Market of Choice Expands Private Release Wine Collection with Willamette Valley AVA-Focused Line

EUGENE, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 20, 2024--

Independent, family-owned grocer Market of Choice is expanding its selection of exclusive private release wines with Place, a love letter to Oregon’s AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). The new line rolls out in stores this summer, joining the retailer’s CommUnity Cellars, Intersect, and Bubbles Project private release brands on store shelves.

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As its name reflects, Place wines are a tribute to the distinct terroir of Oregon’s wine growing regions. In partnership with NW Wine Company, Market of Choice’s first limited edition release is a 2022 pinot noir from the Dundee Hills AVA in the Willamette Valley, known for its mineral-rich red volcanic soil. The debut Place Pinot Noir is smooth and elegant with notes of dark cherry, plum, raspberry, wet stone, and hints of baking spices with a long finish. Retailing for $29.99, two additional varietals from Dundee Hills are scheduled for release in the coming months.

“We curate an exceptional assortment of wines from around the world, although we’re known for our focus on Oregon producers, and this expertise extends to our private release collection,” says Steve Johnson, Market of Choice beverage sales manager. “The new Place Pinot Noir is a celebration of Oregon’s wine industry and it made sense to start with the Dundee Hills, recognized globally as a leading region for pinot noir.”

“We have always believed in making wines that reflect the soil in which they’re rooted,” says Laurent Montalieu, founder and CEO of NW Wine Company. “Market of Choice shares this philosophy and partnered with us to create Place Pinot Noir, capturing the distinct qualities of the Dundee Hills in every sip.”

The Place line joins Market of Choice’s distinguished CommUnity Cellars, Intersect, and Bubbles Project brands on store shelves.

CommUnity Cellars

Building on Market of Choice’s commitment to Oregon and bringing communities together, its CommUnity Cellars brand celebrates the makers and those who gather to enjoy their creations. Currently, the CommUnity Cellars wines available in stores come from Grochau Cellars, where grapes are hand-harvested from organic and sustainably farmed vineyards in the Willamette Valley and Columbia Gorge before undergoing a slow, natural fermentation process.

CommUnity Cellars offers a refined yet accessible experience for Oregon wine enthusiasts with prices in the range of $18 to $26 per bottle. The line includes CommUnity Cellars Pinot Noir which is balanced and complex with cherry, raspberry, savory earth and spice notes, and a long and smooth finish. CommUnity Cellars Pinot Gris is a classic Oregon pinot gris that is complex and balanced with ripe fruit notes of melon, mango, apple, and a hint of baking spices. CommUnity Cellars Rosé is a fruit-driven rosé with strawberry, cherry, watermelon, and raspberry notes, balanced by crisp acidity.

Intersect

Intersect wines represent where Northwest crossroads meet along intersections of freeways, rivers, and mountains–adding to the Market of Choice collection with classic varietals, including cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, and other varietals from the lush vineyards of Oregon and Washington. These wines are crafted for everyday enjoyment and are offered at an exceptional price (usually in the teens) without compromising on quality.

Bubbles Project

Through the Bubbles Project, Market of Choice offers sparkling wines sourced from the best regions around the world, such as an Asolo Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G. produced in Volpago del Montello, Italy. Bubble Project Prosecco is rich, layered, full-bodied, and dry with cooked mango, apple, pear, bread dough, and floral notes.

Bubbles Project Champagne is crafted by R. Dumont & Fils in Champignol-lez-Mondeville, a village in the southern region of the Aube in France. This brut Champagne is a crisp and expressive blend of pinot noir and chardonnay, with notes of tart lemon, lime and pink peppercorns, and a chalky minerality that pairs well with a range of foods. And Bubbles Project Cava Rosé is made with trepat grapes in the Penedes region of Spain. This effervescent cava rosé is fresh and aromatic with fruity notes of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry, and can be an aperitif or paired with lighter fare.

Whether from the hills of Dundee or Penades, every private release wine at Market of Choice offers exceptional quality at a reasonable price. Each must meet its standard as a fine representation of the varietal character, the source of the grape, and the regional style.

