It’s that
time of year again. The time when people
go a little crazy.
On Sunday, sports fans everywhere
waited with baited breath as they watched ESPN to fuel their craziness. Instantly, they began planning their
brackets, deciding who would win, who would lose, who would be the Cinderella
team, and who would go all the way.
While everyone around me is going
crazy with March Madness and the NCAA tourney that starts later this week, I am
nursing a sickness, too. My illness is just as serious, but comes in a
different form.
Hello, my name is Kara, and I have
spring fever. Bad.
How do I feed my fever? No, I don’t look up win-loss records. I don’t investigate shooting
percentages. Rebound records mean
nothing to me.
My spring fever is only remedied by
travel…wine travel.
This time last year I was busy
researching my upcoming summer stay in Sonoma by choosing the elite eightwineries of northern California that I wanted to visit.
The initial list was incredibly
long, and whittling it down to just eight seemed almost impossible. I made the final cuts after having quite
strict criteria: I would spread my
choices between Napa and Sonoma, visit both historic and newer producers,
choose producers who used diverse grapes, and taste only labels which I never
had.
My list was fantastic, and it led
me on an incredible voyage of tasting. I
still hate to admit I never made it to all eight. Not because I didn’t try…but
just because there were wineries everywhere, and others—many others—were added
to my list.
This year’s spring fever is being cured
with a trip to Oregon, one of my favorite regions that just happens to produce large
quantities of my favorite grape: pinot
noir.
My trip is much shorter, just a
week. The area to cover is large, over
150 miles long and 60 miles wide. My
criteria this year is a little more relaxed:
I am going to visit both north and south Willamette Valley and stop at
early Oregon producers. However, diversity
in grapes is not a concern…bring on the pinot noir! Finally, producers that I have tasted before
are not only allowed, they are encouraged.
Winemakers whose wines I know well are actually top on my list. New wines I have longed to try will be part
of my eight, but that is not a must this time around.
Ponzi Vineyards—Ponzi qualifies as both an historic producer and
one I have been dying to try. Oregon
pioneers Dick and Sandy moved to Oregon in the late 1960s and planted vines in
1970. Wines can be tasted at the new
facility which opened in 2008 or at the historic, original vineyard. No matter, I look forward to stopping at this
elite winery, though I haven’t decided which location I will be visiting just
yet—I want to stop at both!
Domaine Drouhin—“French soul with Oregon soil” was the premise for
the Drouhin family, long-time Burgundy winemakers, to search for the perfect
New World location to make great pinot noir.
Several tasting options are available at the state-of-the-art gravity
flow facility. However, the comparative
tasting between Drouhin wines from both Burgundy and Oregon seems an intriguing
way to get to know this producer.
Penner-Ash—Lynn
Penner-Ash studied at UC Davis and trained in Napa Valley, creating a very prestigious
resume. She then moved with her husband
Ron to become the first female winemaker hired in Oregon. In 1998, Lynn and Ron took the risk to open their
own winery, Penner-Ash. Though the focus
here is on pinot noir, other wines are made from syrah, riesling, and
viognier. There is an absolutely
beautiful view from the winery, but a hike through the vineyards is also a
tasting option I may want to try.
Sokol Blosser—Susan Sokol and Bill Blosser also graduated from a respected
California university—Stanford—and then left the state to start fresh in Oregon
in the 1960s. By 1977, they were making
their own wine from estate vineyards and raising a family on site. Today their wines set the bar high for Oregon
producers. Farming is still in the
Sokol-Blosser blood, shown in their demonstration vineyard for customers to see
firsthand how vines grow each season.
Unique tasting options abound here with a vineyard hike and an ATV tour
in the summer.
Erath—Dick Erath started making wine in his garage in 1965. From there he planted 23 varieties of grapes
in the Dundee Hills. Pinot flourished in
Oregon, as did his eventual winery.
Erath and subsequent winemakers have created the quintessential Oregon
pinot noir: delicate, complex,
fruit-forward, and earthy. Though the
winery is no longer family owned, it is definitely a must-taste experience, and
even though many Erath wines are widely available, I am ecstatic to experience
the winery and the pinot noirs not available to the masses.
Firesteed Cellars—Firesteed is a much smaller and lesser-known winery than
many on my list, but it shouldn’t be.
This is perhaps the one I am most excited about visiting. I have developed quite a fun social-media relationship
with Shellie Croft--wife of winemaker Bryan. For over a year now I have watched the
vineyard and cellar work at Firesteed, as well as gotten familiar with the
Croft family. Their riesling and pinot
noir are available in my tiny state of Wyoming, but I can’t wait to meet the
dedicated producers of these wonderful wines…and make a real-life social media
connection.
King Estate—The southern Willamette Valley also has wineries to
visit, most notably, King Estate. Just
south of Eugene lies one of Oregon’s largest producers, as well as the largest
organic vineyard…not just in the state, but in the world. The on-site restaurant is known for using products
from the surrounding area and organic produce from the estate gardens. Of course, the wine is stellar and worth
drinking in the beautiful tasting room with sweeping views of vines. A reason, in and of itself, to go further south.
Sweet Cheeks Winery—To top off my eight wineries on my Oregon list
is Sweet Cheeks Winery, another southern Willamette destination. After growing grapes for other winemakers for
over three decades, the producers decided to make some of their own wines. Sweet Cheeks is known
for its fantastic staff, beautiful views, and tasty wines. Picnics are encouraged when the weather
permits, and on Friday nights, live music adds to the entertainment provided
here. This also happens to be one of my
Oregon friend's favorites, so I must see what she loves about Sweet Cheeks—other
than the name that just makes me smile.
I have been bitten by the bug. I have spring fever…and it’s a bad case. While others cure what ails them with their
basketball brackets and hours spent contemplating who will be successful in the
NCAA tournament, I spend my time reading travel books and planning winery visits.
To each his—or her—own, but travel
is the one remedy for me, and this year, Oregon is the prescription. I’ll take one trip and call the doctor in the
morning.
