by Eric Degerman of Great Northwest Wine has posted their review of our latest wine release, 2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir. Degerman, who has been writing about Pacific Northwest wines (including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Idaho) for more than 35 years recently began publishing a print magazine under the Great Northwest […]

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2021 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc Reviewed by Winerabble

Pacific Northwest wine experts and reviewers Michele Francisco and Matt Talbot produce Winerabble, an online resource covering all things wine with an unpretentious and educational approach. Both have backgrounds in wine buying, marketing, tasting, reviewing and judging — and are endlessly curious about regional wines and the people who produce them. Michele was one of the very first people to […]

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Screw It Wine Magazine Features Bells Up’s White Wines

Published by Triangle Around Town, Screw It Wine magazine focuses on wine, beer, food, and travel in both North Carolina and across the U.S. The digital, e-publication recently included a feature story filed by Dave Nershi, publisher, writer and reviewer of Vino-Sphere wine blog. Nershi, who featured us previously after a tour of the Willamette Valley, asked us to submit […]

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Wine Reviewer Ellen Landis Praises “Stimulating New Releases” Prelude, Rhapsody, and Jupiter

Certified sommelier, wine writer, and international wine judge Ellen Landis again agreed to review three of our new releases (which she’s done several times before, as well as written a feature about us for Great Northwest Wine). We were thrilled to see her new reviews of the 2021 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, the 2021 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc, and […]

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Bells Up Featured in Wine Business Article on Magic in the Mountains Event

We were again delighted to be one of the featured wineries at the Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers Association’s (CMWA) third installment of Magic in the Mountains back on Saturday, June 4. The annual event — hosted in the ballroom at the Allison Inn and Spa (just a stone’s throw away from our winery and vineyard) — showcases the broad range of […]

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Winerabble Reviews Bells Up’s 2021 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir

Winerabble’s Michele Francisco and Matt Talbot recently reviewed our 2021 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir on their site (along with the great bottle shot in front of their epic mother-of-pearl tile backsplash!), writing: Wow, talk about color! A 40-hour soak on the skins created a rosé that is most definitely candy apple red. Owner/winemaker Dave Specter allowed the wine […]

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Decanted Podcast Features Bells Up in Post-Willamette Valley Tour Recap

We recently hosted Dave Adams and Sandi Everingham, hosts and producers of the Decanted Podcast which invites listeners to join the pair for fun, lighthearted and informative discussions. Self-professed “wannabe-wine-snobs” Sandi and Dave talk wine tasting, wine travel, and wine education in their recordings. They also feature winemaker interviews and wine events. Based in Washington, Dave and Sandi are not […]

James Melendez has awarded 2019 Titan Pinot Noir and 2020 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir 94 point scores each.

James Melendez Scores 2019 Titan and 2020 Jupiter 94 Points Each

James Melendez — who produces both written and filmed wine reviews on his site and social media outlets as “James The Wine Guy” — has been sharing his love of wine with readers and viewers since November 2006. Thoughtful, meticulous, and passionate about wine and and the business, Melendez has filmed and posted thousands upon thousands of recorded wine reviews. […]

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Wine Reviewer Paul Gregutt Picks 2021 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc as “Wine of the Week”

Paul Gregutt, former full-time Oregon wine reviewer for Wine Enthusiast from 1998 to 2021 (who has reviewed our wines—including now sold out 2018 Titan, 2018 Candide, and 2018 Villanelle Pinot Noirs several times over the years), recently started his own review site: PaulG on Wine. His vision is to make the site a source for wine industry news, topical commentary […]

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AdVINEtures’ Allison and Chris Wallace Review Bells Up’s Personal Tasting Experience, Wines

AdVINEture’s Allison and Chris Wallace paid us a visit during their recent trip to the Willamette Valley from their home base in Canada (that’s them, pictured with Winemaker Dave, in the photo above). We’ve been following them on social media forever, so it was nice to finally meet them in person. Intrepid travelers, the pair shares the stories of their […]

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Wine Review Online’s Michael Apstein Calls Bells Up’s Wines “A Delight”

Prominent wine reviewer Dr. Michael Apstein—who curates his own wine review website “Apstein on Wine” as well as contributes a column to Wine Review Online—recently sampled three of our latest releases. He filed the same review article on both sites, (here and here). Apstein has been writing about wine for more than 30 years, including producing more than 300 wine […]

Marlynn Schotland of Urban Bliss Life with a bottle of Bells Up's 2020 New World Cabernet Sauvignon. Photo courtesy of Urban Bliss Life.

Marlynn Schotland of Urban Bliss Life “In Love” with 2020 New World Cabernet Sauvignon

Urban Bliss Life blogger-photographer-social media influencer extraordinare Marlynn Schotland recently came in with her partner and husband Alain to sample our latest lineup of wine releases. We’ve known them both for a long time; Marlynn has even created an amazing Pinot Noir brownie recipe using our Titan (the brownies are also amazing made with Candide Reserve Pinot Noir). She’s also […]

2021 Helios Seyval Blanc from the Bells Up estate vineyard

Kathleen Willcox Reviews Bells Up’s Helios Seyval Blanc

Wine writer and reviewer Kathleen Willcox has written about our half-acre of estate Seyval Blanc in what wound up being Wine Industry Network Advisor’s second-most read article of 2021: “The Future of Winemaking is Hybrid.” So we were delighted when she agreed to sample a bottle earlier this spring. Willcox, who writes about wine, food and culture, is often featured in […]

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“Precise, Thoughtful, Handcrafted” – Kathleen Willcox’s Thoughts on Bells Up’s 2019 Titan and 2020 Jupiter

Kathleen Willcox, a wine writer and reviewer who contributes to Wine Searcher, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Industry Network Advisor, and Liquor.com (as well as other publications), has written about us before (here and here), but had never sampled our wines. Which is why we asked if we could send her a couple of bottles for consideration this spring. She agreed to […]

Owen Bargreen has reviewed the 2021 Rhapsody, Helios, and Prelude

2021 Rhapsody, Helios, and Prelude Releases Commended by Owen Bargreen

Prolific wine reviewer and Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers Dr. Owen Bargreen, who interviewed Winemaker Dave last spring on Instagram Live, has again reviewed our latest spring releases. He shared his advance notes with us on 2021 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc, 2021 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc, and 2021 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir ahead of publishing […]

2019 Firebird Syrah Review from Winery Reflections

2019 Firebird Syrah is “Terrifically Complex and Engaging” says Winery Reflections

The dynamic duo of married wine reviewers Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections have been enthusiastic supporters and reviewers our wines for many years (they even paid us a visit back in 2019). Yet we still hold our breath every time we send them samples! We actually tried to send them the 2019 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Syrah last […]

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Choice Wineries Names Bells Up #2 In Top 10 Best Wineries List

Scoring and ranking the best U.S. wineries to visit, Choice Wineries focuses on helping consumers — from newbies to connoisseurs — to enhance their wine drinking experience. The site recently unveiled its list of “The 10 Best Wineries In Oregon,” and we were thrilled (and surprised) to discover that we ranked #2! The post notes Oregon’s growing international reputation for […]

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Talk-A-Vino’s “Passion and Pinot” Series Posts Update After Visit to Bells Up

Wine writer and reviewer Anatoli Levine, who produces the Talk-A-Vino blog, has been collecting “Stories of Passion and Pinot” in a series featuring Oregon winemakers since 2016. He originally interviewed Winemaker Dave long distance, and reviewed some wine samples we sent him, back in 2019. But we had never had the chance to meet Levine in person until last August […]

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Wine Writer Margot Savell Puts Helios On Favorite 50 Wines of 2021 List

We just discovered that wine writer Margot Sinclair Savell and her husband Dave Savell included 2020 Helios Seyval Blanc on their list of “Favorite 50 Wines in 2021.” The couple, who review wine and spirits on their site Write for Wine – It’s Wine O’Clock Somewhere, also included 2020 Helios on their list of the top 20 sparkling, white, and […]

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Wine Reviewer Owen Bargreen Interviews Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter

Dr. Owen Bargreen — prolific wine reviewer and Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers — interviewed Bells Up winemaker Dave Specter a few months ago for Oregon Wine Month face-to-face via Instagram Live. Bargreen has been reviewing our wines practically from the beginning of our production, and he periodically checks in on us physically in-person, via email […]

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Two Bells Up 2019 Pinot Noirs Scored in Wine Writer Jeff Kralik’s Annual Tasting

For the fourth year, wine writer and reviewer Jeff Kralik, aka “The Drunken Cyclist,” conducted his annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir this past November. (Jeff featured Bells Up in his regular Wednesday Winery Spotlight post a couple of months ago.) He emailed us this fall to invite us to submit any pinots we’d like to be considered. Ultimately, Jeff […]

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Crushed Grape Chronicles Highlights Visit To Bells Up With Feature Video, Story

It was such fun to finally meet wine writers, reviewers and media producers Robin and Michael Renken of Crushed Grape Chronicles this past August as they took a lengthy road trip they called “The Scenic Route 2021.” The pair have previously featured our wines in both video and written format twice: Once as their choice to celebrate the start of […]

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Wine Bulletin Features Bells Up In Focus On Small Willamette Valley Producers

Wine Bulletin’s Joe Campbell recently interviewed three representatives of three different Willamette Valley American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), including ours — with Bells Up winemaker Dave Specter discussing the Chehalem Mountains AVA (where our vineyard and winery are located). Based out of the Sierra Foothills of California, Campbell is a software consultant by day who spends his weekends and evenings working […]

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Helios Recommended by Wine Writer Margot Sinclair Savell for the Holidays

It’s that time of the year when wine writers release their picks for the best wines of the year, or about the wines that made the cut for their personal holiday tables. Margot Sinclair Savell, who reviews on the site Write for Wine – It’s Wine O’Clock Somewhere, recently published her list of the top 20 sparkling, white, and red wines […]

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James The Wine Guy Puts TWO Bells Up Pinots On His Top 100 Wines Of 2021 List

Prolific wine reviewer, writer and videographer James Melendez of James The Wine Guy, recently released his 11th annual list of the Top 100 Wines he tasted in 2021. And, much to our great surprise, TWO of Bells Up’s pinot noirs were included: 2018 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, to which he awarded 94 points (out of 100) when he reviewed it, […]

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This holiday season instead of showing you our brass, we thought we’d show you our buns.

It wouldn’t be a seasonal greeting from the Specters if there wasn’t a bad pun or two. So some things haven’t changed. Although this year, we are deviating from our usual mailed card to a 100% digital holiday missive. It’s been a wild year and we’re currently living in full chaos. More on that in a bit. First, a recap… Sara […]

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Latest Sips N Tips Recipe Pairs Rhapsody Pinot Blanc with Fall-Inspired Creamy Leek Tartine

One of our favorite wine and travel writers, Caitlin Hodges, was again inspired to create a new recipe to pair with one of our wines — this time Rhapsody Pinot Blanc. Inspired by the cooler fall temperatures, Hodges makes the case for enjoying white wines year-round (as opposed to only in the warmer summer months) with her Creamy Leek Puff […]

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Mahindra USA Features Bells Up in Series of Customer Stories

We’ve kept this quiet for MONTHS now, but in April this year we were contacted by Holly Brinkman, Head of Corporate Communications for the Mahindra Group, which includes the Mahindra Ag North America — and manufacturer of our trusty tractor. She’d seen our Instagram posts and invited us to be included in a series of customer profiles she’s been working […]

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Wine Writer Margot Sinclair Savell Says Bells Up’s Wines “Hit All The Right Notes”

Margot Sinclair Savell and her husband Dave Savell came down from the Seattle area to join us for a visit this past summer and graciously tasted through the wines available at that time. A former national journalist in Canada and the U.S., she recently posted an article about the experience, as well as her tasting notes, on her blog Write […]

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“Bells Up: Being Unique is Contagious.” Daily Ovation’s Wine Reviews

When Joe Wehinger, CEO of United Digital & Associates, publisher of Daily Ovation magazine, visited us over the summer, he tasted through our current (at that time) wine line up. In addition to writing incredibly kind things about us in a recent article, “Willamette Valley’s Bells Up Winery is Portland’s answer to Music in the Bottle with Bright, Bold Pinot […]

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The Wine Write, Randy Smith, Interviews Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter

Wine writer and reviewer Randy Smith (pictured at right), who publishes The Wine Write blog, paid us a visit over the summer to sample the wines and experience our particular brand of hospitality. Smith, who started his blog in 2011, interviews and writes about winemakers and others in the wine industry whom he finds interesting. Apparently he found Dave interesting, […]

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Visit Oregon Declares Bells Up Their “FAVORITE Winery in All of Willamette Valley”

Travel and tourism site Visit Oregon recently published its list of “The Best Wineries in Oregon,” and — as you might expect — there are some heavy hitting names on there, including Bergstrom, Archery Summit, Rex Hill, and Argyle. So you can imagine our shock when we discovered that we were included in the list, at number 10. Just to […]

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Winery Reflections Says 2018 Titan Pinot Noir is “Alluring and Approachable”

Husband-and-wife wine reviewers Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections have been graciously sampling and writing about our wines for several years now (they even paid us a visit back in 2019). So, of course, we sent them the latest release of our flagship wine — 2018 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir — last spring. They posted a review encapsulating […]

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Daily Ovation Calls Bells Up “Portland’s Answer to Music in the Bottle”

Over the summer we were visited by Joe Wehinger, CEO of United Digital & Associates, publisher of Daily Ovation magazine, and writer about all things food, wine, spirits, travel, technology and philanthropy. The result? Joe wrote about us in a recent article, “Willamette Valley’s Bells Up Winery is Portland’s answer to Music in the Bottle with Bright, Bold Pinot Noir.” […]

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Napa Valley Register Says A Visit To Bells Up Is “Like Coming Home”

Award-winning wine writer and journalist Elizabeth Smith, who hails from the Napa/Sonoma region, recently paid us a visit as she was working on an assignment for the Napa Valley Register. The article, “Three Oregon AVAs in a Day” was recently published in the “On Wine” section of the newspaper. It features two other wineries in addition to us (Lenné Estate […]

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2018 Titan’s Lingering Berry and Vanilla Finish Noted by The Nittany Epicurean

An attorney and wine reviewer based in New York, Michael Chelus features a different wine daily six days a week (on Sundays he recaps the previous week’s highlights from the worlds of food, wine, beer, cocktails and spirits) on the Nittany Epicurean blog. Chelus has been sampling wine and documenting his thoughts online since 2013. Chelus has been producing a […]

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Wine Writer Jeff Kralik Reviews Bells Up’s 2020 Helios, Rhapsody

As we shared a couple of weeks ago, we were honored to be sought out by wine writer and reviewer Jeff Kralik, who blogs as “The Drunken Cyclist,” during his visit to the Willamette Valley at the end of July. Jeff had already reviewed our 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir as part of his comprehensive, annual blind tasting […]

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Travel Oregon Features Bells Up In “Road Tripper’s Guide To The Portland Region”

Travel writer Kay Kingsman, based in Portland, included Bells Up in “Road Tripper’s Guide To The Portland Region,” a travel itinerary featured by Travel Oregon. Kingsman, the voice behind The Awkward Traveller blog where she often recounts her hilariously embarrassing adventures abroad, also uses her platform to provide tips and information to make travel more accessible and attainable. She’s also been […]

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When Life Handed Us Lemons, We “Called A Cab” – And The Drunken Cyclist Loves It

The secret is out. In 2020, we made a Cabernet Sauvignon. It was Dave’s first time touching that grape in more than 10 years, since he last made a Cab as an amateur winemaker in our Cincinnati basement. Now, how did this happen, you might ask? Well, like so many things that were true of 2020, we “called a cab” […]

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Bells Up Among “Great Willamette Valley Wineries To Visit This Fall,” Says Select Registry

The Select Registry network of distinguished inns of North America features member properties that offer outstanding accommodations and one-of-a-kind experiences. That includes offering travelers sample itineraries and travel guides that highlight different destinations — including those in the Willamette Valley. We were surprised to discover that we were included in a recent feature on the site, “Great Willamette Valley Wineries […]

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Wine Writer L.M. Archer Recaps Bells Up’s Progress in Moving Instagram Post

Several years ago we first invited acclaimed wine writer L.M. Archer to sample our wines in person, which she did i 2017. Since then we’ve also sent her bottles for consideration as well. Our favorite review of all time, ever, was her comment about 2017 Villanelle Tonnelier Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir: “Mama like. A lot.” Archer is an award-winning writer, […]

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Bells Up’s Seyval Blanc Part Of “The Future Of Winemaking”

Although we might have been called “crazy” by the (very old) guard of the Willamette Valley for planting a whopping half-acre of Seyval Blanc in our estate vineyard, it turns out we weren’t as heretical as they thought we were. At least not according to an article authored by Kathleen Willcox for Wine Industry Network Advisor, “The Future of Winemaking […]

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Four Bells Up Pinot Noirs Reviewed by Wine Writer Jeff Kralik Score 93-96

It was a true highlight of our summer to be visited by wine writer and reviewer Jeff Kralik, aka “The Drunken Cyclist,” during his visit to the Willamette Valley in July. Jeff previously sampled our 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, which we submitted earlier in the year for consideration in his comprehensive, annual blind tasting of “True Rosés” […]

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Winery Reflections Praises “Complex and Captivating” 2019 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir

Perhaps of all the wine samples we sent to Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections, 2019 Jupiter, our debut estate Pinot Noir, was the one we were most nervous to share with them. (Admittedly, it was the wine we were equal parts excited and terrified about uncorking for anyone, as it was the first full Pinot ever produced entirely […]

Jeff Kralik and Winemaker Dave during Jeff's visit a couple of years ago.

