Happy Birthday Andrew - my baby is 19 today OMG.
We arrived to Oregon's Willamette Valley (rhymes with Dammit) wine country on a beautiful day looking forward to experiencing Pinot land. We stayed in the Willamette Wine Country RV resort which had nice big pull-thru sites. It was situated adjacent to a piece of farmland which turned into doggie heaven. All of the permanent residents would go out to play fetch at the same time so Zoe and Calcite made a bunch of new friends Oliver the Mastiff, Bizzie, Buddy, and Sadie all lab mixes. We have found that we encounter so many different people along our journey, but we don't know their names so Peg and I always come up with our own fun nicknames...
Hitch Guys - taught us to back up an inch to release pressure before pulling release lever (life-saver)
Mr Trade In - his RV broke down on the road so he traded it on a brand new Fleetwood on the road
No Help Men - who tried and failed to help me back in to a tight spot in Newport
Ladies Man - who made us turn off our tv at 10:05
Grocery Girls - where we shopped every day in Graeagle (see you tomorrow)
I'm not a retired science teacher - when Peg was discussing gas mileage
Ferret Man - guy who was travelling with two ferrets and was very distressed that the showers were closed
The Creeper - had a pit bull tied up outstide his trailer and a scowl at all times
Pink girl who turned into guns and ammo - her license plate said "got ammo" and her husband's said "got guns" - nice
Oliver's mom - a permanent resident who disappeared in the night - weird
I had no idea how beautiful the Oregon wine country is; rolling hills of vineyards in every direction reminded us of Italy on several occasions. We started at the Domaine Serene vineyard which was a vendor for Serendipity (my old employer). It was up on a hill in the middle of the vineyard with a view of the whole valley. We came in the middle of harvest which was really fun. We were able to taste chardonnay grapes right off the vine and watch them pressing, and processing. Tara at Domaine Serene gave us the professional courtesy of a free tasting which was really nice. The wines of course were fabulous. Tara also gave us recommendations for several other wineries to visit which was great because there are over 400 to choose from - who could decide! Our next stop was Stoller vineyards which Peg wanted to see because the tasting room was built from re-milled douglas fir beams from an old barn. It was fabulous (the word of the day). The tasting room had a great view of Mt Hood too. These wines were also delicious and we tasted Riesling grapes on the vine. We then headed to Bella Vida winery which was perched at the top of a crazy gravel road, but the view was worth it. That was enough tasting for one day. Luckily that was the only sunny day we had so glad to have been able to take advantage of the views.
On the last day we went to Seufert winery in the town of Dayton with a free tasting card I received in the office with the promise to report back. When we drove up it appeared to be a dilapidated building with dark red drapes in the windows across from city hall in the barrio. Peg said "I don't think so". But I had promised to report back so we drove around the block parked and held our breath as we went in. It was the barrel room of a working winery and was amazing. We met the owner/winemaker, his wife and new baby Sophia (adorable), watched them process grapes and he taught us how he simulates the ice for ice wine. So fun. We tasted at least 12 wines, mostly Pinot Noir's and received a lesson on soil and the geology for the entire region. We also tasted Pinot Gris grapes on the vine - which were purple who knew. Needless to say, the best stop ever! We even got a promise for travel help in New York when we get there. We would have joined their wine club if we had an address!
Coming soon... Mt St Helens, Issaquah and then who knows!
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