When times get tough, the Oregon wine industry rolls up its collective sleeves and gets to work. Whether it is coronavirus relief or fighting for social justice, Oregon wineries will find a way to help their communities.

The following wines are just three examples of Oregon wineries making a difference. The wines are excellent, and so are the causes they support. If you are looking to sip with a purpose this summer, track these bottles down before they disappear.

2015 Ensemble Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Ensemble is a wine offering from Mélissa Rondeau and Greg McClellan of Suzor Wines in Dayton. Its sales have already raised thousands of dollars for Family Meal, a Portland-based nonprofit providing foodservice and agricultural workers with COVID-19 relief grants. At Family Meal’s request, Rondeau and McClellan will now donate $10 for each bottle of Ensemble sold between June 26 and July 10 to the Black Food Sovereignty Coalition.

The pinot noir grapes used to make the Ensemble hail from a pair of sustainably farmed vineyards free of synthetic herbicides or pesticides. They helped create a graceful pinot noir with a translucent garnet hue and aromas of Bing cherries, bittersweet dark chocolate, thyme and a wisp of pipe tobacco. Each sip brings more bright red cherries to go along with flavors like orange peel, mocha and cedar. The Ensemble is in a great place right now: consider buying lots of bottles.

The Ensemble Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is available at select stores in the Portland area or by direct purchase from Suzor Wines. Contact-free pick-up or delivery can be arranged with the winery.

Price: $25.

Suzor Wines, 11400 S.E. Westland Lane, Dayton, suzorwines.com or (503) 593-4999.

2015 “Team Building Exercise” Mae’s Vineyard Syrah

This brilliant syrah is a joint venture between Portland-based winemakers Jesse Skiles of Fausse Piste, Thomas Monroe of Division Winemaking Co., and Barnaby Tuttle of Teutonic Wine Co.

100% of the revenue from the wine’s sale will be donated to the Jon R. Tuttle Journalism and Production Diversity Internship at Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Jon Tuttle spent more than two decades reporting the news for KGW-TV and producing award-winning documentaries for OPB. Tuttle died in 1991, and a few years later OPB named this scholarship in his honor. Tuttle is the father of winemaker Barnaby Tuttle.

The grapes used to make this syrah are from the Applegate Valley in southern Oregon. The fruit was split equally, with each winemaker using their portion to produce a syrah representative of his “house style.” The three parts were then combined to create the “Team Building Exercise” Syrah.

Talk about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Blackberry fruit fills the air with every swirl of the glass, along with a meaty/smoky scent reminiscent of dripping pork fat exploding on campfire coals. Cassis and white pepper flavors slip and slide all over the palate. If you are a fan of syrah from France’s northern Rhône wine region, you will not be disappointed with this American cousin.

The “Team Building Exercise” Syrah is available for purchase and contact-free pick-up at Danyelle and Will Prouty’s Division Wines retail store in SE Portland.

Price: $30.

Division Wines, 3564 S.E. Division St., Portland, divisionwines.com or (503) 234-7281.

2017 Noel Family Vineyard Pinot Noir

Michael and Lisa Noel’s two-acres of organically farmed pinot noir vines are located in the Chehalem Mountains near Newberg. The Noels are donating 100% of their 2017 estate pinot noir sales to The Red Door Project in Portland.

Inspired by the work of playwright August Wilson, The Red Door Project’s goal, according to their mission statement, is to “change racial ecology through the arts.” Their latest project, “Evolve,” seeks to bridge the divide between the police and communities of color.

This is a stunning wine worthy of the cause it fights for. From its pale ruby color to its long raspberry-laden finish, it does nothing but provide pure pinot pleasure. Scents of cherries and violets fill the nose, allowing a little room for bursts of fresh-turned earth and leather. The wine’s spicy red berry flavors play nicely with notes of orange pekoe tea and dark chocolate. Silky tannins and zippy acidity make this a wine you can sip all evening long.

The 2017 Noel Family Vineyard Pinot Noir is available through the winery. Free delivery from Salem to Portland is one of several delivery options available. Please contact the winery for more information.

Price: $20.

Noel Family Vineyard, noelfamilyvineyard.com or 503- 957-5468.

-- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.

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