Wine Reviewer The Drunken Cyclist Calls Bells Up’s Wines “Some of the Best in the Willamette Valley”

Earlier this year we shared a bottle of our 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir with prolific wine writer and reviewer Jeff Kralik, who blogs as “The Drunken Cyclist.” Annually, Jeff conducts what he believes to be the largest blind tasting of “True Rosés” in the U.S., so we submitted our “Brosé” for consideration as part of that undertaking […]

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New Sips N Tips Recipe Pairs 2018 Titan With BACON Potato Salad

It’s been well established that we’re BIG FANS of BACON around here. Sara threw Dave a surprise BACON Dinner Birthday a few years ago, and we’ve also hosted a multi-course BACON winemaker dinner here at the winery, as well as been featured at a similar event at The University Club. So when one of our favorite wine and travel writers, […]

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The Daily Drip Lauds Bells Up As “The Perfect Introduction To Willamette Valley”

Unbeknownst to us, we recently hosted wine and travel writer Maria Ignacia Morel of The Daily Drip on her inaugural visit to the Willamette Valley. She posted an overview of her trip, “8 Reasons to Visit Oregon Wine Country,” and listed us FIRST among the six wineries she visited—all significantly larger and more well known than us. It was both […]

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2020 Prelude Estate Is A “Gorgeously Rosy Rosé,” Says Great Northwest Wine

Great Northwest Wine’s Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue recently shared their review of our 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. They’ve previously reviewed several of our wines over the years, most recently the 2019 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Syrah and the 2018 Villanelle Tonnelier Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir. The duo have been writing about Pacific Northwest wines—including Oregon, Washington, […]

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90 Points from Wine Enthusiast for 2018 Candide Nemarniki Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir

The 2018 vintage of our leanest, spiciest Pinot Noir — Candide Nemarniki Vineyard Reserve — just received a 90-point score from Paul Gregutt, Contributing Editor at Wine Enthusiast (wines receiving scores from 90-93 are considered “Excellent” and “Highly Recommended”). It’s a hat trick of sorts, as both 2018 Titan and 2018 Villanelle were likewise awarded 90 points from Gregutt, who focuses […]

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“Romantic, Beautiful, Memorable, Captivating,” 2018 Villanelle Gets 94 Points from James the Wine Guy

James Melendez of James The Wine Guy, a prolific wine reviewer, writer and videographer, has produced thousands of thoughtful, meticulously-researched reviews of wines in video format since November 2006. Passionate about wine and business, Melendez, a former national wine marketing manager for a large, off-premise food and wine retailer, spends roughly 5 minutes introducing the producer and sharing his thoughts […]

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2018 Villanelle Tonnelier Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir Awarded 90 Points from Wine Enthusiast

More praise for the next-to-last vintage of Villanelle. The 2018 bottling of Winemaker Dave’s “little black dress” pinot noir has been awarded a 90-point score from Paul Gregutt, Contributing Editor at Wine Enthusiast (wines receiving scores from 90-93 are considered “Excellent” and “Highly Recommended”). Gregutt focuses solely on reviewing the wines of Oregon and Canada for the magazine. He writes: All free-run […]

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Nittany Epicurean Highlights 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé’s “Great Acidity and Balance”

Wine reviewer Michael Chelus, who publishes the Nittany Epicurean blog, has been tasting wine and documenting his thoughts prolifically since establishing his website in 2013. An attorney based in New York, Chelus features a different wine daily with the exception of Sundays, when he instead shares a recap of his week and occasionally highlights from the worlds of food, wine, beer, […]

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Wine Enthusiast Awards Bells Up’s 2018 Titan Pinot Noir a 90-Point Rating

WOO HOO! It’s a 90-point score for our 2018 Titan Pinot Noir from none other than Paul Gregutt, Contributing Editor specializing in the wines of Oregon and Canada for Wine Enthusiast magazine (wines receiving scores from 90-93 are considered “Excellent” and “Highly Recommended”). He writes: This multiclonal blend was aged in one-third new French oak. It’s a mix of herb […]

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The Drunken Cyclist’s 2021 Rosé Review Panel Awards Bells Up Prelude 92 Points

For the first time ever we sent off a bottle of our “Brosé” (2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir) to Houston-based wine writer and reviewer Jeff Kralik, who blogs under the moniker “The Drunken Cyclist.” Annually since 2017, Kralik has conducted what he believes to be the largest blind tasting of American “True Rosés.” This year’s tasting saw 68 […]

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Pair 2018 Titan with BBQ Like Crushed Grape Chronicles

We didn’t think it could get any better than the pairings that wine writers, reviewers and media producers Robin and Michael Renken of Crushed Grape Chronicles came up with for our 2020 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc and 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. But they’ve topped it with an inspired pairing: our flagship 2018 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with barbecue! […]

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Great Northwest Wine Hails 2019 Firebird Syrah’s “Juicy and a Bit Hedonistic” Character

Iconic regional wine reviewers Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue of Great Northwest Wine have posted their review of our 2019 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Syrah. The pair, who recently dubbed us “The Unofficial Chehalem Mountains Winery of The Tony Kornheiser Show,” have been writing about Pacific Northwest wines (including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Idaho) for more than 35 years. […]

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Pair Prelude Rosé with Grilled Ahi Nicoise Salad Recipe from Sips N Tips

One of our favorite wine writers, Caitlin Hodges, who authors and curates the Sips N Tips website has done it again: she’s come up with another tasty recipe created specifically to pair with a Bells Up wine. This time, she’s created a Grilled Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad to complement the 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. (This isn’t her first […]

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2020 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc has “Excellent Depth of Flavor Alongside Intense Energy,” says Winery Reflections

Phew. Once again, we managed to please the highly discriminating palates and olfactory nerves of Southern Cali’s premier husband-and-wife wine reviewing duo: Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections. The pair, who visited us back in 2019, are wine writers, reviewers, spouses and oeno-academics. They recently posted their review of our 2020 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc. Here’s what they had to […]

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Sample Two Bells Up Wines at Magic in the Mountains – July 31, 2021

We are excited to be one of the featured wineries at the Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers Association’s (CMWA) second installment of Magic in the Mountains. The event will again be hosted in the ballroom and terraces at the Allison Inn and Spa, just a stone’s throw away from our place. Magic in the Mountains will be held on Saturday, July 31, […]

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Celebrate Summer, Crushed Grape Chronicles’ Style, With Bells Up’s Rhapsody Pinot Blanc and Prelude Rosé

Wine writers, reviewers and media producers Robin and Michael Renken of Crushed Grape Chronicles BLEW. OUR. MINDS. by featuring our 2020 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc and 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir as their choice to celebrate Memorial Day 2021. The pair specialize in telling wine stories of the regions, the wineries, the people and the wines. But they don’t […]

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Cupcake Isn’t The Only One Barking For Our Brosé: Owen Bargreen Includes 2020 Prelude In Top PNW Rosés Report

Dr. Owen Bargreen — prolific wine reviewer and Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers — has again included our Estate “Brosé” on his annual, 2021 Pacific Northwest Rosé Report, recently posted on his eponymous website. And that’s something we can “Roar for Rosé” about with the resident winery Diva Dog, Cupcake. Bargreen writes: “2020 was a more […]

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2018 Tonnelier Vineyard Reserve Is “Perhaps [Our] Most Impressive Pinot Noir,” Says Great Northwest Wine

Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue of Great Northwest Wine recently published their review of our 2018 Villanelle Tonnelier Reserve Pinot Noir. The pair, who have been writing about Pacific Northwest wines (including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Idaho) for more than 35 years, have previously reviewed several of our wines over the years. (They also recently declared us “The Unofficial […]

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James the Wine Guy Hails 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé As “Fantastically Beautiful”

James Melendez of James The Wine Guy reviews wines on his YouTube channel, awarding scores based on a 100-point scale. Thoughtful and meticulously-researched, Melendez’s wine reviews have been online since November 2006. These clips, which typically run less than 5 minutes long, provide a small introduction to the producer, as well as his thoughts on the wine’s color, nose, and […]

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Weinnotes Features Bells Up’s Wines, Story

Earlier this spring we were fortunate to have been paid a three-hour visit by local wine writer and developer of the Winederful iPhone app, A.J. Weinzettel. A prolific writer, A.J. publishes his weekly Oregon Vino Country newsletter on Saturday mornings to an impressive and enthusiastic subscriber base. Each week, he describes his experiences and impressions of one Oregon winery he’s […]

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James the Wine Guy Awards 2018 Titan Pinot Noir a 94-Point Score, Calls It a “Beautiful, Splendid Wine”

Prolific wine reviewer, writer and videographer James Melendez of James The Wine Guy, has been producing thoughtful, meticulously-researched reviews of wines since November 2006. Passionate about wine and business, Melendez — a former national wine marketing manager for a large, off-premise food and wine retailer — has produced thousands upon thousands of brief video reviews. These clips, which typically run […]

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2020 Estate Prelude Rosé and 2019 Firebird Syrah Rated “Excellent” by Reviewer Frederic Koeppel

Memphis, Tennessee-based wine writer and reviewer Frederic Koeppel, who curates the Bigger Than Your Head website (“Eating & Drinking: The Good, The Bad, and The Rest of It”), has been writing about wine both in print media and online for more than 35 years. He recently reviewed wines submitted by Oregon wineries that he says are “new to me,” including […]

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Bells Up Named Among “23 Best Things To Do In Newberg, Oregon”

When we first visited Newberg back in 2008, our primary goal was to taste some world-class Pinot Noir. What we didn’t expect to discover, however, was how much we loved the town. Many of the features that drew us to Newberg were recently highlighted in Vacation Idea: Dream Vacation Magazine, which noted: “To begin with, you will find yourself surrounded […]

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Winemaker Dave Specter Featured in “Honey How Was Your Day?” Podcast

Last summer Dave hosted Honi Olmedo and Kat Chen (pictured at right) and their guests separately on two different occasions for wine tastings. So, when the pair came up with the concept of launching their “Honey, How Was Your Day?” podcast, they remembered Dave and our story, and invited him to be featured in one of the episodes. The pair […]

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2020 Prelude Estate Rosé is “Just as Complex as it is Refreshing,” says Winery Reflections

It’s always an absolute delight to hear what Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections have to say about our wines. The pair, who visited us back in 2019, are wine writers, reviewers, spouses and oeno-academics. They recently shared their review of our 2020 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. Here’s what they had to say: Plump red cherry, rose hips, tart […]

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Taste Newberg Features Bells Up Wine Tasting Experience in New Video

Taste Newberg — the official online travel resource and Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) for Newberg, Oregon — recently featured us in a video posted to Facebook. The clip, shared below (courtesy of Taste Newberg), captures sweeping views from overhead of the vineyard and tasting room, as well as a great photo of Winemaker Dave and of the wines. The organization […]

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Ellen Landis Calls Latest Releases of Prelude, Titan and Firebird “Shimmering Gems”

Ellen Landis — certified sommelier, wine writer, and international wine judge — recently reviewed three of our newest releases on her website, “Ellen on Wine.” Landis has graciously reviewed several of our past vintages as well as written a feature about us for Great Northwest Wine. So we were eager to see what she thought of the 2020 Prelude Estate […]

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A Fond Farewell to Mike and Julie Slater and Tonnelier Vineyard

Everything is transient and fleeting in the wine world. Vines unfurl their leaves, bloom, produce grapes, then sleep for the winter until a new season begins. New vintages are released, and then sell out. And the sun sets on beautiful, long-standing, and mutually collaborative vineyard partnerships… It is with a heavy heart that we are finally, officially sharing the news […]

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Owen Bargreen Praises 2020 Prelude Rosé, 2020 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc

Dr. Owen Bargreen — Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers — has graciously reviewed our wines for many years, and this year is no exception. He recently filed his thoughts on the 2020 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir and the 2020 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc on his eponymous website. Here’s what he says: 2020 Bells Up ‘Prelude’ Estate […]

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2018 Bells Up Pinots Praised for “Elegance and Soft Texture” by Reviewer Owen Bargreen

Our three 2018 Pinot Noirs — Titan, Candide, and Villanelle — have been reviewed by Dr. Owen Bargreen, wine writer and Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers (pictured at right with Winemaker Dave). Here’s what he says: 2018 Bells Up ‘Titan’ Pinot Noir – The 2018 ‘Titan’ Pinot Noir shows nice Bing cherry and peat moss tones alongside […]

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Winery Reflections Calls 2018 Candide “Spellbinding and Impressively Authentic”

Wine writers, reviewers, spouses and oeno-academics Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections (who visited us back in 2019) recently shared a review of our 2018 Candide Nemarniki Vineyard Reserve Pinot noir. Here’s what they had to say: Tart Bing cherry, pine needle, rhubarb purée. Barely-ripe black raspberry, ground coriander, fresh cranberry. Exceptionally energetic and expressive wafts of wild strawberry, […]

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Pair Rhapsody Pinot Blanc with Greek-Inspired Lamb Recipe from Sips N Tips

We are excited to share the 2020 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc with you, and even more excited to share this recipe from wine writer Caitlin Hodges, who authors and curates the Sips N Tips website. When Hodges reviewed our 2019 Rhapsody she paired it with this Greek-Inspired Lamb dish. Admittedly, we were a little surprised: White wine with red meat? Turns out […]

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Introducing Jupiter: Our Most Personal Wine Release To Date

We are super excited to FINALLY share our very first pinot noir made entirely of estate fruit! Meet Jupiter, our newest wine release and a Fanfare Club exclusive wine for 2021. This debut vintage of Jupiter is made of equal parts heritage clone Pommard and Dijon clone 667 — the first vines we planted — and includes fruit from our tribute rows that bear […]

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Sips-N-Tips Recommends Bells Up’s Rhapsody, Helios and Prelude as “3 Unique Oregon Wines You Must Try”

Wine and travel writer Caitlin Hodges, who authors and curates the Sips N Tips website, reviewed our 2019 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc, 2019 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc and 2019 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, calling them “3 Unique Oregon Wines You Must Try.” Hodges, who visited us a couple of years ago on a tour of the Willamette Valley with […]

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Bells Up Winemaker (and Loyal Little) Dave Specter Featured On The Loyal Littles Podcast

As an offshoot of the attention we’ve been blessed to receive from Tony Kornheiser (pictured below), sportswriter for The Washington Post, ESPN personality (PTI | Pardon the Interruption), and Podcaster (The Tony Kornheiser Show), Dave was invited to be a guest on The Loyal Littles Podcast. Produced and hosted by Littles Chuck and Roxy, each episode features an in-depth interview with […]

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Bells Up’s 2017 Pinot Noirs Reviewed by Fine Wine Writer L.M. Archer: “Mama like. A lot.”

Honestly, this might be the BEST compliment we’ve ever had on one of our wines: “Mama like. A lot.” – International fine wine writer, critic, judge and curator L.M. Archer about the 2017 Villanelle Tonnelier Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir Archer included that note along with her review of Bells Up’s other two 2017 Pinot noir releases, Titan and Candide, in […]

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Wine Reviewer L.M. Archer Features Bells Up’s Helios, Rhapsody, Prelude

International fine wine writer, critic, judge and curator L.M. Archer has published her notes on three of Bells Up’s releases from earlier this year: 2019 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc and 2019 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc (pictured above; photo courtesy of L.M. Archer), as well as the 2019 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir Although all three of these wines are now […]

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Willamette Valley’s HosBrutality Podcast Talks Wine with Bells Up’s Dave Specter

It’s safe to say that if you’re looking to submerge yourself in testosterone, you won’t want to miss this episode of the HosBrutality Podcast, recorded at the end of August 2020 and first released in early September. Bells Up winemaker Dave Specter sits down for a very manly conversation about sports, libations, grub, wine, and driving records with the jovial […]

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Wine Soundtrack’s Allison Levine Interviews Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter

It was a blast to sit down with Allison Levine earlier in this crazy pandemic year — back in January 2019 to be precise — to talk all things wine. Levine, is owner of Please the Palate, a boutique marketing and events agency for the wine and spirits industry, as well as the host of the Wine Soundtrack USA Podcast, […]

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Bells Up Wines Featured In Urban Bliss Life’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

WOW! We were absolutely tickled to discover that the lovely Marlynn Schotland — travel, food, and wine blogger — of UrbanBlissLife.com included us on her 2020 Holiday Wine & Spirits Gift Guide. Annually, Schotland creates the list to help those shopping for the wine lovers and cocktail enthusiasts on their holiday gift lists. If her name sounds familiar, she’s generously […]

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Men Who Blog and Pub Club Feature Bells Up Winemaker Dave in Virtual Happy Hour

A few weeks ago, Winemaker Dave was the featured guest on the Men Who Blog and Pub Club Virtual Happy Hour livestream show. Co-hosted by James Hills of Men Who Blog (a network of male lifestyle bloggers and influencers) and Man Tripping (a travel and lifestyle blog targeted to men) and Kevin Wilkerson of Pub Club (a tourist guide for […]

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2019 Rhapsody Reviewed by Winery Reflections: “Bright, Racy and Refreshing”

Winery Reflections’ Nathan and Courtney Marton (who visited us last year), have posted a review of the 2019 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc, sourced from Plum Hill Vineyards in Gaston. The husband-and-wife team, a pair of prolific wine writers and oeno-academics based in Southern California, had some nice things to say about this bottling (with Courtney noting “I was a huge fan […]

2017 Candide in the glass. All photos by Kelly Mitchell.

The Wine Siren Kelly Mitchell Praises 2017 Candide as a “Distinctly Beautiful Pinot Noir”

Napa-resident, wine connoisseur, travel writer and tastemaker Kelly Mitchell—a.k.a. The Wine Siren and wine, food and lifestyle writer for The Huffington Post—recently featured us and our 2017 Candide Nemarniki Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir. Mitchell, who visited us spontaneously a few years ago, has been so kind to (and supportive of) us since that chance meeting that we occasionally send her samples when we […]

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Winery Reflections Calls 2019 Prelude “An Exceptionally Bright, Energetic and Electrifying Rosé”

Nathan and Courtney Marton, the husband-and-wife duo of super tasters who review wines as Winery Reflections, recently posted their thoughts on the 2019 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. The pair, who visited us last year, wrote the following review: Juicy red cherry, morning fog, white peach. Squeezed lime, mint leaf, raspberry shave ice. A fresh yet plump-fruited explosion of […]

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Forbes Rates 2017 Candide Among “Best Pinot Noirs Willamette Valley Has To Offer”

We got props in FORBES! Squeeee! Dave and I are super excited to share that wine writer and reviewer Michelle Williams (also of Rockin Red Blog: A Song In Every Glass), included our 2017 Candide Nemarniki Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir in her latest Forbes article, “36 Of The Best Pinot Noirs Willamette Valley Has To Offer.” Named for Leonard Bernstein’s […]

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Bells Up Featured As One of “10 Boutique Oregon Wineries That Need Exploring”

What originally drew us to Oregon in general — and Oregon’s Willamette Valley in particular — back in 2008 was the “off the beaten path” opportunities to enjoy personal experiences with winery owners and winemakers. Four years later, when we moved here in 2012, more labels were slowly backing away from hosting such personal tastings. Now, eight years after that, […]

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Washington Wine Blog Reviews 2019 Helios, 2019 Rhapsody

Dr. Owen Bargreen, wine reviewer and Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers (seen above with Winemaker Dave when he dropped in for a quick visit last summer), recently reviewed our two 2019 white wines — Helios Seyval Blanc and Rhapsody Pinot Blanc — on Washington Wine Blog. He particularly enjoyed the Helios, writing: Dave makes the only […]

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2017 Bells Up Pinots Have “Excellent Finesse and Elegance,” Says Washington Wine Blog

Currently featured in the tasting room, our three 2017 Pinot Noirs — Titan, Candide, and Villanelle — were recently reviewed by Dr. Owen Bargreen, wine writer and Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers (seen at right with Winemaker Dave when he dropped in for a quick visit last summer) on Washington Wine Blog. In particular, the Villanelle […]

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Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter Featured In Wine Searcher Article

Wine Searcher recently published an article by wine writer Kathleen Willcox, exploring the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on wineries and their logistics efforts nationwide. Entitled “Covid Infects Logistics, Especially Independent Wineries,” the article includes interviews with small producers about the challenges they’ve experienced during the many shut downs and stay-at-home orders. Bells Up winemaker Dave was included in […]

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Washington Wine Blog Names 2019 Prelude A Top Oregon Wine in 2020 Rosé Report

Washington Wine Blog’s Dr. Owen Bargreen — Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers — recently posted his comprehensive 2020 Pacific Northwest Rosé Report. We were delighted to discover that not only did he write a lovely review of the 2019 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, he included it among his picks for Top Oregon Rosés. Here’s […]

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Thank God for Tony Kornheiser and the Loyal Littles

We can’t even begin to wrap our heads around this. Since May 11, the words “Bells Up Winery” and “Dave Specter” have been uttered by THE Mr. Tony Kornheiser on no fewer than FIVE episodes of his eponymous podcast, “The Tony Kornheiser Show.” Really. After the second time, we really thought that would be the end of it. But then […]

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2019 Helios is “Fabulously Characterful and Bursting with Intense Youthful Energy,” says Winery Reflections

