‘Peace, Bread, Land and Wine’: A Meal With Brooks Winery

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  Brooks wines from Eola-Amity Hills AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Photo Credit: Jill Barth

Brooks Winery is one of those producers that wine writers crave. There’s a strong family element combined with a tenacious streak of terroir pride. There’s a cool appellation and biodynamic growing. Brooks has the views and killer hospitality.

We want to visit there, and maybe, (probably) we want to be like them. 

It could be said that well-respected Brooks is a proxy for all that’s right in Oregon wine, the Willamette Valley in particular and Eola-Amity Hills, in super-particular.

You’ll see what they stand for in their commitments (below) but I’m also impressed with their robust calendar of events and Brooks University. Talk about a community builder.

Brooks has stated ‘commitments’: peace, bread, land and wine.

Peace. It’s a commitment to Jimi’s* presence in this world. Treat others with dignity and kindness. Be a good friend. Travel the world. Learn lessons from other cultures, and bring them home. Foster community. Be good to the land and the harvest it bears.  Have fun and truly live life.

Bread. We are committed to providing the best culinary experiences in the Willamette Valley. Our organic garden supplies our kitchen with herbs, vegetables, and cut flowers. Our eggs come from our friendly chickens who are fed organically. Anything we can’t get on the grounds is sourced locally.

Land. Brooks Winery is proud to be a Certified B Corporation. Being a B Corp means we are a part of a group of companies using the power of business to solve social and economic problems. Effective  January 1, 2019, 1% of all gross revenues at Brooks will directly benefit a qualified not for profit approved by 1% for the Planet. We are the first winery to participate in the Willamette Valley and one of the first worldwide!  + Demeter Certified Biodynamic.

Wine…

2017 Estate Riesling

2016 Old Vine Pommard Pinot Noir

…and a meal to pair

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No-knead homemade bread and my son’s from-scratch bread recipe in a fraction of the time. Note: as of press time by bread is still a ball of dough. Join the Twitter chat tomorrow to see how it turned out. First ever mother-son colab on L’Occasion, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Garden herbs, red kale and red peppers wrapped in fresh prosciutto

Sauteed tilapia with spring greens and asparagus

Photo Credit: Jill Barth

Jimi Brooks

*Jimi Brooks founded Brooks Winery, a well-respected (and, by all accounts, very fun) figurehead of the biodynamic movement in Oregon and a convincing voice for planting Riesling out that way. In 2004, at the age of 38, Jimi Brooks died unexpectedly from an aortic aneurysm. He left behind an 8-year-old son, Pascal.

I didn’t know Jimi, but his legacy is often recalled fondly when wine people get together. What sticks is the support network that nurtured his winery: his friends and neighbors, his sister Janie Brooks Heuck, winemaker Chris Williams.

The “about us” portion of the Brooks website lists the wineries that helped with harvest in 2004, carried on by friendly hands in the days after Jimi Brooks passed away. Pascal Brooks is an adult now, a student at UC Santa Cruz.

Wine Pairing Weekend

This month our Wine Pairing Weekend Group is focused on Willamette Valley Biodynamic wines.

Join our Twitter chat at 10am central on May 5, 2019 — follow #winepw as we discuss the behind-the-scenes of our recipe pairings and wine tasting. You’ll have the full attention of these talented people. And look at all the cool wineries featured!

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David of Cooking Chat has prepared “Salmon, Farro and Mushrooms with Winderlea Pinot Noir”

Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camila is celebrating with “Simple Pleasures, A Birthday Cheeseboard, & Keeler Estate Vineyards’ 2017 Terracotta Amphorae Riesling”

Here on L’Occasion we’ve got “‘Peace, Bread, Land and Wine’: A Meal With Brooks Winery”

Jennifer of Vino Travels will share “Biodynamic Wines of the Willamette Valley with King Estate”

Lori of Dracaena Wines will present “Continuing the Biodynamic Legacy #WinePW“

Jane from Always Ravenous pairs “Wild Alaskan Salmon with Herbed Ricotta and Oregon Pinot Noir”

Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairings combines “Biodynamic Grüner Veltliner and Pinot Noir from Johan Vineyards Plus Surf ‘n’ Turf Dinner”

Linda of My Full Wine Glass shares “Ode to Oregon: Johan’s Biodynamic Expression of Place (#WinePW)”

Gwendolyn Alley from Wine Predator will present “Our land is our life and our life is our wine” — Cooper Mountain Pinot Paired with Duck #WinePW

Deana from Asian Test Kitchen has whipped up “Oregon Orange Wine Sparkles with Indian Curry”

Wendy Klik A Day in the Life on the Farm discovers “Dammit!! These are some great wines from Willamette.

Lauren Walsh of The Swirling Dervish will tempt us with “Pork Loin, Mushrooms, and Fiddlehead Ferns Meet Biodynamic Pinot Noir from Bergström Wines (#WinePW)”

Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog brings us “A Taste of Cooper Mountain Vineyards at the Table #WinePW“

Jeff of Food Wine Click is pairing “Biodynamic Willamette Valley with Brick House and Harissa Chicken”

Our host, Jade of Tasting Pour, will share “Thai Green Curry Rockfish and Montinore Estate Gewurztraminer #WinePW”

Please note that many of the wines featured here are samples, provided by the wineries. On L’Occasion, all opinions are independent and we are never paid to write about a wine.