If you’re looking to sip your way into the summer with some sensational wines, it helpful to live in one of the world’s premiere wine destinations. But there’s also some fantastic juice being produced up in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and you can get it down here at a phenomenal price.

One of my personal favorites is a delicious Pinot with an unusual name: Haden Fig. Produced by a small family up in Oregon using organic, biodynamic and sustainably farmed grapes, this vineyard is epitomized by their slogan: “If you start with great fruit, you end with amazing wine.”

Best of all, you can get a number of their tasty, well-balanced Pinot Noirs for less than $20 a bottle. I’m a big fan of their no. 52 Willamette Valley, big on flavor with the tart cherry characteristics common to this varietal. It also has an unexpected spiciness in the finish that the vintner describes as ‘Asian’ in origin. You can find it locally at many of the fantastic wine shops that populate our eclectic hometown, but it’s also easy to order some off of their website and you’ll receive it in time for your Memorial Day celebration.

Another fine way to enjoy the juice is by pairing it with some of your favorite dishes. I recently sat down to an amazing meal at Blue Plate (3218 Mission Street) that was accompanied by an incredible glass of Haden Fig’s popular 2010 Pinot. The robust fruit tones work well with gamier meat flavors, such as Blue Plate’s exquisitely supple, housemade lamb ravioli. More on that pairing to follow, but reading about it might make you thirsty. So–fair warning–it’s probably best to get your hands on a bottle of this wondrous wine before you read anymore about it’s supreme delectability.

• Tag: Blue Plate, Oregon, pairing, Pinot Noir, red wine, sipping, summer, tasting, value, Willamette Valley, wine