When Winery Reflections’ Nathan and Courtney Marton visited us last year, they were particularly eager to try our estate Seyval Blanc, having not had that varietal before. The duo, a pair of prolific wine writers and oeno-academics based in Southern California, were intrigued and specifically requested the 2019 Helios Seyval Blanc in their spring shipment for review. Here’s what they […]

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Napa Valley Register Highlights Bells Up’ Helios Seyval Blanc as a “Weird Wine”

Wine writer Allison Levine of Please the Palate and the Napa Valley Register recently published the article, “The Wonderful World of Weird Wines.” In it, Levine describes a recent virtual tasting happy hour event she hosted, featuring several other wine writers, bloggers and reviewers from around the country. The theme? “Weird” wines, as in unusual varietals or bottles. Writes Levine: […]

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Oregon Wine Month / Memorial Day 3-Pack Special Offer

May is officially Oregon Wine Month, and Memorial Day Weekend is unofficially the start of summer. To celebrate both, we’ve put together a 3-Pack Special featuring three new releases: 2019 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc, 2019 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, and 2017 Titan Pinot Noir. Buy one bottle of each in the 3-Pack format for the special price of $80 […]

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Great Northwest Wines Names Bells Up “Unofficial Chehalem Mountains Winery of The Tony Kornheiser Show”

Well, apparently it’s been a slow week for wine news, because it turns out that Eric Degerman, president and CEO of Great Northwest Wine (for which he also writes extensively), is also an avid fan of The Tony Kornheiser Show podcast. Eric published “Oregon wineries woo sports broadcaster” earlier this week, recounting the backstory behind Dave’s original email to Tony […]

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“La Cheeserie!” Part Deux: Mr. Tony Hails Bells Up Winery for Second Time

It happened again! As we posted earlier this week, sportswriter for The Washington Post, ESPN personality (PTI | Pardon the Interruption), and Podcaster (The Tony Kornheiser Show), Tony Kornheiser read a second email from Winemaker Dave on the Wednesday, May 13, 2020 show. Needless to say, we’re doubly surprised and immeasurably honored to have been name checked twice. Obviously, our […]

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Pair Bells Up Wines with “La Cheeserie!” THE Tony Kornheiser Gives Us a Shout-Out

Sportswriter for The Washington Post, ESPN personality (PTI | Pardon the Interruption), and Podcaster (The Tony Kornheiser Show), Tony Kornheiser has been a part of our life for a long time. A LOOOOOOONG time. Dave has listened to/watched him for as long as we’ve been together; I honestly cannot recall NOT hearing Tony’s voice in my house over the last […]

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Winecountry.com Recommends Bells Up as a Can’t Miss in the Willamette Valley

To our tremendous surprise, we were included in a recent Winecountry.com article by travel and wine writer Penny Sadler, “10 Willamette Valley Wineries for Newcomers to Oregon Wines.” Sadler, who also blogs under Adventures of a Carry-on, is on a quest to document the world’s wine regions and explore beauty along the way. In the feature, Sadler highlights the opportunity to […]

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Join Us on Saturdays for “Wine Down with Bells Up: Virtual Tasting + Community Conversation”

Join Winemaker Dave and Money Honey Sara as we chat with some of our favorite wine people, near and far with the launch of our new Facebook Live series, “Wine Down with Bells Up: Virtual Tasting + Community Conversation.” More than just a virtual tasting where you sit and watch other people drink wine (boring), we’re taking the opportunity to […]

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Winerabble Interviews Winemaker Dave to Find Out “Why Wine?”

Industry veterans and Northwest wine reviewers Michele Francisco and Matt Talbot produce Winerabble, an online resource covering all things wine with an unpretentious and educational approach. Both have backgrounds in wine buying, marketing, tasting, reviewing and judging — and are endlessly curious about regional wines and the people who produce them. Hence, their “Why Wine?” series, profiling winemakers to find […]

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Winery Reflections Feature Calls Bells Up “A Small but Formidable Producer”

Late last summer we were delighted to finally meet the dynamic husband-and-wife duo behind Winery Reflections, Nathan and Courtney Marton (pictured above, in our vineyard) when we hosted them for a private tasting during their road trip through Oregon. Southern California-based oeno-academics and wine writers, the pair are prolific reviewers, having logged hundreds of thoughtful and comprehensive wine write-ups on […]

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Bells Up Featured by Great Northwest Wine

We were gratified to finally meet the incomparable Ellen Landis — certified sommelier, wine writer, and international wine judge — and her husband Ken (pictured with Dave, below) a couple of weeks ago when they came to visit our tasting room and sample both current wines and preview four new spring releases. Ellen previously reviewed three of our wines last […]

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Cupcake, the Non-Winery Dog, Goes Viral and Gets Her Own Instagram Account

Life works in mysterious ways. And, given our backstory, who are we to judge which way the wind blows? When our favorite UPS (“Unlimited Puppy Snacks”) driver, Scott Hodges, took a photo of our 6-pound Pomeranian—Cupcake, the Non-Winery Dog (pictured above, attempting to drive the winery forklift)—competing with our neighbor’s ginormous golden Labrador retriever Sadie for a biscuit at the […]

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Written Palette Includes Bells Up’s 2017 Firebird Syrah in Best Wines of 2019 List

Thanks go to Cori Solomon of The Written Palette for including our 2017 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Syrah from the Walla Walla Valley AVA on her list of Best Wines of 2019, in the Rhone Varietals and Blends section. Here’s what she had to say: Bells Up 2017 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Walla Walla Valley Syrah: Named after Igor Stravinsky’s […]

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Vino-Sphere Names Bells Up’s 2018 Helios Seyval Blanc A Top Wine of 2019

It was a delight to host Dave Nershi, publisher, writer and reviewer of Vino-Sphere, here last spring. He enjoyed our Helios Estate Seyval Blanc so much that he wrote about it twice (here and here). Then, he put it on his list of Top Wines for 2019! Nershi wrote: “Bells Up has received notoriety for its recent release of its […]

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SoCal Restaurant Show Features Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter

We had the opportunity to share our wines and tasting experience with Andy Harris (pictured above with Winemaker Dave), executive producer of The SoCal Restaurant Show last fall. So it was a real thrill when he invited Dave to talk about Bells Up during two separate segments (Part 1 and Part 2) of the show’s December 28, 2019 broadcast. As […]

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Praise for Bells Up’s Wines, Tasting Experience from Wine Writer Cori Solomon

Wine writer and blogger Cori Solomon of The Written Palette (pictured above with Winemaker Dave in our Seyval Blanc block of the estate vineyard) recently visited our vineyard and winery to sample the latest wines. Solomon, who is based in the Los Angeles area, spent time with us in September and published her review of the wines and experience in […]

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Travel and Wine Writer Marcy Gordon Describes Bells Up’s “Small Lots Made With Heart”

We were extremely fortunate to host a small group of highly regarded wine and travel writers here last August, including Marcy Gordon who authors the award-winning Come for the Wine blog. Gordon recently recapped her visit, pairing it with a lament that she herself always harbored a secret desire to play a certain brass instrument! She writes, “years later, wine […]

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Bells Up’s Dave Specter Featured In Four-Part Financial Health Series by Capital Press

Kristine Thomas, contributor to the Capital Press — a weekly newspaper covers farming, ranching and agriculture industries in the Pacific Northwest — recently interviewed Winemaker Dave for insights into how agricultural businesses should secure financial advisors and partners. Dave was included in a four-part series: Four Steps to Financial Health. In the third part, “Pick The Right Accountant,” Thomas asked […]

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Capital Press Interviews Bells Up’s Dave Specter About How To Choose A Banking Partner

Winemaker Dave was recently interviewed by Kristine Thomas for the Capital Press, a weekly newspaper covers farming, ranching and agriculture industries in the Pacific Northwest. He was included in a four-part series: Four Steps to Financial Health. Thomas spoke with Dave about how to choose a banker in the second part of the series. Here’s what Dave had to say: […]

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2018 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir Featured by Weekday Wine Club

We were thrilled to be invited by our friends Hannah, Brian and Ryan at Weekday Wine Club to include our 2018 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir in their 25th allocation shipment of wines for November 2019. Based in the Portland metro area, Weekday Wine Club’s mission is to elevate their members’ love and education of wine. In addition to […]

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Dallas Wine Chick Shares Bells Up Story

Wine writer Melanie Ofenloch, who files blog posts under her Dallas Wine Chick Blog, recently visited us along with three other wine writers (Mary Cressler, Ember and Vine; Amy Corron Power, Another Wine Blog; and Marcy Gordon, Come for the Wine Podcast) during a whirlwind tour of the Willamette Valley. Post visit, she featured Bells Up — and a few […]

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The Manual’s Sam Slaughter Highlights Bells Up for Willamette Valley White Wines

Sam Slaughter (pictured above with winemaker Dave), food and drink editor for The Manual — an e-magazine targeted to men — visited us in the spring to taste through our current wine line-up. Slaughter, who is based in the South and has written for more than 40 publications, was touring the Willamette Valley specifically on the hunt for wines other […]

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Dave and Sara Specter Interviewed for Oregon Wine History Archive

We were recently reminded that we participated in an interview for the Oregon Wine History Archive, conducted by Stephanie Hofmann (who has since become a dear friend) a couple of years ago (oops!). In it, we talked about Dave’s career change, as well as about our first five years in Oregon—as this was recorded back in 2017. We also chatted […]

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What’s “Batonnage?” Life Between The Vines Asks Dave Specter to Define this “Vino Lingo”

Ray Fister, creator and producer of Life Between The Vines — a podcast and video series designed to educate and entertain folks interested in wine at all levels (newbie to connoisseur) — asks each of his winemaker interviewees to define a wine term in a short segment he calls “Vino Lingo.” When Ray visited us in April to record a […]

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2018 Helios “A Glass of Sunshine,” says Drink In Nature

Photographer and wine writer Elaine Luxton, who authors the Drink In Life blog and publishes her photography under her Instagram account, Drink In Nature Photography, visited us earlier this year and snagged a few bottles to take back to her “studio”: the great outdoors of Washington state (she’s posted a feature about her experience as well as included us in “A […]

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Wine Reviewer Ellen Landis Says Bells Up’s Wines Are “Striking and Dramatic”

Three of our wines were recently reviewed by wine writer and reviewer Ellen Landis, a Certified Sommelier, wine writer, wine educator, wine event moderator and frequent judge at prominent regional, national and international wine competitions. Landis, who regularly posts wine reviews on “Ellen On Wine,” wrote about Bells Up in an article entitled, “New Discoveries in the Willamette Valley.” In […]

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Helios Seyval Blanc Featured by Understanding Wine With Austin Beeman in New Video

Austin Beeman, wine writer, podcaster, videographer and VP of Marketing for Cutting Edge Selections — the Cincinnati area’s premier distributor of Oregon wines — paid us a visit this past spring. He was particularly intrigued by the 2018 Helios Seyval Blanc, and wound up filming a segment with Dave in the vineyard to talk about it, writing, “Seyval Blanc is […]

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Bells Up Tasting Experience, Wines Reviewed by Sips N Tips

Caitlin Hodges, the wine writer who pens the Sips N Tips blog, visited us in May as part of her tour of the Willamette Valley with her husband, Tucker. She’s since posted a full article—”Bells Up Micro-Boutique Winery in Willamette Valley, Oregon“—about her tasting experience here, as well as reviews of several of our current wines. Here’s a couple of […]

See How Dave Puts Together Each Wine: Blending Panel Video Feature by Urban Bliss Life

It’s August, and that means it’s about time for Winemaker Dave and Consulting Winemaker Erica to work on putting together the wines in the barrels into finished blends for wine in the bottle. Last August, one of our favorite local bloggers — Marlynn Schotland of Urban Bliss Life — hung out with them while they used every glass in the […]

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Confetti Travel Cafe Features Bells Up Winery in 2019 Drink Pink Festival Coverage

All credit to Nancy Zaffaro, a Portland-based travel, food, beverage, arts and lifestyle writer for taking the only photo of Sara at the 2019 Drink Pink Festival (photo by Zaffaro, featured above), hosted for the 8th year in a row by Patton Valley Vineyards. Not only did Zaffaro grab a great photo of the hardest working #moneyhoney in the business, […]

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2018 Prelude Estate Rosé Called “Complex, Vibrant and Electrifying” by Winery Reflections

Southern California-based husband and wife oeno-academics and wine writers Nathan and Courtney Marton, who review wines under the Winery Reflections banner, have posted a review of Bells Up’s 2018 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir (along with the photo featured above). Here’s what they had to say: Fresh raspberry, wild poppies, bright red cherry. Juicy cranberry, pine needle, candied granny […]

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Nittany Epicurean Says 2016 Titan “Teeming With Bright Red Berries”

As the author of the Nittany Epicurean blog, wine reviewer and New York-based Michael Chelus, is a prolific sampler of wines and has been since establishing his website in 2013. Chelus features a different wine daily with the exception of Sundays, when he instead shares some of his favorite stories from the worlds of food, wine, beer, cocktails and spirits. […]

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Life Between The Vines Podcast Features Bells Up

Back at the beginning of April, Ray Fister — creator and producer of the Life Between The Vines podcast and video series — dropped in to interview Winemaker Dave. Podcast #330 was recently posted, with Fister writing: Wine and music make a perfect pairing. Nothing new there. But how often do you get to meet a wine loving French horn […]

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SIP Northwest Publishes “Bells Up Winery: Willamette Valley’s Un-Domaine”

SIP Northwest — a regional magazine showcases wines, beers, spirits and ciders from the Pacific Northwest — writer Tamara Belgard featured us in a recent article, “Bells Up Winery: Willamette Valley’s Un-Domaine.” (Photo by Elaine Luxton, Drink in Nature Photography) The feature, which includes an overview of our story and of our spring release of 2018 Helios Seyval Blanc (the […]

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Bells Up’s Dave Specter Featured in Life Between the Vines Video Interview

Life Between The Vines, a podcast and video series created by Ray Fister, seeks to both entertain and educate wine drinkers — from connoisseur to novice — by interviewing winemakers around the world and sharing their stories. Fister stopped by in April to hang out with Bells Up winemaker Dave, and recorded this 7-minute Vino Video. In it, Dave shares […]

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Drink In Life Showcases 2018 Prelude Rosé in “A Summer Fling” Rosé Feature

Earlier this year we were thrilled to host photographer and wine writer Elaine Luxton for a private tasting experience. Luxton, who blogs under Drink In Life and publishes her photography under her Instagram account, Drink In Nature Photography, took a short trip to visit the Willamette Valley and subsequently posted a lovely feature about her experience. To celebrate the arrival of summer, […]

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2018 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir Included in Washington Wine Blog’s 2019 PacNW Rosé Report

Washington Wine Blog’s Dr. Owen Bargreen—Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers—recently posted his comprehensive 2019 Pacific Northwest Rosé Report, which included his review of our 2018 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. Here’s what Owen had to say: 2018 Bells Up ‘Prelude’ Rose – The 2018 ‘Prelude’ Rose shows off a deep hue, unveiling bright red cherry, […]

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Paste Magazine Declares 2018 Prelude Estate Rosé “Full-Bodied and Somewhat Rich, But Also Bright”

Paste Magazine’s Amy Glynn, a San Francisco-based writer and wine reviewer, recently posted a lengthy round-up of 19 different Rosés in her article, “Rosé All Day, All Summer?” Although her article was posted in time for National Rosé Day (there’s a Hallmark Holiday for everything, isn’t there?)—officially the second Saturday in June—Glynn is a proponent of Rosé any summer day, […]

Bells Up winemaker Dave Specter takes a quick break during harvest.

Talk-A-Vino Interviews Bells Up’s Dave Specter in Feature Story

Anatoli Levine, a wine writer and reviewer who also produces the Talk-A-Vino blog, has been producing the “Stories of Passion and Pinot” series about Oregon winemakers since 2016. His original inspiration, he wrote back then, was as follows… I don’t know what makes winemakers so passionate about Pinot Noir. For one, it might be grape’s affinity to terroir. Soil almost […]

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Nittany Epicurean Calls 2018 Prelude Rosé “An Ideal Aperitif”

Wine reviewer Michael Chelus, who writes the Nittany Epicurean blog, is a prolific reviewer of wines and has been since establishing his website in 2013. An attorney based in New York, Chelus features a different wine daily with the exception of Sundays, when he instead shares some of his favorite stories from the worlds of food, wine, beer, cocktails and […]

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Drink In Life Reviews Bells Up Tasting Experience, Wines

It was a delight to host Elaine Luxton, photographer and wine writer to our tasting room at the end of April. Luxton, who blogs under Drink In Life and publishes her photography under her Instagram account, Drink In Nature Photography, took a short trip to visit the Willamette Valley and we were thrilled to be included. As she was tasting […]

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Sips N Tips Calls 2018 Prelude Estate Rosé “Perfectly Balanced for Meal Pairings”

Wine writer Caitlin Hodges, who writes the Sips N Tips blog, is passionate about travel, cooking and fine wine. She included a tasting stop at Bells Up during her last trip to the Willamette Valley, and posted a subsequent round-up of that visit on her site: “Willamette Valley Cool Climate Pinot Noir.” In that article, she noted that our 2016 […]

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2016 Titan is “Juicy, Energetic and Exceptionally Balanced,” says Winery Reflections

Winery Reflections’ Nathan and Courtney Marton, a pair of prolific wine writers and oeno-academics based in Southern California, have posted a review of Bells Up’s 2016 Titan Pinot Noir (along with the photo featured above). Here’s what they had to say: Fragrant bing cherry, pine needle, cranberry cocktail. Diced strawberry, fresh rosemary, pomegranate seeds. Young violet and spring lavender, dry […]

Photo courtesy of Vino-Sphere.

Vino-Sphere’s Feature Story Calls Bells Up “A Micro-Boutique Winner”

Dave Nershi, publisher, writer and reviewer of Vino-Sphere, added a follow-on feature to his first piece overviewing the many stops he made during his early spring tour of the Willamette Valley. He previously published an article about how the Valley offers more varietals than just Pinot Noir, including our Helios Estate Seyval Blanc. His second piece takes a closer look […]

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2018 Rhapsody “Reminiscent of Gooseberry and Lime Zest,” Says Great Northwest Wine

The esteemed tasters at Great Northwest Wine, Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue, have shared their thoughts about 2018 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc in a recent post among their wine news coverage, features, industry insights and tasting notes. The pair have been writing about the wines of the Pacific Northwest—including Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Idaho—for more than 35 years. Indeed, they’ve […]

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Prince of Pinot Reviews 2016 Titan Pinot Noir

Rusty Gaffney M.D., also known as The Prince of Pinot and author of the PinotFile newsletter, has been reviewing Pinot noir since his 2001 retirement from ophthalmology. He’s reviewed several of our wines previously, including our 2013, 2014 and 2015 Titan. So we sent him the 2016 Titan for his feedback this spring. Here’s what he had to say: “Moderately […]

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2018 Prelude Recommended by Wino On A Budget for Beach Time

Wine reviewer and blogger Chelsey Nelson, also known as “Wino On A Budget,” recently enjoyed our 2018 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir on a beach day—albeit a 55-degrees-in-Seattle beach day. We were tickled to discover that she featured a review and the photo above on her Instagram feed (followed by more than 13,000 Instagrammers). Chelsey, a 20-something Seattle-based wine lover who describes […]

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1 Wine Dude Reviews 2018 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc

Joe Roberts, also known as 1 Wine Dude, created his eponymous blog back in 2007 to proffer wine reviews to intermediate level wine lovers—the regular folks who aren’t newbies, but aren’t sommeliers either. Joe writes both full-blown and mini wine reviews because, well, he samples a lot of wine. In fact, he prefers to say he tastes “a bunch-o-wine (technical […]

Photo by Barb Randall, courtesy of Lake Oswego Review/Pamplin Media Group.