Additional private releases will be announced soon.

About Market of Choice

Founded in 1979, Market of Choice is Oregon’s largest family-owned, independent grocer with 11 stores located throughout the state. Driven by the joy of and an admiration for Oregon food and its makers, Market of Choice has grown into a thriving grocery retailer with nearly 1,400 dedicated employees. With stores in Ashland, Bend, Corvallis, Eugene, Medford, and the Portland-metro area, Market of Choice has developed deep, meaningful relationships with farmers, ranchers, fisherfolk, and food and beverage producers across Oregon and is committed to fostering a vibrant local food economy. For more information, visit www.marketofchoice.com. Stay connected with Market of Choice on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Market of Choice expands private release wine collection with Place, a love letter to this Oregon AVA-focused line. (Photo: Business Wire)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — People began betting Thursday on which political party would win control of Congress in the November elections after a judge's ruling allowing the wagers — the only ones to be legally approved by a U.S. jurisdiction.

New York startup company Kalshi began taking what amounts to bets on the outcome of the November congressional elections after a judge refused to block them from doing so.

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb in Washington enabled the company, at least temporarily, to offer prediction contracts across the country— essentially yes-or-no bets — on which party will win control of the Senate and the House in November.

“The Kalshi community just made history, and I know we are only getting started,” said Tarek Mansour, a co-founder of the company. “Now is finally the time to allow these markets to show the world just how powerful they are at providing signal amidst the noise, and giving us more truth about what the future holds.”

But the activity could prove short-lived. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, an independent federal body which last year prohibited the company from offering such bets, said it would appeal the ruling as quickly as possible, citing the possibility of people trying to manipulate the election for financial purposes.

Kalshi did not say whether it intends to offer bets beyond the ones posted Thursday for congressional races, including potentially taking bets on the presidential race.

It also was not immediately clear whether sports books or online casinos would seek to offer similar political bets in light of the ruling.

Prices on Kalshi's so-called predictive contracts varied throughout the early afternoon. As of mid-afternoon, a bet on the Republicans to win control of the Senate was priced at 76 cents; a $100 bet would pay $129. A bet on the Democrats to win control of the House was priced at 63 cents, with a $100 bet paying out $154.

It was not clear how long such betting might last; the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which last year prohibited the company from offering them, said it would appeal the ruling as quickly as possible.

Better Markets, a nonprofit organization that says it advocates for the public interest in financial markets, called the development “a dangerous move that opens the floodgates to unprecedented gambling on U.S. elections, eroding public trust in both markets and democracy.”

Contrasting his client with foreign companies who take bets from American customers on U.S. elections without U.S. government approval, Roth said Kalshi is trying to do things the right way, under government regulation.

“It invested significantly in these markets,” he said during Thursday's hearing. “They spent millions of dollars. It would be perverse if all that investment went up in smoke.”

But Raagnee Beri, an attorney for the commission, said allowing such bets could invite malicious activities designed to influence the outcome of elections and undermine already fragile public confidence in the voting process.

“These contracts would give market participants a $100 million incentive to influence the market on the election,” she said. “There is a very severe public interest threat.”

She used the analogy of someone who has taken an investment position in corn commodities.

“Somebody puts out misinformation about a drought, that a drought is coming,” she said. “That could move the market on the price of corn. The same thing could happen here. The commission is not required to suffer the flood before building a dam."

Thursday's ruling will not be the last word on the case. The commission said it will appeal on an emergency basis to a Washington D.C. circuit court, and asked the judge to stay her ruling for 24 hours. But the judge declined, leaving no prohibition in place on the company offering election bets, at least in the very near term.

The company already offers yes-no positions on political topics including whether a government shutdown will happen this year, whether a new Supreme Court justice will be confirmed this year, and whether President Joe Biden's approval rating will be above or below a certain level by the end of the year.

The Kalshi bets are technically not the first to be offered legally on U.S. elections. West Virginia permitted such bets for one hour in April 2020 before reversing itself and canceling those betting markets, deciding it had not done the proper research beforehand.

Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris participate during an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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This combination of photos shows Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)