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As jocks anticipate The Big Dance in mid-March—that’s the nickname for the NCAA Division I basketball tournaments, for those not fluent in sports speak—Oregon wine fans now have their own March Madness brackets to fill out.
For the second year in a row, Backcountry Wine Tasting Room at 1080 SE Division St. is hosting the “March Madness of Oregon Pinot Noir.” Sixty-four examples of the 2022 vintage will square off in a tournament-style bracket challenge at events all month long, culminating in a March 20 championship bout.
Backcountry Wine owner Jack Cranley and guests have already winnowed the field of 64 down to 32 at blind tastings every Friday night since mid-January. Wine and sports aren’t always (ever?) the best pairing, but Cranley is enjoying a bump in business from his March Madness event.
“The response has been amazing and our turnouts on Fridays have been huge—more than double what it was last year,” Cranley says. “It seems to be something that resonates.”
Cranley opened Backcountry Wine Tasting Room in 2022 after working as a wine tour guide in the Willamette Valley for 12 years. The wine bar and lounge focuses exclusively on Pacific Northwest wine—mostly Oregon and a little bit of Washington.
Participants are encouraged to pre-purchase tickets to the events, for $50 per evening or $120 for a pack of three. Guests will be served 16 wines and light snacks. The schedule is as follows:
Round of 32 (Part One): Tuesday, March 4
Round of 32 (Part Two): Thursday, March 6
Sweet 16: Tuesday, March 11
Elite Eight: Thursday, March 13
Final Four: Tuesday, March 18
Championship: Thursday, March 20
Last year’s final four came down to Stephen Goff, Elevée, Holocene and Walter Scott, with Walter Scott eventually earning the crown of best 2021 Oregon pinot noir.
Some of the other wineries that participated last year included Ayoub, Beaux Freres, Bethel Heights, Big Table Farm, Cameron, Elk Cove, Eyrie Vineyard, Granville, Hundred Suns, Lavinea, Martin Woods, Patricia Green Cellars, Ridgecrest and Soter. This year, Backcountry will add Domaine Drouhin, Rose Rock, Domaine Serene, Antica Terra and Flaneur, among others.
GO: “March Madness of Oregon Pinot Noir” at Backcountry Wine Tasting Room, 1080 SE Division St. 503-914-4107, backcountrywinebar.com. 6 pm Tuesday and Thursday, through March 20. $50. 21+.