Bells Up Featured by Lake Oswego Review for Oregon Wine Month

It’s May in Oregon—which means it’s Oregon Wine Month! We were delighted to welcome Lake Oswego Review writer and local author Barb Randall back to the winery late last month to tour the new production building and sample the latest wine releases (and to take the photo of Dave, above). We were also surprised to be the only winery she […]

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Vino-Sphere Includes Bells Up in Willamette Valley Tour

Vino-Sphere publisher and wine reviewer (and former Ohioan!) Dave Nershi paid us a visit among many other stops on his tour of the Willamette Valley. He just published an article about how the Valley offers more than just Pinot Noir (gasp!). In “Oregon’s Willamette Valley Encompasses Diverse Beverage Scene,” Nershi writes, “We understand if you think Willamette Valley is Pinot […]

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2018 Rhapsody is “Spirited, Sprightly and Serious,” says Winery Reflections’ review

Our favorite wine drinking/reviewing couple—Nathan and Courtney Marton—are back with a new review of Bells Up’s 2018 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc. The Southern Californian oeno-academics and prolific wine writers review a vast array of vintages and varietals under their Instagram Winery Reflections. They can also be found on their Winery Reflections website. Here’s what they had to say about our newest […]

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Bells Up’s “Hidden Gem” Charm Explored by Canadian Wine Writer Rebecca Meïr-Liebman

We were recently visited by Canadian wine writer Rebecca Meïr-Liebman, who both reviews wines and produces articles for Natalie MacLean, the editor of Canada’s largest wine review web site. Meïr-Liebman also blogs under her own SommSelects site. In a post entitled, “Willamette Valley, Oregon – Your Next Wine Destination. Five hidden-gem boutique wineries to visit in the Willamette Valley,” Meïr-Liebman […]

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Washington Wine Blog Calls 2018 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc an “Awesome Release”

Reviewer for both Washington Wine Blog and International Wine Report, Dr. Owen Bargreen—Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers—has sampled 2018 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc and pronounced it an “awesome release by the talented Dave Specter.” Bargreen, who assigned a 90-point score to the wine, had this to say: 2018 Bells Up ‘Rhapsody’ Pinot Blanc –The ‘Rhapsody’ Pinot Blanc […]

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2018 Helios Seyval Blanc Reviewed by Washington Wine Blog

The Willamette Valley’s first-ever Seyval Blanc, 2018 Helios Estate (grown from the first-ever planting in the Willamette Valley—in our Chehalem Mountains AVA vineyard), has been scored a 90 by Dr. Owen Bargreen. Bargreen, a Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers who writes for both Washington Wine Blog and International Wine Report, had this to say: 2018 Bells […]

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“Lip Smacking” 2018 Prelude Rosé Reviewed by Washington Wine Blog

Dr. Owen Bargreen of Washington Wine Blog and International Wine Report was among the first to receive a sample bottle of our 2018 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, and we’re pretty sure he liked it. Not only did he score it a 90, he tweeted out the photo above, entitled “Rooftop Goals.” Here’s what he had to say: 2018 […]

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Wine4Food Names Bells Up as Having One of “The Best Views in Oregon Wine Country”

We’re pretty proud of our magnificent view from the winery—heck, it’s WAY better than the view from our house on the same property. So we just nodded our heads in agreement when Tamara Belgard included us in her round-up of “The Best Views in Oregon Wine Country” article for Wine4Food. The article appeared a few days ago and included our […]

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Wine & Lifestyle Blogger Hayley’s Cellar Reviews Bells Up Wines, Tasting Experience

Last fall we were honored to have the dynamic duo of Hayley’s Cellar and Wino Kristin—a pair of Los Angeles-based wine, travel and lifestyle bloggers—visit us for a tasting experience. Kristin posted some sweet kudos on Instagram, as did Hayley, who also featured us in a full-length blog post review. In addition to taking the fantastic photos featured above and […]

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Introducing Helios: Bells Up’s Historic, First-Ever Willamette Valley Seyval Blanc

When we moved to Newberg from Cincinnati, Ohio, and began sketching out our vineyard block planting plans, we knew we’d be dedicating a portion to Seyval Blanc. The grape, a hybrid, has characteristics similar to Sauvignon Blanc, yet does well in cool climates—like the East Coast, Finger Lakes, England, and… we figured here as well. Besides, Seyval Blanc was one […]

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Bells Up Winery Profiled by Washington Wine Blog

Dr. Owen Bargreen, founder and editor of Washington Wine Blog and a certified Level 2 Sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers, recently featured a profile of Bells Up and our most recent wine releases. The winemaking style is intriguing and is not meant for those who prefer bolder Oregon Pinot Noirs. There is a move towards elegance and delicate […]

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Bells Up Featured On Wine Crush Podcast

In December, winemaker Dave was featured in the Wine Crush: Stories Uncorked, Season 2, Episode 2 podcast hosted by Heidi Moore. In describing the episode, Dave’s segment is noted for “its roots in something all of us here at PRP love: Music.” During the 15-minute interview, Dave shares the Bells Up backstory, explains the meaning behind the winery name and […]

Day of Dave: Part 2 — Bacon, Flames and Sabers

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 […]

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Day of Dave: Part 1 — Three Surprises Before Noon

Winemaker Dave had a milestone birthday back on September 27, 2018. So Sara put together a crazy day of fun surprises for him with the help of a LOT of our dear friends here in Oregon—and a couple from Cincinnati too. (And yes, it’s taken a while for this to get posted!) First, starting back on January 27, 2018, Sara […]

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Meemaw Eats Revisits Bells Up

It’s Thanksgiving Week. Which makes it doubly appropriate that we have again been featured by food, family and fun blogger Meemaw Eats (aka Patty Mishler). She honored us with a repeat visit back in August this year, having originally dropped in two years before. It was such a delight to see her and Peepaw (aka Fred) again, and we were […]

Marlynn Schotland of UrbanBlissLife.com created these insanely delicious Pinot Noir brownies using Bells Up Titan.

Urban Bliss Life Uses Bells Up Titan 2015 Pinot Noir in Decadent Brownie Recipe

We love our chocolate over here at Bells Up. Both Dave and Sara are card-carrying chocoholics (please, no 12-steps for this addiction). So, when we were sharing our highly reviewed 2015 Titan Pinot Noir with Urban Bliss Life blogger-photographer-social media influencer extraordinare Marlynn Jayme Schotland and she announced, “This wine is fantastic on its own, with BBQ, and I’d totally take this […]

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Willamette Valley Wineries Association Features Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter

In their coverage of the local 2018 harvest, the Willamette Valley Wineries Association has featured Dave in a “Winemaker Q&A” interview, posted on their website. In it, our very own intrepid Oompa Loompa impersonator (see image above) tackles the big questions, including: What is your harvest attire of choice? (Hint: It’s Sara’s favorite outfit to tease him about.) What is […]

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Feast Your Eyes on This Recap of Bells Up’s First Winemaker Dinner at Agrivino

On Friday, September 14, Bells Up was the featured winery at a sumptuous, five-course traditional Italian Winemaker’s Dinner prepared by Chef Dario Pisoni at Agrivino in Carlton and attended by 46 guests—a sell out. The amazing meal featured wine pairings from us with original creations by Chef Dario. Both Chef Dario and Winemaker Dave presented each course with an explanation […]

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Wine Press Northwest Features Our Vineyard and Inspiration

We were incredibly touched to read the feature story by Viki Eierdam about our winery and vineyard in the Fall 2018 issue of Wine Press Northwest. In “Willamette Valley winemakers pay tribute to their inspiration: Loss of mentor launches Bells Up Winery,” she focused on our 14 tribute rows that honor the memory of loved ones who have passed away […]

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Wino On A Budget Loves Bells Up’s 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé

Although it’s long since sold out, we were thrilled that wine reviewer and blogger Chelsey Nelson, also known as “Wino On A Budget,” enjoyed our 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir so much that she featured a review on her Instagram feed (followed by nearly 11,000 Instagrammers). Chelsey, a 20-something Seattle-based wine lover who describes herself as having “champagne taste […]

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Winery Reflections Reviews 2015 Titan Pinot Noir

The dynamic duo of Nathan and Courtney Marton, Southern Californian oeno-academics and prolific wine reviewers under their Instagram Winery Reflections posts, recently posted this amazing praise for Bells Up’s 2015 Titan Pinot Noir: “Bright strawberry, dry leaves, pomegranate seeds. Fresh cranberry, red poppies, tangerine. Portobello mushroom and sous bois, ground clove and baking spice. Tense and tightly wound with soft […]

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Soon-to-be-Released 2016 Titan Pinot Noir “Speaks Softly, But Carries a Powerful Reverb,” says Reviewer L.M. Archer

Soon-to-be-released 2016 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has again been highly reviewed, this time by international fine wine writer, critic, judge and curator L.M. Archer. In her July 30, 2018 Hedonistic Taster column, she reviews several Willamette Valley submissions, including Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Rosé. Here’s her insights into the 2016 Titan… Robe: Semi-transparent raspberry hue. Nose: Rustic, red fruit and black […]

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Nearly Sold-Out 2017 Prelude Rosé Favorably Reviewed by L.M. Archer

International fine wine writer, critic, judge and curator L.M. Archer has reviewed our first-ever estate wine, the 2017 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir! In her July 30, 2018 Hedonistic Taster column, Archer reviews several Willamette Valley submissions. Here’s what she has to say about the 2017 Prelude… Robe: Translucent, raspberry hue. Nose: Savory, white pepper and red fruit aromas. Bouche: Bright red fruits: […]

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Santa Monica Observer Features Bells Up in Edible Skinny’s “Girls Getaway Trip to the Willamette Valley”

We were delighted to host the dynamic duo of sisters Kat and Kelly Thomas back in the spring as they took a “Girls Getaway Trip to the Willamette Valley.” Kat, journalist and blogger who also publishes under the website Edible Skinny, filed the story “Pretentiousness is Out the Door in Willamette Valley, but Pinot Noir is Superb in Chehalem” with […]

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Try Ember & Vine’s Grilled Beet Salad, Made with 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of the wine and wood-fired power duo of Mary Cressler and Sean Martin. Together, the two form Ember and Vine, and Mary also posts drool-worthy recipes (and some hard-core food porn videos) on her Vindulge site. They cooked for our first anniversary Memorial Day Open House, we’ve showcased their recipe for Pinot Noir […]

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Tasting Pour Declares 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé Like A Fresh-Picked Cherry

If you like cherries, have we got a Rosé for you: 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. Wine writer Jade Helm, who contributes to several publications and also her own site—Tasting Pour—recently sampled and reviewed our first-ever estate release wine for her 2018 Oregon Rosé Round Up, and had this to say: “From beginning to end this rose screams […]

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Bells Up’s Seyval Blanc Planting Featured in June 2018 Issue of Oregon Wine Press

Although it’s not ready for commercial sale, we were delighted that wine writer Tamara Belgard featured our planting of Seyval Blanc in the June 2018 issue of the Oregon Wine Press. In the feature, Belgard covers both our vines (the first planting of Seyval Blanc in the Willamette Valley, as far as we have been able to determine, and the […]

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Washington Wine Blog Gives Two New Bells Up Releases High Marks

Our 91-point streak continues! Dr. Owen Bargreen, Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers and executive editor of Washington Wine Blog and International Wine Report awarded our as yet unreleased 2016 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir a 91-point score. This is the fourth Titan he has reviewed and the fourth 91-point score he has awarded. We’re thrilled that, despite the significant […]

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Revisit Dave’s Visit with Wine Julia from April

One of our favorite wine connoisseurs, Wine Julia, invited winemaker Dave down to Eugene to pour wines in her new venue (Capitello Wines) back on April 18. The two had a great time, as you can see from the Facebook video below. During their spirited conversation, the pair chatted about Julia’s fear of bugs, our new 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé […]

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Bento for Business features Bells Up and the Willamette Valley as an Unconventional May Getaway Destination

We never know who’s going to recommend or feature us in various media outlets, so we were delighted to have just discovered that Bento for Business, a provider of pre-paid expense cards and a desktop/mobile tracking platform for employees of small and mid-sized businesses, did just that. In their recent blog targeting the accounting industry (in which winemaker Dave—a former […]

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See What You Missed at Bells Up’s First Winemaker Dinner with Ember and Vine

We started talking about doing a winemaker dinner with pairings from wood-fired food masters Ember and Vine (also known as Sean Martin and Mary Cressler) a couple of years ago, not long after they created a special pairing at our first anniversary Memorial Day open house. Last August, we all agreed the time had come to get a date on […]

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2017 Prelude Estate Rosé Release Featured by Willamette Valley Wineries Association

The Willamette Valley Wineries Association featured our 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé in their Spring Stories coverage last week. The wine will be featured at our upcoming Pre-Memorial Day Weekend and Memorial Day Weekend Open Houses. CMO and money honey Sara was interviewed in the article, “The Season of New Arrivals in the Willamette Valley,” about the wine and how intensely […]

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At long last, our first Estate Wine—2017 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir—is in the bottle!

To say we’re excited would be the understatement of the year. After five long years—first clearing the property in 2013, then selecting and planting our first two vineyard blocks of Pinot Noir Pommard and Dijon Clone 667, then adding posts and wires, then waiting for the vines to get established—we finally had our very first estate harvest in September 2017. […]

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Our Pinot Blanc is back! 2017 Rhapsody is now available.

We are delighted to have Pinot Blanc back in our wine line-up with the 2017 Rhapsody. Sourced from Bieze Vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, this is the furthest south we’ve ever traveled for grapes and we are thrilled to have them. Bottled on March 15, 2018, just 54 cases are available at $28 a bottle. Our reviewers detected stone […]

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Introducing 2016 Candide Nemarniki Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir, Our New Fanfare Club Exclusive Release

As mentioned before, we started sourcing Pommard and Wadenswil heritage clones of Pinot Noir from Diane Nemarnik of Nemarniki Vineyard—who also makes wines under the same label—back in 2016. Like us, Diane’s vineyard is located in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, about four miles away from our estate vineyard. Diane’s acreage sits on Laurelwood soil which is brown loess, a windblown, silty loam that is extremely […]

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Bells Up Featured in Nick Hoogendam’s Pacific Northwest Experience Video

Dave had a great time hanging out with Nick Hoogendam, a Newberg native who has recently launched Nick Hoogendamn’s Pacific Northwest Experience. Nick takes viewers along for the ride as he’s documenting his exploration of the Pacific Northwest. Currently, he’s focused on Willamette Valley Wineries, like us. We were thrilled to be one of his first features. Here’s what Nick had […]

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Tri-City Herald’s Northwest Wine Highlights Oregon Pinot Noir, Including Bells Up’s 2015 Titan

— Wow — What an incredible moment to discover that Bells Up was mentioned among this crop of premier producers of Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley in the article, “Northwest Wine: Oregon retains focus on Pinot Noir.” In the Tri-City Herald’s February 20, 2018 edition, Northwest Wine writers Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman showcased a selection of seven different […]

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Lake Oswego Review’s Barb Randall Praises Bells Up’s New Releases

We’ve been so fortunate to have become excellent friends with Barb Randall, author of “Willamette Valley Wineries,” and a reporter specializing in food and lifestyle topics for the Lake Oswego Review. Barb is an authority on all things edible and quaffable in Oregon—the Willamette Valley in particular—so she was one of the first people we reached out to for a preview […]

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MSN Showcases Willamette Valley, Bells Up as a Crowd-Free Spring Break Destination

Looking for an alternative to the beach vacation this spring break? Terry Ward of MSN.com Lifestyle recommends 20 different non-traditional spots in her article, “Spring break destinations to escape the crowd.” Destination #4? A “sophisticated stay in Oregon’s Willamette Valley,” which offers “a spring break centered more on fine wine that cheap beer,” writes Ward. And guess which winery is […]

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Oregon Wine Press Picks Bells Up as One of the “Best Places to Kiss in Wine Country”

Thanks to the lovely and delightful Jade Helm of Tasting Pour and writer for the Oregon Wine Press for including us in her list of “Best Places to Kiss in Wine Country” in the magazine’s February issue. We do have a pretty spectacular and romantic view, and—with the new-ish wine porch and private tastings approach we take here—we think it’s […]

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Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter Featured In #WVCellarSeason Q&A

The Willamette Valley Wineries Association (WVWA), one of many sources for wine and winery information in the region, featured several local winemakers during their WV Cellar Season (#wvcellarseason) promotion. Winemaker Dave was included as well, weighing in on topics such as his preferred beverage during the winter months and the best reasons to go wine tasting during the off-season. Here’s […]

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Wine Enthusiast Awards Bells Up’s 2015 Titan Pinot Noir a 90-Point Rating

Totally perfect for Groundhog Day: Yet another accolade for 2015 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has popped up! This is a repeating pattern we’d only be happier about if Bill Murray himself dropped in for a tasting (c’mon, someone in our network MUST know Bill!). Anyway, we digress… Yesterday, we were yet again honored to discover another accolade: Paul Gregutt, Contributing […]

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Great Northwest Wine Rates 2015 Titan Pinot Noir “Excellent”

The discriminating palates at Great Northwest Wine have sampled the 2015 Titan Pinot Noir and deemed it “Excellent.” We, of course, are thrilled. And, unlike their recently reviewed 2015 Firebird Syrah, we actually still have this wine in stock and available for purchase, as it was released late last summer. Here’s what they said: The late Leonard Bernstein is credited […]

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2015 Firebird Syrah Rated “Outstanding!” by Great Northwest Wine Reviewers

We were astonished and delighted to discover that the 2015 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Syrah from the Milton-Freewater, Oregon, side of the Walla Walla Valley AVA has been rated “Outstanding!” by the distinguished palates of the reviewers at Great Northwest Wine. Here’s what they said: French horn musician Dave Specter has focused his young Willamette Valley boutique winery on Pinot […]

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Wishing You An Uplifting 2018.

May you find balance in the New Year (us too!) Holiday greetings after a 2017 of ups and downs… so the family portrait is totally appropriate (if not OSHA-compliant), right? We are blessed to report that our micro-boutique, un-domaine winery exceeded all of our expectations this past year, with a new porch addition, fresh coat of paint, the stocking of […]

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Ever Wonder What the Music Behind Bells Up’s Wine Names Sounds Like?

Wonder no more! We’ve finally created a Spotify Playlist that features the pieces of music behind our wines’ names Rhapsody, Helios, Prelude, Titan, Candide, Villanelle and Firebird. You don’t have to have the Spotify app to listen; you can just click the link below to access the playlist and hear the music via your Internet browser.

