The Quon's Perform

It was a quiet night at Cork Cellars, Sat. Oct. 25th, until The Quon's (Mark and Linda) set up and started playing. To a small intimate crowd, the Quon's bedazzled us with a huge array of cover music...Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Jonnie Cash, James Taylor, and more! Then, they broke out into some original tunes - a series called the "Oregon Trail" - inspired by those who trekked across our great land.

If I'm not mistaken, this was the first time The Quon's played in Sisters - though they've been customers of the shop many times. They mostly play in Bend, and I can see why they are in hot demand. I was more enthralled by the quality of their music, so I forgot to take pictures. But, you can check out some of their tunes and their bio on myspace.

If you missed this event, don't fret. Everyone at the shop requested they be asked to return, and I agree! Check out our events calendar to see all of our upcoming events. Our music events are really spectacular - quiet, intimate, great wine, casual atmosphere. I highly recommend coming to our next event - Willie Carmichael on Nov. 1st.

Another Great Music Event at the Cork

With the music series underway, it's no question that good music is going to plague the town of Sisters for the next month! Sat., Oct. 18th we had Elise and Warren from SMUDGE play at the shop. The time flew by as we listened to the sound of Elise's rich, deep voice carry through the air. It felt more like the big city, New York or San Francisco, rather than Sisters.

It was also a special night for me, I had two special guests in the house that made it a night to remember! My dad, who lives in Michigan, was visiting. Many of you have met him (Frank), he's been instrumental in getting the wine shop together - helping at both the initial move and the remodel. Each time he visits he keeps himself busy with my list of "To-Do's" around the shop. It is truly special to have him visit on an evening like this to see the business thrive and enjoy the good food and wine.

We also had my good friends Jessica and Jodell stop in the shop for some delicious wine and tasty desserts! The sisters have been good friends of mine since we moved to town 5 years ago, helping me to build the friend base that I have today. Jodell manages the Bend downtown store, Urban Minx. Have you been there? It's got the hottest new clothes and styles. And Jessica works in the non-profit industry with kids. Both Jessica and Jodell have supported Cork Cellars since its' inception over 3 years ago, both have been wine of the month club members when it was still in it's infancy stages, helping design the concept and get it off the ground. Often times you can visit Urban Minx on a first Friday and enjoy wine supplied by Cork Cellars!

We do hope you can find time in the upcoming months to visit the shop on a music evening. All of our events are intended to be casual and easy going. Stop in with friends, or meet new ones! All of our upcoming tasting events and music events are posted on our website and updated weekly. We look forward to seeing you! Cheers.

A Birthday Celebration at Cork Cellars

It's just too much fun when one of our favorite local customers has a birthday! The regular crowd showed up on a Friday night to help celebrate one more year of life of our good friend, Jeff.

Wine and food were consumed, and good times were had by all. Here, the birthday boy is on the right, hanging out with myself (in orange), his wife (Ellina), and our good friend Earl.

Of course, like all good relationships, Jeff and Ellina came into our lives via a passion for wine. Quickly realizing we had more than wine in common, a deeper friendship ensued, and not only are Jeff and Ellina staples of the wine shop, they are great friends. More than once Jeff (and Ellina) has been out to the wine shop to help with maintenance...hanging posters & coat hooks, helping with the remodel, fixing the hot water tank, you name it, he's helped with it! So, a birthday couldn't go by without balloons and a birthday cake. And...I won't tell you how many candles are on that cake...and that we almost had a fire alarm go off after the candles got put out!

All in all it was a great celebration, and the wine shop is proud to be such a great gathering place in our community.

Friday nights at the wine bar are great nights to stop in and meet the locals. There's always a great crowd of fun-loving, wine-drinking folks who share good laughs and love to meet new people. If it's your birthday or not, come on in and say hi! We look forward to serving you. Cheers.

Little Fish Performs at Cork Cellars

The first live music in our event series happened last Sat. night and it was a huge success! Deb and Bo Yager of Little Fish performed 7-9pm with all sorts of original tunes that kept you smiling and having a good time. Cork Cellars was cozy, and filled with music loving folks out to hear the duo.

Deb and Bo Yager, a smaller version of their band Little Fish (2 folks instead of 4), are from Austin, Texas and moved to Bend about 3 years ago. I happened to meet them through business connections, and we quickly realized we had lots in common...including a passion for wine and good music! Our friendship deepened, and it really was with great honor that they agreed to play at Cork Cellars. If I could have them play every weekend, I would! Deb and Bo did not take a break in the two hours they played, keeping the crowd engaged and having a good time. They played lots of great tunes, including a couple of my favorites "Cats & Dogs" and "I'm not the Outdoor Type". And, Bo played a couple of solo tunes from his new album.

If you missed the event with Little Fish - mark your calendars! They are coming back Nov. 15th from 7-9pm. But, don't miss out this week, we've got Elise and Warren from SMUDGE here to rattle you with blues & jazz. This fantastic duo from Bend is hot right now, come check it out!

An Apology for UpKeep

This is a quick blog, almost 1 year since my last...and it's an apology! So many cool wine events, dinners, tastings, etc. have happened since the wine dinner of Nov. 2007 (the last blog) and I haven't written a word or posted pictures of any of them. My apologies. This page is intended to provide you with an insight of our on-goings at Cork Cellars, and my goal is to spend more time getting that information out to you.

I have my camera in hand ready for the perfect shot. Come get your photo taken at the next tasting, which is Oct. 9th from 5-8pm. Our theme is Best Value Petit Sirah - this varietal is huge and juicy, just perfect for our Central Oregon cool fall nights. And you don't have to spend a fortune - all of the wines are priced right! This will be a $6 tasting fee - and no reservations needed. See you soon.