James The Wine Guy (also known as James Melendez) is a wine reviewer, writer, and videographer who has created...
Tag Archive for: Wine Review
94 Points for 2021 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir from James Melendez
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, 2021 Jupiter, Bells Up Winery, James Melendez, James The Wine Guy, Jupiter, Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir, Jupiter Pinot NOir, Review, Reviews, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Reviewer, Wine Reviews, Wine Writer, 0Prolific wine reviewer, writer, and videographer James Melendez — also known as James The Wine Guy — has produced...
Big Blend Radio Features Dave Specter on Winemaker Insider Podcast
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, Big Blend Radio, Dave Specter, David Specter, Feature Video, Featured Winery, Lisa Smith, Podcast, Sara Specter, Video, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Tasting, Wine Writer, 0A couple of months ago, publisher and podcaster Lisa Smith invited Winemaker Dave for an interview on her Big...
Wine Characters Profiles Bells Up Winemaker Dave Specter
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, Bells Up Story, Dave Specter, feature story, Helios Seyval Blanc, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Reviewer, Wine Writer, 0The brainchild of winery public relations specialist Carl Giavanti, the Wine Characters site presents “Characters With Wine | Wines...
The Written Palette Features Bells Up’s Pairings of Wine and Music
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, Bells Up Estate, Bells Up Story, Bells Up Vineyard, Cori Solomon, Firebird Syrah, Helios Seyval Blanc, New World Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Our Story, Prelude Estate Rosé, Prelude Rosé, Seyval Blanc, The Written Palette, Titan Pinot Noir, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Reviewer, Wine Writer, 0The Written Palette’s Cori Solomon — a Los Angeles-based wine writer who visited us a few years ago —...
Drink the Bottles Hosts Winemaker Dave for Virtual Tasting
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, Drink The Bottles, Jeff Lawson, Melissa & Jeff Lawson, Melissa Lawson, Review, Reviews, Rose, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Reviewer, Wine Writer, 0Melissa and Jeff Lawson describe their Drink the Bottles website as “gathering place for wine and whiskey lovers without...
Drink the Bottles Reviews Six Bells Up Wines
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, 2021 Candide, 2021 Jupiter, 2021 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir, 2021 Maestro, 2021 Titan, Candide, Candide Pinot Noir, Candide Reserve Pinot Noir, Drink The Bottles, Jeff Lawson, Jupiter, Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir, Jupiter Pinot NOir, Maestro, Maestro Reserve Pinot Noir, Melissa & Jeff Lawson, Melissa Lawson, Prelude, Prelude Estate Rosé, Review, Reviews, Rhapsody, Rhapsody Pinot Blanc, Rose, Titan, Titan Pinot Noir, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Reviewer, Wine Writer, 0In our previous post, we shared how Melissa and Jeff Lawson—married wine reviewers who curate the Drink the Bottles...
Michael Apstein Reviews Five Bells Up Wines
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, 2021 Jupiter Estate Pinot Noir, Apstein On Wine, Candide, Candide Reserve Pinot Noir, Jupiter, Jupiter Pinot NOir, Maestro, Maestro Reserve Pinot Noir, Michael Apstein, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Review, Reviews, Rhapsody Pinot Blanc, Titan, Titan Pinot Noir, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Reviewer, Wine Reviews, Wine Writer, 0Dr. Michael Apstein, who has written about wine for more than 30 years, recently agreed to sample five of...
2023 Helios Seyval Blanc “Intriguing and Exciting” – Winery Reflections
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, 2021 Helios, 2021 Helios Estate Seyval Blanc, Estate, Helios, Helios Seyval Blanc, Nathan and Courtney Marton, Seyval Blanc, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Reviewer, Wine Writer, Winery Reflections, 0Southern California wine reviewers, Nathan and Courtney Marton of Winery Reflections, have shared their thoughts on our current 2023...
Winery Reflections Praises “Unconventional and Astoundingly Fun” 2022 Prelude Rosé
, Feature Stories & Reviews, Reviews, 2022 Prelude, Estate, Estate Rosé, Nathan and Courtney Marton, Prelude, Prelude Estate Rosé, Prelude Rosé, Wine Blogger, Wine Review, Wine Reviewer, Wine Writer, Winery Reflections, 0Nathan and Courtney Marton — husband and wife wine reviewers from Southern California — routinely share their thoughts on...
Upcoming Events
Buy Bells Up Wine
The best part of being a micro-boutique winery?
It’s the relationships we build with you. We love hearing from you, so call or e-mail us to place an order:
503.537.1328
info@bellsupwinery.com
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.