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Missy Maki of The Simple Kitchen Shares an In-Studio #bellsupmoment with Winemaker Dave Specter

This past Sunday, November 12, Dave was invited into The Simple Kitchen radio studio to talk wine and share a #bellsupmoment with host Missy Maki, a self-described 90s “Wild Child” who’s now a working corporate twin-mom and doting wife, who shares her passion about food and wine and life at Maki Family Values. Missy, who created the show on KPAM 860AM radio […]

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High Praise for Bells Up Wines from BinNotes

We were honored when international wine writer LM Archer of binNotes: Affordable Burgundy + beyond arranged to drop in for a private tasting appointment during her late July visit to the Willamette Valley. Archer regularly contributes to Wines and Vines magazine, South Bay Accent magazine, the Oregon Wine Press and basil + salt magazine, as well as writes for France […]

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Author Barbara Doyle Returns to Bells Up Twice During Thanksgiving Open House Hours to Sign Copies of “Springbrook Oregon”

On two separate days during Bells Up Winery’s Herald the Holidays Thanksgiving Open House Events, local author Barbara Doyle will sell and sign copies of her new book, “Springbook Oregon: Local, National, International.” Saturday, November 18 from 1 – 3:30 p.m. during Bells Up’s Pre-Thanksgiving Open House Friday, November 24 from 1 – 3:30 p.m. during Bells Up’s Post-Thanksgiving Open House […]

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Remembering Those We’ve Lost, Part 2.

At this point, most people know we’ve tagged Block 1, Row 1 of the Bells Up Estate Vineyard with a plaque honoring the memory of Sara’s mentor, Kelly Palmer, whose diagnosis with—and subsequent death from pancreatic cancer—at age 40 was one of the inspirations for us chucking our Midwestern suburban existence to establish this winery and vineyard. We’ve since continued […]

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Our First Estate Pinot Noir Harvest – Sunday, September 24, 2017

Sunrise over the Bells Up Estate vineyard (pictured above) on Sunday, September 24, 2017 marked the first-ever harvest of our Pommard and Dijon Clone 667 Pinot Noir vines, four years after they were planted and one week after our Estate Seyval Blanc harvest. It was an emotional morning, as we picked Kelly’s row, and all the other rows of people we’ve […]

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Our First Seyval Blanc Harvest – Sunday, September 19, 2017

There wasn’t a lot of fruit, but three years after planting, we felt we had enough of the Willamette Valley’s first Seyval Blanc planting to pull off the fruit and give it a go with a couple of experimental batches. So, on Sunday, September 19, 2017 we headed out with the clippers and the buckets and brought in our first […]

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Bells Up Wines Featured at The Portland Wine Bar

Two of Bells Up’s wines—2014 Titan Pinot Noir and 2015 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Walla Walla Valley AVA Syrah—are currently being featured at The Portland Wine Bar in downtown Portland for a limited time. Personally selected by Joe Knox, General Manager, we’re thrilled to hear that the wines have been popular with guests. In fact, we’ll be running down another […]

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International Wine Report, Washington Wine Blog Award High Scores to Bells Up’s 2015s

We were delighted to discover last week that the 2015 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and the 2015 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Walla Walla Valley AVA Syrah were reviewed by Dr. Owen Bargreen, Level 2 Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers and executive editor of Washington Wine Blog and International Wine Report (2015 Titan here and 2015 Firebird here). Here’s […]

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Herald the Holidays: Post-Thanksgiving Open House Weekend at Bells Up

Join Dave, Sara and Katie to once again Herald the Holiday season with a Wine Country Thanksgiving open house event the weekend after Thanksgiving—no appointment necessary! The winery’s estate tasting room will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. on (Black) Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 24, 25 and 26, 2017. Can’t make it after Thanksgiving? Don’t worry. We’ll also […]

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Herald the Holidays: Pre-Thanksgiving Open House Weekend at Bells Up

Join Dave, Sara and Katie to once again Herald the Holiday season with a Wine Country Thanksgiving open house event the weekend before Thanksgiving—no appointment necessary! The winery’s estate tasting room will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, November 18 and 19, 2017. Can’t make it before Thanksgiving? Don’t worry. We’ll also be open immediately […]

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Subterra Restaurant Selects Bells Up As October 2017 Featured Winery

Newberg’s Bells Up Winery will be the featured winery of the month for October 2017 at Subterra – A Wine Cellar Restaurant. Three of Bells Up’s wines will be showcased in the restaurant and available by the glass or the bottle for enjoyment with a meal, or by the bottle to take home. The wine selections include: 2016 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir 2015 […]

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Bells Up Estate Vineyard Report 2017

As it stands, we’re looking at harvesting fruit from the Bells Up Estate Vineyard’s 4-year-old Pinot Noir grapevines within the next few weeks for the first time ever to make the 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. So before things get really crazy, we wanted to do a quick photo recap of how things progressed in 2017. Initially it […]

Prince of Pinot Awards Bells Up’s 2015 Titan & 2015 Villanelle Big Scores

Rusty Gaffney, the Prince of Pinot (who visited us last year) popped in for a surprise taste-through of our new and future releases back at the end of July. It’s always a blast to hang out with Rusty, who definitely knows his Pinot Noir. We were equal parts honored and gobsmacked this week to discover this week that he posted […]

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Bells Up Wines Now Available In Two Oregon Wine Shops

Although the majority of our wines are sold direct to customers through our estate winery and tasting room, we have been persuaded to stock a few bottles in two separate, independent wine shops in Oregon. Therefore, you can now pick up bottles of select vintages of Bells Up wines in Eugene and McMinnville at these two fine establishments: 16 Tons […]

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Northwest Fresh Seafood Featuring Bells Up on Thursday, August 31

Join Bells Up Winery’s winemaker Dave Specter at Northwest Fresh Seafood‘s Newberg market on Thursday, August 31 from 3 – 6 p.m. for a complimentary wine tasting. Northwest Fresh is located at 611 N Main Street in Newberg. Dave will be pouring three of Bells Up’s wines: 2016 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir 2014 Titan Pinot Noir 2015 Firebird Summit View Vineyard […]

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Meet Dave’s Newest Winemaking “Toy”

After writing about forklifts and other material handling and supply chain equipment for more than 20 years in her professional career, it’s safe to say that #moneyhoney and #gogocmo Sara was the one who made all the decisions about the newest tool in Dave’s winemaking arsenal. Meet our “new-to-us” Hyster electric forklift. No, it’s not a lease. Why do you […]

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Urban Bliss Life Names Bells Up’s 2015 Firebird Syrah One of “Top 10 Wines To Serve At Your Next BBQ”

Urban Bliss Life blogger-photographer-social media influencer extraordinare Marlynn Jayme Schotland knows wine and food (which is one of the many reasons we adore her so much). So when she included our 2015 Firebird Summit View Vineyard Walla Walla Valley AVA Syrah on her list of “Wine Bliss: Top 10 Wines To Serve At Your Next BBQ” we were beyond delighted. […]

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Barb Randall, Author of “Willamette Valley Wineries,” to Sign New Book at Bells Up on Saturday, Sept. 2

From noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 2—during Bells Up Winery’s Labor Day Open House—local author Barbara Smith Randall will sell and sign copies of her new book, “Willamette Valley Wineries.” Bells Up is one of the wineries featured in the book, which details the history of Willamette Valley wines created in the region that stretches from Portland, Oregon […]

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Bells Up Winery Labor Day Weekend Open House

Saturday-Sunday, September 2-3, 2017 | Noon – 4:00 p.m. Visit Bells Up Winery without an appointment during Labor Day weekend. The winery’s estate tasting room will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, September 2-3, 2017. Tastings are $15 per person, deducted from a $75 purchase. Members of Bells Up’s Fanfare Club enjoy complimentary tastings throughout the event. […]

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Barley & Vine Tavern Featuring Bells Up Winery Throughout August

Newberg’s newest gathering spot, Barley & Vine Tavern at 408 East First Street, is showcasing Bells Up as its featured winery for August 2017. Owned by Emily Weichold, previously the hospitality manager at The Four Graces Winery in Dundee, Barley & Vine opened on June 2, 2017 and has quickly become a favorite destination for both locals and tourists alike. […]

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Yellow Alert! 2013 Titan Pinot Noir Approaching Sold Out Status

We don’t normally dedicate a blog post to a wine that’s approaching Sold Out status. But the 2013 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is not just any wine. It was our very first professional vintage, and of the 163 cases we released on May 23, 2015, just 20 cases remain in inventory (what we call “Yellow Alert” status). It was, […]

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“They Did Build That” Book on Entrepreneurs Features Bells Up Winery Owners Dave & Sara Specter

They threw the book at us. Well, at least Atlanta-based author Kevin J. Fay did. When Kevin visited us last summer for a wine tasting, we shared our back-story (as we usually do). Evidently we made quite an impression because a couple of weeks later, he emailed to ask if we’d be willing to let him feature us in the […]

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Winerabble reviews Bells Up’s 2014 Titan Pinot noir

Winerabble dropped an amazing review of Bells Up’s 2014 Titan Pinot Noir on their site last week, praising both our wines and our views from the new wine porch. Here’s their thoughtful insights on the wine: “…this Pinot noir was filled with just about every berry flavor imaginable—raspberries, marionberries, blackberries and tart blueberries along with some black and sour cherries. Earthy notes of […]

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Video: Wine Julia Interviews Dave Specter of Bells Up Winery

Bells Up winemaker Dave traveled to Eugene on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 to pour wine at 16 Tons Taphouse & Bottleshop. The shop’s wine collection curator is none other than The Real Wine Julia, wine writer, reviewer and blogger. She sat Dave down for a live Facebook interview before the tasting began. In roughly 30 minutes, the two discussed the […]

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Savor, Sip and Sojourn Recommends Stop at Bells Up During Memorial Day Weekend Open Houses

Wine writer and reviewer Viki Eierdam—who blogs on Savor, Sip and Sojourn—recently paid us a visit and tasted through our current wine lineup during whirlwind tour through the Willamette Valley. We were delighted to discover this write-up posted last week, “Willamette Valley Taster: A Day of Wine and an Overnight in Style,” and that we were included. She writes: A […]

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Bells Up’s new Rosé, Memorial Day Weekend Open Houses featured by Lake Oswego Review.

Journalist Barb Randall of Pamplin Media Group’s Lake Oswego Review made a return trip to visit us in April during our exclusive media event. She recently published a review of our new #wineporch addition and newly released 2016 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir, saying, “It is wonderful, and it will be perfect for sipping all spring and summer.” The article, “May […]

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Bells Up included in Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast’s “Premium Experience Package”

It’s no secret that Dave and Sara have enjoyed a long-standing friendship with Kristin and Curt Fintel, owners of Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast. In fact, when we first visited the Willamette Valley in August 2008, we stayed at their B&B and fell in love with their view (as well as their hospitality and the Newberg area in general). So when they […]

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Recap of Fanfare Club 2017 Spring Release Party

We hosted our second annual Fanfare Club Spring Release party on Sunday, April 23, 2017 to a huge turnout of more than 85 members and guests. It was a fun opportunity to release the 2016 Prelude Rosé of Pinot noir (a look back here at how it was made), and unveil our brand new winery porch. Unfortunately the weather didn’t […]

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Meet Bells Up: See our very first featurette.

It certainly pays to have dear friends in high places. Thanks to George Fox University marketing students Grace, Gaby and Austin, Bells Up winemaker Dave got to star in his very first video featurette about the winery. We think it’s an Oscar-worthy introduction to a #bellsupmoment wine tasting experience, and we hope you agree.

Then Mike Slater of Tonnelier Vineyard does the same.

For Earth Day Bells Up Winery, Tonnelier Vineyard featured in Corporate Sustainability Blog

We were tickled this week to discover a lovely feature about our dear friends, Mike and Julie Slater of Tonnelier Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, on the Sustainability Trend Spotting blog. We’ve been exclusively sourcing our Pinot noir Dijon clones 115 and 777 from Mike (pictured above with Dave at their first harvest) and Julie since 2013, and they are the source […]

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Bells Up winemaker Dave Specter featured in Washington Wine Blog interview

As a follow-on to the recent awarding of 91-point scores to both 2013 and 2014 Titan Pinot noirs, Dr. Owen Bargreen, executive editor of Washington Wine Blog, recently featured Bells Up winemaker and owner Dave Specter in an in-depth interview. During their conversation, the two discussed what attracted Specter to winemaking; weather variances between the 2013, 2014 and 2015 growing seasons and their […]

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Bells Up Fanfare Club: Independence Day Potluck and Fireworks in the Vineyard

Tuesday, July 4, 2017 | 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. Exclusively for members of Bells Up Winery’s Fanfare Club and immediate family (a maximum of four adults age 21+ only, please), join Dave, Sara and Katie for Bells Up’s Second Annual Potluck Supper and Fireworks Viewing Party in the estate vineyard and tasting room. Club Members will enjoy complimentary Bellobang Sangria, wines for purchase by […]

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Bells Up Winery Memorial Day Weekend Open House Debuts New Porch, 2016 Rosé

Saturday-Monday, May 27-29, 2017 | 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m Visit Bells Up Winery without an appointment throughout Memorial Day weekend during three days of open house hours. The winery’s estate tasting room will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 27; Sunday, May 28; and Monday, May 29. Tastings are $15 per person, deducted from a $75 purchase. […]

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Bells Up featured at 503 Uncorked on Wednesday, May 24, 2017

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017—from 6:00–8:00 p.m.—Bells Up’s wines will be featured at 503 Uncorked’s “Wednesday Winery Night,” a weekly event that showcases local producers. The wine bar is located in Sherwood, Oregon’s historic Old Town district at 22578 SW Washington Street. During the event, Bells Up’s winemaker and owner Dave Specter will pour complimentary tastings of three wines: 2016 Prelude […]

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“Springbrook Oregon” author Barbara Doyle to sign copies of new book at Bells Up on Saturday, May 20

From noon – 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 20—during Bells Up Winery’s Pre-Memorial Day Open House (which runs from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.)—local author Barbara Doyle will sell and sign copies of her new book, “Springbook Oregon: Local, National, International.” Springbrook, located slightly Northeast of Downtown Newberg, Oregon, is the rural neighborhood in which Bells Up Winery is located. The book, […]

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Bells Up Winery Pre-Memorial Day Weekend Open House Debuts New Porch, 2016 Rosé

Saturday-Sunday, May 20-21, 2017 | 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m Visit Bells Up Winery without an appointment throughout the first of two consecutive Memorial Day weekend open houses. The winery’s estate tasting room will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22, 2017, and again during the same hours throughout Memorial Day weekend (Saturday-Monday, May […]

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Bells Up Featured at 16 Tons in Eugene, Oregon on Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Bells Up will be the featured winery at 16 Tons Taphouse & Bottleshop on Wednesday, May 17, 2017. Winemaker Dave Specter will be pouring samples of Bells Up wines at the 16 Tons location at 265 East 13th Avenue (at the corner of High Street) in Eugene, Oregon—home of the University of Oregon—6:00-8:00 p.m. During the event, four Bells Up wines will be […]

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Bells Up to pour wines at Pulp & Circumstance during First Friday ARTwalk: May 5, 2017

Bells Up will be the featured winery at Pulp & Circumstance (117 South College Street) at Downtown Newberg’s First Friday event on May 5, 2017. Winery “Money Honey” and Chief Marketing Officer Sara Specter will pour two wines—the newly released 2016 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir and the 2013 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir—on Friday, March 5, 2017. The family-friendly evening is held on the […]

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Fanfare Club: Porch Warming & Rosé Release Party

Sunday, April 23, 2017 | 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Members of Bells Up Winery’s Fanfare Club are invited to an exclusive, Club-only party. Celebrate the release of our 2016 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir and be among the first to enjoy the spectacular view from our recently completed winery porch. Bring a guest, enjoy complimentary tastings of our full wine lineup paired with small bites by Sharon […]

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Industry Exclusive: Bells Up’s #Wineporch Opening & Rosé Release Party

Thursday, April 27, 2017 | 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Exclusively for our peers in the wine, retail and hospitality industries, Bells Up Winery invites all industry professionals to join Dave, Sara and Katie for our annual Industry Open House. Celebrate the opening of our brand-new #wineporch and the release of the 2016 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir, as well as […]

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2013 -and- 2014 Titan Pinot Noir awarded 91-point scores from International Wine Report, Washington Wine Blog

Shocked and humbled to learn that both 2013 and 2014 vintages of Bells Up’s Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir received 91-point scores from the reviewers at Washington Wine Blog and International Wine Report (2013 here and 2014 here)! Highlights from the reviews of the 2013 Titan: “…aromas of crushed wet rock, creosote, red currant and red cherry with Asian spices. There […]

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Bells Up hosts Chehalem Valley Chamber’s “Wine on Tuesday” event, April 11, 2017

On Tuesday, April 11, 2017 Bells Up Winery will host the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly “Wine on Tuesday” event. Open to both Chamber members ($5 admission) and non-members ($10 admission), the gathering runs from 5-7 p.m. and includes a glass of wine. During the event, Bells Up winemaker and owner Dave Specter will be pouring three wines: 2016 […]

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High praise for Bells Up from travel, wine and lifestyle blog Everyday Runaway.

“I recently visited Bells Up and was completely blown away by this boutique winery. The wine, the hospitality, the intimate tasting room and beautiful view all formed a tasting experience that I won’t soon forget… For a new, boutique winery I would argue that David’s wines are on par with any top Willamette Valley wines.” – Brianne, EverydayRunaway.com So says Brianne […]

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Meemaw Eats Reviews Bells Up Winery’s Grape Pie

Well this was a surprise. We were tickled to discover that Patty of Meemaw Eats posted an additional blog entry about Bells Up Winery after her original piece on October 6, 2016: A review of Sara’s grape pie (it was a crisp actually, meaning no bottom crust), as well as some amazing photography to go with it—like the above photo. […]

Harvest 2016: Pressing the pinot noirs.

All the ferments for the 2016 pinot noirs (777, 115, Pommard and Wadenswil) wrapped up in mid-October, so Bells Up winemaker Dave and our consulting winemaker Erica pressed everything on October 18. Here’s some photos from the day, taken by John Toso of A Frame in Time Photography, who came out with Diane Nemarnik of Nemarniki Vineyards (the grower of our […]

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Kelly Mitchell of The Wine Siren and The Huffington Post features Bells Up

If holiday surprises come with a healthy dose of fun and inimitable charm, then we just got the best one ever. Quite possibly the most amazing seasonal holiday present we’ve ever received, Napa-resident, wine connoisseur, blonde bombshell and force of nature Kelly Mitchell—a.k.a. The Wine Siren and wine, food and lifestyle writer for The Huffington Post—published a feature and video interview with […]

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Bells Up Featured on The Vine Less Traveled Wine Blog

Wine blogger Josh Peterson of The Vine Less Traveled dropped in for a visit and wine tasting a few weeks ago and surprised us with a delightful blog entry on November 24, 2016: “Chehalem Mountains…A Lesser Known Willamette with Big Surprises! Part 1—Bells Up Winery.” Josh, who describes himself as a self-taught/obsessed wine geek, keeps the focus of his blog […]

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Winerabble’s Review of Bells Up 2013 Titan Pinot Noir: “Excellent”

Northwest wine reviewers and industry veterans Michele Francisco and Matt Talbot are the intrepid wine drinkers and reviewers behind Winerabble, an online resource covering all things wine in an unpretentious and educational way. Both have backgrounds in wine buying, marketing, tasting, reviewing and judging. So when they sniff out a vintage they like, and call it excellent, it’s pretty exciting. And […]

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Harvest 2016: September 24 Syrah and Pinot Process-fest Recap

While Dave and Dan were off on their excellent adventure, picking up the Walla Walla Valley AVA Syrah grapes for our Firebird wine, growers Mike and Julie Slater of Tonnelier Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and Diane Nemarnik of Nemarniki Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA were busily picking our blocks of Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to snag […]

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Bells Up Winery and Domaine Drouhin are Chicago Chef Deb Miley’s Top Two Wine Picks for Holiday Catering

We were thrilled and delighted to be included as one of two favorite winery picks by Chicagoland boutique caterer and personal chef Deb Miley, pictured above with Bells Up winemaker Dave when she made a surprise visit to our tasting room on October 29, 2016. Deb recently published a blog recommending us and the inestimable Domaine Drouhin (!!!) as her top two […]

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Winerabble Names Bells Up a Favorite Thanksgiving Open House Destination

Thinking of spending a post-Thanksgiving weekend in Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine country? We are thrilled to be included on Winerabble’s list of favorite wineries today! Here’s what Winerabbler Michele has to say: Give thanks this Thanksgiving holiday weekend by visiting Oregon’s wine country! Wineries throughout the entire state throw open their doors to visitors this weekend. To help you plan your […]

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Dave and Dan’s Excellent Adventure: Roadtrip to Pick Up the 2016 Syrah Harvest Recap

This year, when Bells Up winemaker Dave made the trip from Newberg to Milton-Freewater, Oregon, to pick up our 2016 harvest of Walla Walla Valley AVA Syrah on September 23, he had a co-pilot along for the ride: Fanfare Club Founding Member Dan Hardy, of HGTV’s House Hunters fame. In addition to touring Summit View Vineyard and picking up a ton […]

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Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter Featured on KGW’s Portland Today Show.

Dave had a great time hanging out with KGW-TV’s Portland Today show team on Friday, November 18 in advance of our Herald the Holidays pre- and post-Thanksgiving weekend open house wine tasting event. Here, his on-air 150 seconds of fame… Usually only open by appointment, our estate tasting room will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. the weekend before Thanksgiving, […]

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Bells Up included in “Wine Lingo” feature story on WoodinvilleWineCountry.com website.

We were tickled to be quoted in an article on the Woodinville Wine Country website by Brittney Perreault (pictured above; photo courtesy of WoodinvilleWineCountry.com), senior producer of Northwest Wine Night TV, entitled “Challenging Wine Lingo Standards.” With our 2013 Titan Pinot Noir and 2014 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc having been featured on the show before, we’ve enjoyed hearing the reactions of their guests as […]

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Yes way 2016 rosé! A quick recap of our Prelude rosé of pinot noir harvest.

The 2015 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir may have sold out on October 1, 2016, but fear not—the 2016 edition is well in hand. Here’s a few highlights from our harvest of Dijon clones 777 and 115 at Tonnelier Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton AVA, as well as from the production of this newest vintage. First, in the vineyard… On the sorting […]

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The Fruit Grower Report interviews Bells Up winemaker about the inspiration behind our winery name

Winemaker Dave (pictured above with his Riedel Horn Decanter—which really does make noise, but not music) was interviewed by phone in mid-September by journalist Susan Allen of the Fruit Grower Report for to find out a little more about Bells Up Winery. In addition to chatting about our selection as Subterra’s Featured Winery of the Month for October, and about our […]

Bells Up’s 2014 Titan included in list showcasing “Brilliance of Oregon Pinot Noir”

The accolades from Great Northwest Wine for Bells Up’s 2014 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir keep coming. In addition to an “Outstanding!” rating from their panel of expert wine reviewers, and a Silver Medal awarded at their Invitational Wine Competition, we were just included on a list of 12 wines showcasing the “Brilliance of Oregon Pinot Noir.” The featured dozen […]

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Meemaw Eats’ Porcupine Balls + Bells Up 2014 Titan Pinot Noir = Perfect Pairing

Instagram can be a dangerous place—especially when you’re hungry. Because that’s when strangely named foods can really catch your eye. For example, behold “Porcupine Balls,” pictured above. When food blogger, traveler, proud grandmother to seven perfect grandchildren, and bon vivant Meemaw of the popular foodie blog Meemaw Eats posted a photo on her Instagram account of this delicacy, well, we didn’t know […]

Bells Up’s 2014 Titan wins Silver at Great Northwest Wine’s 2016 Invitational Wine Competition

We were thrilled, and surprised, to receive an “Outstanding!” review from Great Northwest Wine a few weeks ago for our 2014 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. But we were even more surprised when Eric Degerman, President and CEO of Great Northwest Wine nominated it to enter the fourth annual Great Northwest Wine Invitational Wine Competition. Ultimately, our single entry was among more […]

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The secret of a happy marriage? It might be in this 15-year anniversary post.

A personal post from Sara On October 6, 2001—on a Devou Park hilltop in Covington, Kentucky overlooking Cincinnati, Ohio—Dave and I got married. He wasn’t a winemaker then, but still early on in his career as an attorney. I had just launched my freelance marketing business a few months earlier (courtesy of the dot.com bust that cost me and 2/3 of my […]

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Herald the Holidays at Bells Up Winery: 5-Day Open House Event Held on Weekends Immediately Before and After Thanksgiving

NEWBERG, OR (October 5, 2016) — Bells Up Winery invites the public to Herald the Holiday season with a Wine Country Thanksgiving open house event. The winery’s estate tasting room will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. the weekend before Thanksgiving, Saturday and Sunday (November 19 and 20), as well as immediately after Thanksgiving, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (November […]

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Bells Up Rhapsody 2014 Pinot Blanc featured in Episode 151 of Northwest Wine Night TV

Would YOU describe Bells Up’s 2014 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc as evoking “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols? How about “Crazy” by Patsy Cline, “Killer Queen” by Queen, or “The Rain Song” by Led Zeppelin? When the four panelists on Northwest Wine Night TV’s Episode 151: “I Beg Your Pinot?” —featuring Rhapsody in a cork-to-cork blind tasting against Torii Mor’s 2014 Pinot Blanc—were asked […]

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Bells Up Winemaker interviewed by The Fruit Grower Report about being Subterra’s October Featured Winery

Starting today, Saturday, October 1, 2016, Bells Up Winery becomes the featured winery of the month at Subterra – A Wine Cellar Restaurant. Three of Bells Up’s wines will be showcased in the restaurant and available by the glass or the bottle for enjoyment with a meal, or by the bottle to take home. Winemaker Dave was interviewed by phone last week […]

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Bells Up Winery’s Treble Makers stomp their hearts out at 2016 Carlton Crush Grape Stomp

The fearless foursome of Fanfare Club members and friends Katie, Dave, Connie and Kim—also known as the Bells Up Winery Treble Maker team—left it all in the half barrel at the Carlton Crush Harvest Festival Grape Stomp Competition on Saturday, September 10, 2016. During the intense rounds of competition, teams of four get four minutes—one minute per person—to stomp through […]

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The Prince of Pinot reviews Bells Up Winery’s current wine lineup!

Back at the end of July 2016, Dave and Sara were visited by Rusty Gaffney M.D., also known as The Prince of Pinot and author of the PinotFile newsletter. The Prince has been reviewing Pinot noir since retiring from his ophthalmology practice in 2001. We discovered he had written about us in late October 2015, and invited him to taste our […]

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Bells Up 2014 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir rated “Outstanding!” by Great Northwest Wine

Well color us flabbergasted. We submitted the 2013 and 2014 Titan Willamette Valley pinot noir wines to the highly discriminating palates of the Great Northwest Wine panel of reviewers, and were absolutely gob-smacked to learn that the 2014 Titan received an “OUTSTANDING!” rating, published on September 23, 2016 (the 2013 Titan’s review has not yet been posted). We currently have slightly […]

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Bells Up Winery featured in interview on Northwest Wine Night Radio

Dave and Sara were interviewed by Brian Calvert, host of Northwest Wine Night Radio, back in March 2016. The recording was broadcast this week (September 19, 2016) in Episode 135. In it, you’ll hear all about our “meet cute,” how Dave discovered his passion for winemaking, why Sara encouraged him to leave his legal career, and what inspired the name “Bells […]

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Bells Up visited by wine writer Amanda Barnes, of Around the World in 80 Harvests

Ever wonder what it would be like to travel the world’s different wine regions and sample each area’s product in person? British wine writer Amanda Barnes is doing exactly that, only she’s not just interested in tasting the wines of the world—she’s dropping in during harvest season to get a better feel for what makes each area unique. And she’s […]

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Subterra – A Wine Cellar Restaurant to feature Bells Up Winery wines throughout month of October

Subterra – A Wine Cellar Restaurant has selected Newberg’s Bells Up Winery as the establishment’s featured winery of the month for October 2016. Three of Bells Up’s wines will be showcased in the restaurant and available by the glass or the bottle for enjoyment with a meal, or by the bottle to take home. The wine selections include: 2014 Rhapsody […]

When bad things happen to good wine…

However good your internal winemaking controls are, something like this is bound to happen sooner or later. Within a few months of barreling the Bells Up 2015 Titan and Villanelle pinot noirs and the Firebird syrah wines, winemaker Dave discovered the presence of film yeast on the surface of some of the barreled wines. Turns out, after asking around, we weren’t […]

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Cheers to Henke Winery—one of Bells Up’s mentors—for 20 years in business.

When Bells Up winemaker Dave and CMO Sara lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dave learned the ropes of professional winemaking from his first mentor, winemaker Joe Henke of Henke Winery. Dave came on board at Henke Winery in January 2009 and worked under Joe for three years. We stopped in for a visit in June, when these photos were taken. Joe […]

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Bells Up is on the map… the official Willamette Valley Vineyard map.

Although we’ve been around since 2013, we’ve finally been included in the official and newly-released Willamette Valley Vineyard map, whose updating has been a labor of love for many in the Willamette Valley Wineries Association over the past few years (especially the unbelievably patient and detail-oriented Patrick Reuter of Dominio IV). The map shows the entire Willamette Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA), […]

Tour de Vine by Heli brought guests to Bells Up winery for the first time in July.

#TBT: That one time Bells Up Winery was in a James Bond movie.*

*Okay, not really… But it TOTALLY felt like it when we had our first ever wine tasting tour group arrival BY HELICOPTER! A #throwbackThursday post… Bells Up is one of the select few Chehalem Mountains AVA winery destinations offered by Tour de Vine by Heli, the wine tour guide part of Newberg’s Precision Helicopters. Their first visit was Saturday, July 23, 2016. […]

Bells Up Winery Open to Public for Labor Day Weekend, September 3–4.

NEWBERG, OR (August 1, 2016) — Bells Up Winery (www.bellsupwinery.com) will be open to the public for Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday (September 3–4). The winery’s estate tasting room will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. each day. Located in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, Bells Up Winery is housed in a recently renovated pole barn at 27895 NE […]

Meet our newest grape grower source: Diane Nemarnik of Nemarniki Vineyard.

We are excited to introduce you to Diane Nemarnik of Nemarniki Vineyard—who also makes wines under the same label—of the Chehalem Mountains AVA. Diane will be our 2016 source for both Pommard and Wadenswil (our first time working with “Wad”) Pinot Noir clones. Although Diane’s vineyard is roughly four miles away from our estate vineyard, hers has Laurelwood soil, which is […]

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Vineyard walk-through, grape check at Tonnelier Vineyard.

A week ago—Thursday, July 21 to be precise—winemaker Dave did a walk through at Mike and Julie Slater’s Tonnelier Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. We’ve been sourcing our Pinot noir Dijon Clones 115 and 777 from Tonnelier since 2013. (You may recall, our 2014 Villanelle Reserve Pinot Noir now carries the Tonnelier name as a single vineyard designation wine.) Since […]

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Introducing “The Bellobang” Sangria, the perfect summer party drink.

During the Bells Up Independence Day celebration we hosted for our Fanfare Club members, we introduced a new summer drink based on “The Bellobang” cocktail—The Bellobang Sangria. Like the cocktail, the sangria recipe uses Bells Up Firebird Walla Walla AVA Syrah mixed with Interrobang‘s Sweet Vermouth No. 47. While the cocktail highlights the full-bodied plum and blackberry characteristics of the Syrah […]

Bells Up Winery’s Firebird Syrah + Interrobang’s Sweet Vermouth No. 47 = New Cocktail… “The Bellobang”

NEWBERG, OR (July 21, 2016) — Newberg’s Bells Up Winery and Interrobang have unveiled a new cocktail, “The Bellobang.” Mixed with two parts Bells Up 2014 Firebird Walla Walla AVA Syrah, one part Interrobang Sweet Vermouth No. 47 and an orange slice garnish, the cocktail highlights the full-bodied plum and blackberry characteristics of the Syrah with the sweet blackberry, rosemary, […]

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Don’t forget to sample Bells Up wines at Northwest Fresh tonight!

Tonight (Thursday, July 14) at Northwest Fresh Seafood‘s Newberg market Bells Up winemaker Dave Specter will be pouring complimentary tastes of three wines from 3 – 6 p.m. Northwest Fresh is located at 611 N Main Street in Newberg. Dave will pour: 2014 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc 2015 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir 2013 Titan Pinot Noir The wines will also be available, on-site, […]

The view from Bells Up Winery of the Willamette Valley.

Red, White and (Bells Up) Blue! Or, how we celebrated July 4, 2016.

Because we have an expansive, and amazing, view of the Willamette Valley from our perch 680 feet up the side of the Chehalem Mountains, we get to see fireworks from miles away during July 4. This year we decided to celebrate our first anniversary with a special Independence Day potluck and fireworks viewing party for our local Fanfare Club members! […]

Did you know you can review Bells Up on Google+?

We were surprised and tickled to discover we have four reviews on Google+ a couple of weeks ago, in addition to reviews on Yelp! and TripAdvisor. Thumbs up from our guests—wherever they choose to post them—are always appreciated.

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Bells Up returns to Northwest Fresh Seafood for wine tasting on July 14.

On Thursday, July 14 from 3 – 6 p.m., winemaker Dave Specter will return to Northwest Fresh Seafood‘s Newberg market and pour complimentary tastes of Bells Up Winery’s current wines. Northwest Fresh is located at 611 N Main Street in Newberg. Dave will pour three wines: 2014 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc 2015 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir 2013 Titan Pinot Noir Bells Up wines will also be […]

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Row 1, Block 1 of the Bells Up estate vineyard: Honoring the woman who inspired us to turn the winery dream into reality.

A personal entry from Sara… This post is for everyone who’s ever wondered—privately or out loud—why on earth in the middle of a recession I’d tell my husband to quit the successful career that made him miserable, pack up, and move 2500 miles away to start a winery in a valley that already has 400 of them. The answer can be […]

When a Fanfare Club member is also a professional photographer, you get amazing event photos like this…

As fun as it is to share the candid snapshots from the Bells Up Fanfare Club wine tasting we hosted a week ago in Cincinnati, on June 20, 2016, it’s even MORE FUN when one of our club members—professional photographer Barb Hogan of Barb Hogan Contemporary Photography—sends us her album from the event. In the market for a pro shutterbug […]

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A few candid snapshots from the June 20, 2016 Bells Up Fanfare Club wine tasting in Cincinnati.

On Monday, June 20, we had a blast hosting an exclusive Fanfare Club wine tasting event in Cincinnati. We had a packed house and a lot of fun. Although we were too busy pouring tastes of four of our wines to take pictures, we luckily had several snapshots shared with us from those at the event. Perhaps our personal favorite […]

Some uplifting news for a Monday: Bells Up is now a featured stop on Tour DeVine by Heli.

Talk about a pick-me-up. We are super excited to be the newest winery added to the list of Featured Wineries on Tour DeVine By Heli’s helicopter tour list. Operated by Newberg’s own Precision Helicopter, tour packages are offered to guests who wish to fly in and out of some of the Willamette Valley’s premier wine tasting destinations. We are one […]

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You too can review Bells Up Winery on TripAdvisor.com, just like these kind folks.

In addition to the four 5-star reviews we’ve received on Yelp.com, we’ve just discovered we’ve been reviewed on TripAdvisor.com for the second time, and we truly appreciate the kind words and thoughtful consideration from Lewisville4. Considering the latest reviewer spent time in our estate winery and tasting room during our Memorial Day First Anniversary Open House weekends, we’re somewhat relieved […]

Bells Up’s 2013 Titan pinot noir featured on Northwest Wine Night TV episode, live today.

It’s not everyday that Bells Up’s wines get TV time, but that’s exactly what happened this week when the 2013 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir was featured in Northwest Wine Night TV’s Episode 146: “Sandra’s Rough Night.” For those not familiar with this Internet phenomenon, Northwest Wine Night TV introduces viewers to wines produced in the pacific northwest. Hosted by regional TV […]

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Bells Up’s #gogoCMO featured in Women of Willamette newsletter.

Women of Willamette (WOW), the region’s professional and personal networking group for women, featured Bells Up Winery’s Chief Marketing Officer Sara Specter in its June newsletter. In a “Member Spotlight” interview with fellow WOW member Vida Ice, Sara shared the story behind Bells Up, as well as a few details about her background and her freelance marketing firm. The WOW […]

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Bells Up Winery featured at June 29 Women of Willamette (WOW) event.

NEWBERG (June 10, 2016) – Bells Up Winery has been chosen as the featured winery at the next Women of Willamette (WOW) event—Diana’s Garden Party—to be held Wednesday, June 29 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the garden of member Diana Yates in Sherwood, Oregon. The event is $20 for WOW members, and $30 for their guests. The WOW organization offers women the opportunity […]

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Stop in and see Bells Up at 503 Uncorked tomorrow night, June 8, in Old Town Sherwood.

Bells Up is thrilled to be the be featured winery at 503 Uncorked’s “Wednesday Winery Night” tomorrow night, June 8, for the second time—on the two-year anniversary of the wine bar’s opening. Located in Sherwood, Oregon’s historic Old Town district, 503 Uncorked is at 22578 SW Washington Street. This weekly event showcases local wine producers, says owner Deb Yannariello. “Our […]

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Four 5-star reviews on Yelp! for Bells Up Winery! Wow!

Thank you so much to the four people who took the time to review us on Yelp! Wow, four 5-star reviews! We’re blown away. Read what folks have to say, here.

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Bells Up Winery to pour wines at Rubies and Roses 2016 fundraiser.

NEWBERG (June 1, 2016) — On Saturday, June 4, Bells Up Winery’s winemaker and owner David Specter will be pouring two wines at the 6th annual Rubies and Roses 2016 benefit ball. The black-tie fundraiser supports the programs of Chehalem Youth & Family Services (CYFS), particularly those focused on supporting children in the state of Oregon’s foster care system. The event will […]

Bells Up Winery to host wine tasting at 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab in Cincinnati on Monday, June 20.

NEWBERG, OR (May 30, 2016) — On Monday, June 20, 2016—from 5:30–7:30 p.m.—Oregon’s Bells Up Winery will host a private, invitation-only wine tasting at 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab in Cincinnati, Ohio. The wine bar is located in historic Over-the-Rhine at 1215 Vine Street. During the event, Bells Up’s winemaker and owner Dave Specter will pour tastes of four […]

We’re everywhere! Loads of media hits over the past few months for Bells Up…

It’s been super fun seeing all the different wine media outlets that have run our press releases over the past few months. Here are a few highlights:

Dave and Sara Specter of Bells Up Winery (as photographed by MyWineTribe.com)

Bells Up Winery is MyWineTribe.com’s pick as the top micro-boutique winery in “Best Stops on the Oregon Wine Trail”

Over Mother’s Day Weekend a few weeks ago we hosted MyWineTribe.com‘s Stephanie Byington and her charming mom as they spent time in the Willamette Valley exploring different wineries. The excursion was partly a mother/daughter weekend, and partly hands-on (palates-on?) research for the resulting article Byington posted on May 12, 2016, “Best Stops on the Oregon Wine Trail.” As the pictures […]

Pamplin Media Group newspapers feature Bells Up Winery in April, May 2016 articles

Journalist Barb Randall of Pamplin Media Group’s Portland Tribune and Lake Oswego Review newspapers paid us a visit a few weeks ago, and we were thrilled to see the resulting coverage in the May 19, 2016 edition of several different issues. In addition to sharing her thoughts on our wines, Randall also highlighted our upcoming Memorial Day Open House hours. Check […]

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She’s back! Author Kerry McDaniel Boenisch to sign copies of “Dirt+Vine=Wine” at Bells Up on Sunday, May 29.

We were thrilled to have author Kerry McDaniel Boenisch in the Bells Up Winery tasting room for two days during our Thanksgiving 2015 Open House hours. She was so popular with our guests, we’ve brought her back for an encore! We are delighted to invite guests at Bells Up’s Memorial Day Weekend Open House to meet author Kerry McDaniel Boenisch in person on […]

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It’s a small, small world: A true #bellsupmoment reunion story.

A couple of Saturdays ago, while #gogocmo Sara was pouring Bells Up wines at Yamhills Gallery, #winemaker Dave had a call from a couple who asked if they could drop in and taste (a spontaneous appointment). Dave welcomed Rodney and Dorinda up to the tasting room, where they noted that they were taking a long weekend mini-vacation and were from Eugene. […]

Satiate’s Tamara Belgard encourages readers to savor a #bellsupmoment during Memorial Day 2016

Wine, lifestyle and travel blogger Tamara Belgard—who publishes prolifically on her new site Satiate, and detailed her adventures in (mostly) Oregon wines on her previous blog Sip With Me—recently came back to check on our progress at Bells Up Winery. She discovered us in early 2013 and has kept in touch, periodically dropping in to sample wine both in barrel […]

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Saturday, May 21: Ember and Vine to Create Food Pairings with Bells Up’s Wines at Special, First Anniversary Open House Event

HOT OFF THE SMOKER!!! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE On Saturday, May 21 ONLY, from 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Ember and Vine—Portland’s wood fire and wine experience aficionados—will create and serve a selection of small bites paired with Bells Up Winery wines. Pitmaster Sean Martin and Sommelier Mary Cressler, co-founders of Ember and Vine, have created a unique small bites menu […]

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Bells Up Winery featured at 503 Uncorked on Wednesday, June 8

NEWBERG, OR (May 2, 2016) — On Wednesday, June 8, 2016—from 6:00–8:00 p.m.—Newberg’s Bells Up Winery (www.bellsupwinery.com) will be featured at 503 Uncorked’s “Wednesday Winery Night,” a weekly event that showcases local producers. The wine bar is located in Sherwood, Oregon’s historic Old Town district at 22578 SW Washington Street. During the event, Bells Up’s winemaker and owner Dave Specter […]

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Saturday, May 7: Treat your mom to wine, retail therapy at Yamhills Gallery, featuring Bells Up wines.

Bells Up Winery will be returning as the exclusive wine partner of Yamhills – A Gift & Art Gallery for their Mothers’ Day Weekend Artist Reception, featuring Jean Gale—a watercolor artist from Lake Oswego, Oregon—on Saturday, May 7th, from noon to 4 p.m. The event will be held at the gallery’s Newberg location: 901 Brutscher Street (in the same shopping center as […]

We now own the coolest, custom-printed tabletop, EVER!

This is Terry Newhouse, vice president of business development and technical sales for Universal Woods Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of hard surface products for sublimation and mezzanine decking material. Terry and his wife Debbie recently relocated to the Willamette Valley, and—as it turns out—Debbie and Bells Up Chief Marketing Officer Sara know each other through their other lines of […]

Bells Up’s 2015 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir featured at Newberg’s Subterra Restaurant

We are thrilled to announce that Bells Up Winery’s 2015 Prelude Willamette Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir wine, released in April, has been selected by Martin Bleck, executive chef of Newberg’s Subterra Restaurant, for inclusion in the establishment’s “Rosé Spring Fling 2016.” Martin and his wife/boss Janet, who runs the pair’s Rogue Gourmet Catering Company, dropped in for a tasting while […]

Bells Up winemaker’s mentor Henke Winery named one of Top 10 Urban Wineries in the U.S.

In Wine Enthusiast‘s February 29, 2016 issue, the magazine revealed its list of America’s Top Urban Wineries. And, lo and behold, we were absolutely delighted to see that #6 on the list was none other than Henke Winery in the Westwood neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio—where Bells Up winemaker Dave Specter learned the ropes of professional winemaking from proprietor Joe Henke. […]

Bells Up Winery to Celebrate First Anniversary with Public Open House Hours the Weekend Before and Weekend of Memorial Day

NEWBERG, OR (March 28, 2016) — Bells Up Winery (www.bellsupwinery.com) will be open to the public for its first anniversary during two consecutive weekends in May. The winery’s estate tasting room will be open from noon to 4:00 p.m. the weekend before (May 21-22) and again the weekend of Memorial Day (May 28, 29 and 30). Located in the Chehalem […]

2014 Villanelle Reserve Pinot Noir: Bells Up’s first single-vineyard designate wine honors Julie & Mike Slater’s Tonnelier Vineyard

As the Bells Up estate vineyard is still in its pre-production stages—and because winemaker Dave Specter wants to produce pinot noirs that represent the different growing regions of the Willamette Valley—we work with other wine grape growers throughout the area. But, as a micro-boutique winery producing roughly 400 cases of wine annually, we prefer to source from micro-vineyard properties. That’s […]

Celebrate Spring with a Rhapsody Cocktail

Fanfare Club Founding Member Annette shared with us her recipe for a Bells Up Rhapsody Pinot Blanc Cocktail (and an instant #BellsUpMoment). Light and refreshing, she says it’s the perfect drink to celebrate Spring! Annette’s Rhapsody Cocktail 1 oz Bells Up Rhapsody Pinot Blanc 1 oz St. Germaine 2 oz Club Soda or Sparkling Water Pour over ice and stir… […]

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Bells Up Winery Showcasing Three Wines at Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers’ Annual Trade Tasting Event

NEWBERG, OR (March 16, 2016) — Bells Up Winery (www.bellsupwinery.com), one of the Willamette Valley’s newest micro-boutique wineries, will join 36 other members of the Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers and Ribbon Ridge Winegrowers at the organization’s 8th Annual Trade Tasting. Open only to members of the wine industry and media, the tasting will be held on Monday, March 28 from 11:00 […]

Date for Exclusive Fanfare Club Release Party Announced

Members of Bells Up Winery’s Fanfare Club are invited to a special, Club-only party celebrating the release of our 2014 Titan, Villanelle and The Soloist Pinot Noirs, our 2014 Firebird Syrah and our 2015 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir wines. Mark your calendars for… Sunday, April 24, 2016 from 1-3 p.m. at Bells Up Winery’s Estate Tasting Room The party […]

2014 Bells Up wines to be released in April; pre-orders accepted now

We are excited to announce the April release of Bells Up’s 2014 Pinot Noir and Syrah wines, as well as the release of the 2015 Rosé of Pinot Noir. With the opening up of our spring shipping window, we are now accepting orders for both current inventory AND our new wines. For members of Fanfare Club, now is a great time to […]

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Bells Up’s owner, winemaker Dave Specter joins Board of Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers

Dave Specter, owner and winemaker of Newberg, Oregon’s Bells Up Winery has joined the Board of Directors for the Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers (CMW) association, effective March 1, 2016. Specter was persuaded to add his name to the ballot by incoming CMW President Cathy Redman of Redman Wines. In addition to Ms. Redman, Specter joins current Board Members Jim Prosser (CMW Vice President) […]

Bells Up again participating in Newberg’s First Friday, March 4

Bells Up will be returning to Newberg’s First Friday ARTwalk event. Winemaker and owner Dave Specter will pour two of our inaugural vintages—2013 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and 2014 Rhapsody Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc—on Friday, March 4. The family-friendly evening runs from 5-9 p.m. and includes 26 different Downtown Newberg locations. Bells Up will be the featured winery at location […]

Celebrate Love with Bells Up & Yamhills Gallery, Saturday, Feb. 13

We are honored to be the exclusive winery partner of Yamhills – A Gift & Art Gallery for their Valentines Day Weekend event, “Celebrate Love.” The event will be held Saturday, February 13th from 4-8 p.m. at the gallery’s Newberg location: 901 Brutscher Street (in the same shopping center as the Newberg Fred Meyer). Open to the public, the gallery […]

Off-site tasting at Newberg’s First Friday, February 5

We just snapped up the opportunity to pour two of our inaugural vintages—2013 Titan Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and 2014 Rhapsody Willamette Valley Pinot Blanc—tomorrow, February 5, at Newberg’s First Friday ARTwalk event. The family-friendly evening runs from 5-9 p.m. and includes 26 different Downtown Newberg locations. Bells Up will be the featured winery at location 19, FORMWORX Design Studio, 111 […]

Fun tasting with the Bed & Breakfasts of Yamhill County

We had a delightful visit with eight members of the Bed & Breakfasts of Yamhill County during a tasting yesterday—on “Wine Wednesday,” of course! They tasted the three wines still currently available in our tasting room (2013 Titan Pinot Noir, 2014 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir and 2014 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc) and even caught a few rays of sunshine. It […]

LAST CALL: Fanfare Club Founding Member level closes at Midnight, New Year’s Eve.

Really, truly, honestly, sincerely, this is IT. The mic drops on our incredible 25% OFF lifetime discount on all our wines with a minimum 6 bottle purchase commitment (mix-and-match) for Fanfare Club Founding Members who join in our first year of operation (2015) at 11:59 p.m. pacific standard time tonight—New Year’s Eve/December 31, 2015. No exceptions. No exclusions. No extensions. […]

Just 4 cases remaining of Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir…

Just four cases left of our 2014 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir (of the original 55 released). Regularly priced at $18 per bottle, with the 25% Fanfare Club Founding Member discount, each bottle of 2014 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir is $13.50. In case you’re wondering, YES, there will be a 2015 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir! The 2015 vintage is currently resting in 100% neutral barrels and will be […]

2013 Villanelle Reserve Pinot Noir Review

It’s long been sold out, but our 2013 Villanelle Reserve Pinot Noir received a lovely review from oenophile and wine savant Kathy Merchant a Level 4 Diploma graduate of the London-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and Certified Specialist of Wine (Society of Wine Educators). Through her business Vino Ventures, Kathy provides fun and educational wine events for companies, professional associations, alumni associations and […]

Red Alert: 8 Cases of Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir Remaining

Our inventory of 2014 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir has hit the RED ALERT zone: Meaning that we now have fewer than 10 cases remaining (of the original 55 released). Fanfare Club Founding Members get first dibs on these last few cases; let us know ASAP if you’d like to reserve some of it for pick-up in person at the winery, or for shipment (ground shipping closes today, […]

Fanfare Club Founding Member is now a published author!

Congratulations to Kristen Gibson, a college classmate of Sara’s who just published her very first novel, Red Ochre Falls! It’s a #bellsupmoment for sure. Kristen celebrated it by cracking open a bottle of Bells Up’s sold-out 2013 Villanelle Reserve Pinot Noir. Here, the description of the novel: Mattie Harper left college after nearly losing her mother. A few years later, […]

By popular demand! Kerry McDaniel Boenisch returns to the Bells Up tasting room on Saturday, Nov. 28!

Guests at Bells Up Winery’s first day of Thanksgiving Open House, a week ago Saturday, so enjoyed hearing Dundee author Kerry McDaniel Boenisch recount the stories of growing up among the pioneering winemakers and winegrowers in the region that we invited her to return—and she’s agreed! We are delighted to invite guests at Bells Up Winery’s Thanksgiving Open House on Saturday, November 28 to meet author […]

First Rule of Fanfare Club?

TELL EVERYONE ABOUT FANFARE CLUB! At Bells Up, we already know we have the BEST wine club members. And our Fanfare Club Founding Members know that they have one of the best discounts in the industry—25% off in perpetuity (as long as you continue to purchase a minimum of six bottles annually). This exclusive Founding Member status is limited to […]

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Bells Up Winery #2 pick by Innkeepers of Willamette Valley for Thanksgiving Open House visits

Check out that COVER BOY—Bells Up’s very own winemaker and owner, Dave Specter. A hat-trick! A three-peat! Good things come in threes! For the third time this week, our humble little micro-boutique winery and tasting room has been picked as a choice “can’t miss/must taste” Thanksgiving Open House event selection. This time, the Innkeepers of the Willamette Valley placed us #2 in […]

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Meet local author Kerry McDaniel Boenisch in Bells Up’s Tasting Room on Saturday, November 21

From 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, Dundee author Kerry McDaniel Boenisch will be selling and signing copies of her newest book, Dirt+Vine=Wine in Bells Up’s Tasting Room.

Bells Up Winery’s new tasting room featured in Oregonian’s Holiday 2015 Wine Guide

Wow! The ink is flowing faster than the wine is around here these days. We had a delightful visit with the Oregonian’s Kerry Newberry a couple of weeks ago and were delighted to see her writeup about our Thanksgiving Open House and new tasting room. The article was published in today’s (November 18, 2015) Oregonian.

SatiatePDX Names Bells Up a Top 5 Pick for Thanksgiving Open House Weekends

Many thanks to Tamara Belgard, curator of SatiatePDX, for picking Bells Up as one of five wineries rarely open to the public that she recommends visiting during Thanksgiving Open House Weekends in the Willamette Valley. You can read her article, “Oregon Wine Country – Thanksgiving Weekend 4-1-1,” here. (We’re # 2!!!) We will be open to the public noon to 4 […]

Yellow (PINK?) Alert: 2014 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir inventory has fewer than 20 cases left!

It may be Halloween, but this is no Trick! Grab this Treat while you can. Our inventory of 2014 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir has dropped into Yellow (PINK???) Alert territory: Meaning that we now have fewer than 20 cases remaining (of the original 55 released). Fanfare Club Founding Members get first dibs on these last few cases; let us know ASAP if you’d like to reserve […]

Buh-bye sold out 2013 Firebird Syrah!

You don’t know what you’ve got, ’til it’s gone…

…and it’s gone, people. Buh-bye 2013 Bells Up Firebird Syrah! Since we put the word out that we were down to fewer than 20 cases back at the end of August (then just 10, then just three), the remaining inventory sold out in less than eight weeks. LESS THAN EIGHT WEEKS. With five entire cases purchased by five separate Fanfare Club Founding […]

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Are you kidding me? We’ve been featured on The PinotFile!

Tickled to find Bells Up Winery featured by none other than The Prince of Pinot, Rusty Gaffney MD, who’s been dedicating himself to documenting all things pinot noir in a bi-weekly newsletter, The PinotFile, since retiring from a career as an ophthalmologist in 2001. So exciting! Thank you Rusty [@princeofpinot]. We appreciate the coverage!

News Release: Bells Up Winery Announces Public Open House Hours on Weekends Immediately Before and After Thanksgiving

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | NEWBERG, OR (October 1, 2015) — Bells Up Winery will herald the holiday season with a Wine Country Thanksgiving open house event. The winery will be open to the public from noon to 4:00 p.m. the weekend before Thanksgiving, Saturday and Sunday (November 21 and 22), as well as immediately after Thanksgiving, on Friday, Saturday and […]

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Just 3 Cases of 2013 Firebird Syrah Remain!

Final call for Firebird! Our inventory of 2013 Firebird Syrah has plummeted to just THREE cases remaining (of the original 60 released). Fanfare Club Founding Members got first dibs on the last 10 cases; let us know ASAP if you’d like to reserve some of it for pick-up in person at the winery, or for shipment during our fall shipping window (mid-October). Regularly priced at $30 per bottle, […]

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Harvest 2015 is coming…

We’re getting closer to #harvest2015 here at the winery. Winemaker Dave has been getting near-daily reports by phone and email from our Syrah grower in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and is looking to make the trip to pick up our fruit there later this week. Over the past few weeks, Dave’s been visiting our two grower vineyard sites in Yamhill-Carlton, taking samples […]

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Just 10 Cases of 2013 Firebird Syrah Remain… Get It While You Can!

Last call for Firebird! Our inventory of 2013 Firebird Syrah has now hit the RED ALERT zone: We now have just 10 cases remaining (of the original 60 released). Fanfare Club Founding Members get first dibs on these last few cases; let us know ASAP if you’d like to reserve some of it for pick-up in person at the winery, or for shipment during our fall shipping window […]

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Northwest Fresh Seafood in Newberg featuring Bells Up on Thursday, August 27

Join Bells Up Winery’s winemaker Dave Specter at Northwest Fresh Seafood‘s Newberg market on Thursday, August 27 from 3 – 6 p.m. for a complimentary wine tasting. Northwest Fresh is located at 611 N Main Street in Newberg. Dave will be pouring three of Bells Up’s inaugural vintages: 2014 Rhapsody Pinot Blanc 2014 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir 2013 Titan Pinot […]

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Yellow Alert! 2013 Firebird Syrah inventory has dropped under 20 cases remaining…

Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Our inventory of 2013 Firebird Syrah has dropped into Yellow Alert territory: Meaning that we now have fewer than 20 cases remaining (of the original 60 released). Fanfare Club Founding Members get first dibs on these last few cases; let us know ASAP if you’d like to reserve some of it for pick-up in person at […]

Bells Up will be open to the public on Labor Day weekend.

Join Bells Up Winery for one of our three annual open house weekend events during Labor Day weekend. On Saturday and Sunday—September 5 and 6, 2015—our winery/tasting room facility will be open from Noon to 4:00 p.m. Located on Chehalem Mountain, Bells Up is housed in a newly renovated pole barn at 27895 Northeast Bell Road at the intersection of Zimri […]

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Taste Bells Up wines at CorksCREW event, July 16.

When one of our newest Fanfare Club Founding Members invited us to pour our wines at CREW Portland‘s annual networking event, “CorksCREW,” we were thrilled to seize the opportunity. The event will be held on Thursday, July 16 at Washington High School in Portland. Other participating wineries include ArborBrook Vineyards, Scott Paul and Stoller. CREW Portland is the local chapter […]

Remembering Kelly.

Six years ago today, June 30, Sara’s dear friend and mentor lost her battle with pancreatic cancer. She was diagnosed stage 4 two weeks after her 40th birthday, and we found out shortly after returning from our first ever trip to Oregon wine country and Newberg. Kelly’s life, and her fight for it, was a key inspiration for our decision […]

Celebrate July 1 #WineWednesday with Bells Up at 503 Uncorked!

In case you missed it, Dave will be pouring at 503 Uncorked in Sherwood on Wednesday, July 1. You might even see a Fanfare Club Founding Member or two in attendance, sporting their fabulous T-shirt of course. Stop by and say hi!

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Thanks for the feature story, Oregon Wine Press!

What’s blue and gold and read all over? Our press releases apparently! Thanks so much to Hilary Berg, editor in chief of the Oregon Wine Press, and writer Jade Helm for the lovely feature story—“Bells Up on Bell Road: New boutique winery makes some noise in Newberg”— in the July 2015 issue. We can’t wait to get our hands on […]

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NEWS RELEASE: Bells Up Winery featured at 503 Uncorked on Wednesday, July 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWBERG, OR (June 15, 2015) — On Wednesday, July 1, 2015—from 6:00–8:00 p.m.—Bells Up Winery will be featured at 503 Uncorked’s weekly Industry Night. The wine bar is located in Sherwood, Oregon’s historic Old Town district at 16079 SW Railroad Street. During the event, Bells Up’s winemaker and owner Dave Specter will pour complimentary tastings of three […]

#bellsupmoment #perfectpairing

First we got #bellsupmoment photos of wines arriving in boxes. Then it was sad faces with empty bottles. Then we heard “less than favorable” feedback about a “slight problem” with our wines. The new trend, however, has been food and wine. All of these #perfectpairing pictures are making us hungry! (But please, keep them coming!) Here’s a few samples…

A report of a “slight problem” with our wines…

A sweet note from Fanfare Club Founding Member Danielle B.: “I just wanted to take a minute and tell you that I received the case of wine and I have to say you all have a hit on your hands!! They are incredible!!!! I’ve given sips out (only sips mind you… They can buy their own bottles) to friends and […]

Our first YELP review…

It was a cool surprise to discover we’d been reviewed on YELP—5 stars no less. Hooray! Thank you Troy from Saint Paul!

Remembering those we’ve lost.

With Memorial Day weekend upon us, it seems fitting to share the very small way we have chosen to remember some special people for whom we couldn’t get this winery open fast enough. We hope they’re happy with our progress. The first four rows of Pommard now honor the memory of…

Another media hit!

Thanks to our friends at Travel Oregon for the listing!

The Newberg Graphic dropped by.

We had a blast hanging out with the Newberg Graphic guys last week! This was the resulting article. We really appreciate the coverage pre-Memorial Day. Thanks Colin and Gary! In 2008, Dave and Sara Specter visited Oregon wine country as tourists. They stayed at Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast, which overlooks Newberg and the northern Willamette Valley. Little did they […]

There’s a new Red in town.

We hosted a very special guest for a tasting appointment yesterday. Meet Red Chair, a bon vivant of the four-legged variety who lives a vagabond life. Red traipses from bed and breakfast establishments coast to coast, sampling regional fare and staging the occasional sit in. Red’s well-documented adventures can be followed at Red Chair Travels. This week he’s checking out […]

Mark your calendar for our public Grand Opening over Memorial Day Weekend!

We’re excited to be taking part in our first Willamette Valley Wineries Association “official” tasting weekend—Memorial Day. Come visit our new tasting room during one of our rare, open to the public opportunities: Saturday – Monday (May 23-25) from Noon – 4 p.m. See you then!

Not all our reviews are favorable…

We love our Fanfare Club Founding Members, and their feedback is ALWAYS welcome. Including this very helpful commentary from Karen H. “@bellsupwinery I have a bone to pick with you. Your bottles are clearly entirely too small! I keep running out of wine!!” Sorry to hear this Karen. We’ll take a look at bottling some magnums next time… just for […]

Open by appointment, Bells Up Winery is on Chehalem Mountain at the intersection of Northeast Bell Road and Zimri Drive.

NEWS RELEASE: Bells Up to host Washington State University tour group

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | NEWBERG, OR (May 12, 2015) — Bells Up Winery will welcome a 25-person group led by members of Washington State University’s (WSU) Viticulture and Enology department on Wednesday, May 27 as part of its “Willamette Valley Winery and Vineyard Tour.” Bells Up is one of four Chehalem Mountain American Viticultural Area (AVA) wineries to be included on […]

A rosy review of Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir

We were absolutely honored to get a review of the 2014 Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir from Cincinnati wine educator and American Wine School instructor Kathy Merchant of Vino Ventures. It was such high praise, it merited its own graphic (above). Kathy said: “I just returned home from one of my last few business trips to discover my delicious delivery from […]

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A review of 2013 Titan Pinot Noir…

We were excited to receive this review of our 2013 Titan Pinot Noir from Jason M., a Fanfare Club Founding Member from Indiana, accompanying his #bellsupmoment meal photo: “It was excellent. I properly decanted it ahead of time and made sure to try it before dinner. It complimented the earthy tones of the whole dish. The acidity was perfect (I […]

Our first official news release, announcing Grand Opening dates.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bells Up, Willamette Valley’s Newest Micro-Boutique Winery, Announces Grand Opening Dates NEWBERG, OR (April 22, 2015) — Bells Up Winery (www.bellsupwinery.com) will be open to the public for its Grand Opening on Memorial Day weekend, Saturday through Monday (May 23–25) from noon to 4:00 p.m. The label is the Willamette Valley’s newest micro-boutique winery, producing 400 cases […]

Share your #BellsUpMoment

Wine is in the air! Well, actually on the doorstep. The shipments have started arriving and the #BellsUpMoment photos are rolling in. We’re posting them to our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages, AND we’ve also added a page to our website here. Keep sending us those photos, and we’ll keep posting them. We might even sweeten the pot with a […]

Box invasion.

With all supplies finally gathered, we started packing up wine for shipments yesterday. We’ve been building the boxes in the house to try to minimize the clutter in the tasting room. Here’s a few highlights from the dining room… Hoping to complete all shipments by the end of this week.

New photos from the Fanfare Club Founding Member offer brochure.

Finally got our Fanfare Club Founding Member offer brochure for the winery/tasting room published. We’re particularly pleased with how a couple of the photos we took for it turned out. Thought we’d share. A

Bottling the Rosé and the Blanc…

We spent this past Thursday bottling our two 2014 white wines, the Rhapsody Pinot Blanc and the Prelude Rosé of Pinot Noir. The Blanc went on the line first. After 117 cases of Rhapsody were boxed, it was time for the pink stuff. And Erica, our consulting winemaker, got a spare second from cork refilling to work it in her […]

Announcing our Grand Opening (Memorial Day) weekend hours…

Looking forward to opening up to the public for one of our three annual tasting events. Our Grand Opening will be celebrated Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend (May 23, 24 and 25) from NOON to 4:00 p.m. A $15/person tasting fee will be deducted from a minimum $75 purchase. We’ll be pouring four of our inaugural wines: 2014 […]

If 6-bottle reusable wine bags were sexy, they’d look like this…

The printer’s digital proof of our new, reusable, 6-bottle wine totes just arrived this morning. How can you get one, you ask? Drop by the tasting room and purchase six bottles, of course. It’s only the sexiest accessory out there. Even bottles from OTHER wineries want to slip into this little number. Arriving in 8-10 weeks, unfortunately. Don’t worry, out-of-state Fanfare Club […]

We’re so social!

Watch out world—the CMO is on a roll. In anticipation of our impending wine order shipments over the next few weeks, we’re now set up on Instagram and Twitter. Follow @BellsUpWinery. Why? Because we’re inviting all of our Fanfare Club Founding Members and other fans who’ve purchased our wines to tag and share their #BellsUpMoment on our pages! Excited to receive […]

Fine tuning the echo.

As finishing progressed on the winery/tasting room, it became apparent that we had created a vicious echo situation that makes conversation a challenge. Because it is also a production space we are limited in our choices of furnishings and decor. And we are very limited on funds too. The CMO/primary financier/interior decorator came up with a relatively cheap solution…purchase a […]

The latest vineyard developments…

The last couple of weeks have been super busy, with the posts, trellises and wires going into the two blocks that were planted last year. Of course, after the materials arrived, we learned that half of the supplies we ordered were not what our vineyard crew actually wanted to use. They soldiered on with what they could use, and sent […]

We’re the newest member of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association…

We had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones at yesterday’s annual meeting of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association meeting. As the newest winery member, we were gently reminded to get our page up on their site, which we have now done. Show them (and us) some love, will ya? Check out our WVWA page here.

Celebrating 100 Fanfare Club Founding Members!

Over the past weekend, we hit the magical 100 mark for Founding Members of our Fanfare Club! As promised, we will now reveal the Bonus Benefit we’ve taunted you with for weeks… Founding Members (aka the people who join the Fanfare Club before midnight, December 31, 2015) will now enjoy their 25% discount on all wines (with a minimum annual […]

It must be a sign…

…of good things to come. So this happened today. And our vineyard crew started putting the posts into last year’s planting. They will be adding the wires tomorrow and Friday, as well as planting our third block of Seyval blanc vines. And, by popular demand from our female fan base, a couple of our most requested contractors came back to […]

Highlights from the Past Week

Robert the sign artisan got to work setting the posts for the new road sign at the base of the property. We received temporary occupancy approval by both the county and the fire marshal, so technically the building is open for business… but we are still working on floors and walls, so we aren’t using the space yet. In the […]

First Tasting in the New Space

Erica, Bells Up Winery’s consulting winemaker, came by today to meet with Dave and to do an acid panel on the 777 pinot noir harvested last fall. Conveniently, they were able to work in the winery space today.

Dishwasher and Sink Join the Lab

The awesome bargain used commercial dishwasher was delivered today…1/3 the price of the same model new, and cheaper than the lowest price new model we were considering. And the restaurant equipment store matched a cheaper online price for the brand new stainless lab sink. Sink came today too. Corey Cox from Cox Electric made an emergency drop in to hardwire […]

Riedel Homework

Tonight’s assignment: Testing our flagship pinot noir Titan in three different Riedel glasses to make our selections for the winery/tasting room.

We can now sell and ship to Massachusetts!

Thanks to a change of law in the Land of Beans, Massachusetts residents can now receive Bells Up wine shipments. Pre order now, as we have fewer than 4 cases of the Villanelle Reserve Pinot left!

A preview of our upcoming 2013/2014 releases…

We got swept up in barn renovation projects and then 2014 harvest (a brief recap coming soon), but we’re finally ready to offer a preview of our upcoming lineup of wines. We’re still refining the details of our Fanfare Club (Bells Up Winery’s wine club), but as we just received approval of our labels for the 2013 reds, now seems […]

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Bells Up Winemaker and Owner, David Specter, Featured on Sip With Me…

Many thanks to Portland, Oregon-based Wine Blogger Tamara Belgard of the exceedingly popular local wine blog, Sip With Me, for a great interview with David, pasted with permission below. Among other nuggets in the Q-and-A interview, you can find out the first wine Dave ever drank, what wine he served on a disastrous first date (NOT with the CMO and […]

Can you dig it?

We’re still in heavy equipment mode over here. While the “big orange thingie” (a.k.a. the excavator) and its operator, Joe, are here, the CMO has been finding all sorts of additional projects to add to the list. First, the septic line, gas line conduit, water line and bonus empty conduit (for phone lines and other connections that we might need […]

The OLCC License is HERE!

It’s heavy equipment season at the Vineyard.

Tomorrow, July 8, is the Chief Marketing Officer’s milestone 40th birthday. To celebrate, she acquired a cherry red, midlife crisis convertible, seen here: Rest assured, the CMO has left the tractor driving to the Winemaker. He’s even moved a couple of rocks from one side of the property to the other, while “practicing” on her new toy. See? In other earth-shaking […]

A trip down memory lane…

Thanks to the amazing support of our fabulous fans and friends, our LIKEs on our Facebook page have jumped in the last 24 hours (our CMO is hoping to hit 440 LIKEs in time to celebrate her milestone birthday on July 8). But, we realize that perhaps a few of you don’t know our story, or why the heck we […]

Egads! There’s grapevines in them-thar fields!

Okay, so way behind on posts. Blame the CMO. She’s a slacker! On April 13 our crew of vineyard professionals got to work on the top third of the vineyard, the section closest to the barn/future winery/tasting room. It took a crew of 12 amazing guys about 10 hours, one tray of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, and a lunch break […]

Lueckes luck into a barrel tasting…

It is often said that timing is everything, and a very fortunate bit of timing allowed one of Dave’s former colleagues from Ernst & Young and his extended family to participate in our first barrel tasting. We periodically sample from each of our barrels to see how the wines are developing and our scheduled sampling time just happened to coincide […]

It’s almost planting time.

Friday was a super-busy day in the (future) vineyard. Gordon Cook, our vineyard manager, has been working on measuring, spacing and marking the field for the first third of the estate plantings. It looks like this: Meanwhile, Dave re-filled the holes that Gordon had dug previously to uncover our septic system’s drain boxes and drain field. We had to be […]

The Barn Gets Ready for a Face Lift…

The first three months of the year flew by, in part due to all the permitting work we’re continuing to do with various government agencies. Along those lines, we realized in January we needed to start converting our ideas for the barn transformation into a tasting room/winery into some actual plans. As in architect plans. We were referred to the […]

Our spirits are NOT flagging!

We’re behind on posts, but not on activity! Along with barrel tastings, completing and submitting multiple applications to no fewer than five government entities (and paying the corresponding fees), and starting the planning process for converting the barn into a tasting room/winery space, we’ve been keeping our vineyard manager Gordon busy too. Gordon’s been plowing and tilling the field, as […]

Pressing on to the Finish!

Well, our inaugural harvest is finally over! All of the 2013 wines have completed their primary fermentation (meaning the sugars in the juice have been converted to alcohol) and we have pressed the remaining grape skins and seeds to get the last good bits of flavor and complexity. Grape presses come in many different forms. Usually, it’s a large machine […]

Before we process, we bless.

Once all the pinot noir grapes had arrived at ADEA Wine Company, our processing facility, they joined the syrah grapes in the line waiting to be processed. But first we performed the traditional “blessing” the first grapes of the season. This is a tradition that goes back to Old Testament times, when grapes typically were the first product of harvest […]

Grapes are in; crush is on!

In our last post, we had harvested pinot noir and loaded it into the back of Dave’s truck Bluebell. For this week’s installment, we head to the processing center to begin turning those grapes into wine! The day prior to our pinot harvest, we received one ton of syrah grapes from eastern Oregon (thanks to Drew Voit of Harper Voit for […]

Harvest 2013 Recap

Well, it took 5 years and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get here but our first harvest season is now in full swing! From a weather perspective, September was an extremely challenging month for Oregon wineries. We saw significant rain several times during the month which was a highly unusual occurrence for this area. This put pressure […]

How do you Drew?

In our previous post, we showed you how we collect cluster samples from our two growers’ vineyards. Now, we show you what happens next. The harvest timing decision is based on many factors, and several of those can be studied in the lab. Dave brought the samples to the lab and crushed them in those plastic Ziploc bags to extract […]

Harvest is Coming!!

As we come down the home stretch of the growing season, we find ourselves in the most stressful time for growers and winemakers alike—that time just before harvest when we’re deciding just the right time to pick our grapes. The dry, cloudless Oregon summers have started to give way to a bit of rain, and there’s a chill creeping into […]

Roll Out the Barrels!

The four new oak barrels we ordered arrived this week! Thanks so much to our dear friends at Alexana Winery for helping coordinate our order. Most wines are aged in a combination of new barrels and “used” barrels of varying ages. In our case, we will be using one new and two used barrels for each ton of grapes we’re bringing in. […]

Plowing along…

This is what passes for big excitement here on the farm. Gordon, our vineyard manager extraordinaire, swung by to mow down the weeds and plow the currently vacant 9 acres earlier this week. Here he is up close: And here he is far away, raising a cloud of dust (reminded us of Pigpen from Charlie Brown): In addition to making […]

Big Mac(robin) Attack!

Our new Macrobins are here! These heavy duty plastic containers are used by vineyard owners and winemakers the world over and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They’re versatile and stackable, which is nice because they do take up a lot of floor space! At larger wineries, you’ll see these stacked as high as their forklift can reach […]

Where the Magic Will Happen…

We often get asked whether we will be producing our wines on site. The reality is that setting up a wine production facility is a hefty undertaking. Not only is the equipment often extremely expensive, but the facility must be designed and fitted to meet rigorous operational, environmental, safety, and a whole host of other standards before it can be […]

A day at Tonnelier.

Introducing our Yamhill/Carlton pinot noir grower/supplier – Mike Slater of Tonnelier Vineyard (FYI: “Tonnelier” is French for “cooper,” a barrel maker)! Mike has been growing grapes since 2000 and has approximately 3 acres currently under vine. His vines include several pinot clones, including 777 and 115, which we will be acquiring. The Willamette Valley is blessed with a range of unique […]

Wachet Auf (Sleepers Awake)!

The last month has been a VERY busy at the Bells Up homestead and we’ve gotten behind in our postings, so it’s time to play a little catch-up. We’ve worked diligently to determine the best location for the production of our first vintage—which we will making from grapes sourced from two different Willamette Valley grape growers. All the contracts are […]

Burn, baby, burn!

After Brock’s crew felled the trees, Jerry and Casey came out to wrangle the logs and burn the pieces that weren’t usable by either the mill or as firewood. Fortunately it was too chilly to have the windows open in the house, otherwise we would have been smoked out! Because the fire was so big, it was too hot to […]

Did somebody say “Timber”?

Our neighbors down the mountain from us have been having some trees removed from the western border of their property in preparation for expanding their current vineyard plantings. Since they’d already done the work of hiring a crew foreman to manage the process, we really appreciated it when they shared his contact information so we could hire him to do […]

Putting Bluebell (and Dave) to work…

Lest anyone think that Bluebell is not a working truck, Dave put her through her paces last week. The weather finally cleared up enough for him to drive down next to our tree line on the West side of the property without getting stuck (yes, even with 4 wheel drive, wet Jory clay soil is a powerful adhesive) and pick […]

Another special visitor pops in… from New Mexico!

Yesterday we had a delightful visit from Ellen (Ellie) Weadock of New Mexico—Dave’s fellow alumni of the Washington State University Viticulture and Enology Certificate Program—while she was in the Portland area on business. Although the 1.5-year-long certificate program is conducted online, Dave and Ellie met (along with their other classmates) in person at three different on-site camps in Washington. They both graduated from […]

Meet the newest member of the Bells Up Winery team…

At the end of March, we added the very first paid member of the Bells Up Winery team… Meet Bluebell! The “new to us” Ford F-15o Quad Cab came from Newberg Ford and replaced Dave’s very old, very not-useful-in-the-field, Acura. For those of you keeping track of such things, yes, the color is almost the same. And, because “everything around […]

The new business cards are here!

It’s official now–today Dave’s new Bells Up Winery business cards arrived.

Buried Treasure

This past week we had beautiful weather, so it was time to do some property clean-up. Gordon and Tim were super helpful in finding all sorts of buried treasure on our acreage. The winning piece was definitely the mortar mixer. A close second was the truck bed and its two axles. Of course, we also found the requisite 55-gallon drums. […]

University of Cincinnati College of Law featured Bells Up Winery winemaker David Specter in the February 2013 issue

Corporate Attorney Makes Bold Move: David Specter Loves Making Wine By University of Cincinnati College of LawStudent Jordan Cohen ’13 Feature Article, Published February 20, 2013 Looking back on it, David Specter ’99 doesn’t recall why he wanted to be a corporate attorney. “I kind of had this idea of what I thought I wanted to do,” Specter said of his […]

The Bells Up Winery Story…

“If you’re this successful in a career that makes you sick, stressed and miserable… how much more successful would you be doing something you love?”

That’s the question Sara asked Dave almost two decades ago, following his mental and physical breakdown from more than a decade as a successful corporate tax attorney. This, while watching Sara’s professional mentor battle pancreatic cancer at age 40.

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, Rosé, Pinot Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Schioppettino with grapes sourced exclusively from our estate vineyard and from Summit View Vineyard in Eastern Oregon.

Bells Up Winery | 27895 NE Bell Road | Newberg, Oregon 97132 | 503.537.1328 | info@bellsupwinery.com

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