Transitions—Fall and Winter Wines

Fall arrived in the Black Hills yesterday.  It came in the form of rain, so we are desperately trying not to complain; we know how easily this could be snow—think Atlas, the blizzard that dumped literally feet of snow on us exactly three years ago today. 

The bright yellows, oranges, and reds on the trees make this a spectacular time of year.  Yet this morning was downright chilly, so chilly I could see my breath.  Last night it was already dark at 7:00 p.m., all trade-offs to the beauty that is fall. 

It is time to put away the dreams of summer and open the thoughts of winter.  Time to realize that the warm days will become fewer and farther between.  Time to grasp the fact that snow is on its way…much too soon for some of us.

However, the benefits of cooler temperatures can be seen, especially in the changing seasons of wine.  I have finally come to terms with the fact that winter is coming.  I have even embraced this idea.  Proof?  The wines I have chosen to pull from my cellar this week.  Here’s to fall sipping that soon will turn to winter gulps.  Enjoy these amazing wines to usher in the next season of the year!

King Estate 2008 Blanc de Gris—

            Twenty-six months on the lees before disgorgement, then six years in the bottle, make this the perfect sparkling wine for the cooler weather of fall.  Though this is made in the traditional method with a wonderful acidic backbone, the time in bottle has allowed the Pinot Gris to become fuller and rounder.  Pear and pineapple on the nose and palate add to the gorgeous golden hue.  This bottle matches the season and the delightful fall colors outside.

Two Shepherds 2013 Grenache Blanc—

            William Allen’s Grenache Blanc from the Saarloos Vineyard is an impeccable autumn white.  It is aged on the lees and in neutral oak, making for a creamy texture that pairs perfectly with cooler temperatures.  The acid is just right to add a snap to the flavor, creating an incredibly well-balanced wine with complex flavors from tart-citrus to ripe-golden fruits.  William has a wine for every season, and the 2013 Grenache Blanc is the one for this fall.

J Cage 2014 Pinot Noir—

            From the Nunes Vineyard in Sonoma County, this is a great sipper for the fall.  It is a slightly richer style of pinot, with just-ripened berries showing through on the palate.  There is a great zing in the flavor, adding the exact touch to balance the ripeness.  Forest floor and spice give just the right amount of autumn to this beautifully-colored, deep-garnet wine.  The Beery family has taken their wine-stained dream to another level.  Enjoy this wine this year or wait several years to come.  

Final Thoughts—Willamette Valley

            Spring has finally arrived in the Black Hills.  The snow showers have turned to rain.  Green grasses are sprouting on the hillsides.  The sun is rising earlier and setting later.  The most beautiful season in the place I call home is here to stay…at least until fall.

            This arrival has me thinking less about my earlier travels to other picturesque spots and more about the short trips I get to make around the gorgeous area where I live.  However, a few final thoughts of Oregon keep swirling in my mind.  The newly-green slopes here have me reminiscing one last time about the Willamette Valley—some pretty great memories to have!

            Penner-Ash recently made the news after it sold to wine giant Jackson Family Wines.  (Though this isn’t a blog about Jackson Family, I will say that company has great taste!  It keeps snatching up some of my favorite producers.)  However, Penner-Ash had already made the headlines with me as a winery I could not wait to visit.  The trip there proved to be as good—maybe even better—than I expected.

            Wonderful wines, fabulous vistas, and friendly staff members all helped to make this worthy of memories.  The view of the gravity flow facility from the tasting deck is incredibly interesting.  The outdoor area is so inviting.  Additionally, the view is so breathtakingly amazing, there is nothing better than sitting with a glass outdoors…which is exactly what we did.

 

 

            Another northern Willamette Valley producer still bringing a smile to my face is Domaine Drouhin of Oregon—fondly called DDO by the locals.  Also with panoramas that delight the eye, DDO is unique in many ways.  First, the Drouhin Family—long-time producers in the Burgundy region of France—sought out Oregon as the next great place to grow pinot noir.

            They have not been disappointed by the region, nor has the region been disappointed by this stellar producer.  The tour here is incredibly informative, taking in both the outside grounds of nearby vineyards and all levels of the gravity-flow facility.  Options to taste include the Willamette Valley wines, but opportunities are also given to sip some Burgundian wines the Drouhins produce.  A great way to compare the concept of terroir in wine.

 

 

            Moving further south in the Willamette Valley, King Estate Winery has become one of the best known Oregon producers, based first off the amount of wine produced there.  But please don’t think that a large quantity of wine means poor quality.  This is just untrue.  King Estate makes great wines at great prices…and then does other top-shelf and single-vineyard options incredibly well, too.

            These wines all start in the organic vineyards, the largest in the United States and one of the largest in the world.  The drive up to the stately tasting room steers patrons through charming vineyards, made even more so when the sheep are seen grazing.  A bit of advice is to go hungry.  After sipping these wines, experience the tasty bites at the King Estate restaurant, so delicious all around.

 

 

            All trips must come to an end—as does my writing about these trips.  This one is no exception.  But like all good travels, I will end on a high note, like the fun had at Sweet Cheeks Winery.  Though it becomes repetitive to say the view was beautiful, I repeat it because it’s true—there really are few bad sights in the Willamette.  Sweet Cheeks sits on a hillside and has a large, charming patio overlooking the valley floor.  Often offering live entertainment on evenings and weekends, this is an enjoyable place to hang out. 

            Many still wine options are available, but a wine must be chosen to pair with this festive setting, so order a bottle of the sparkling, get multiple glasses, and enjoy time with friends.  This is the spot screaming for joyous smiles and raucous laughter.  It is what wine is all about:  bringing people together to enjoy moments and memories.  Sweet Cheeks is the perfect place.

 

 

            Though this is my final “official” writing about the beautiful Willamette Valley, my recollections of this fabulous trip have gotten me through two months of Mother Nature evilly teasing me with the thought of spring…only to have her rip those warm thoughts away to be replaced by snow. 

            But spring is finally here—to stay—in my beautiful Black Hills home.  Thank you Oregon, thank you Willamette Valley, for helping me get here, for being my much-too-short substitute for spring.  I can’t wait to return.  However, for now, I can enjoy my own backyard. 

Connection--Firesteed Cellars

          In 1998, Shellie and Bryan Croft were driving along a vineyard road in the Willamette Valley.  The Crofts were viewing possible vineyard sites while working for other employers.  At one point, Shellie vividly remembers turning her head to look over her shoulder.  She viewed an aging farmhouse in the distance.  At that moment, a shock of electricity went up her spine.  She had a moment of clarity viewing that home.

            She then turned back to the conversation in progress, the tingle up her spine dissipating as quickly as it started.

            Some part of Shellie must have known that years later, she would be living in that home.  She and her husband would be raising their children in the middle of those vines, calling that vineyard their farm as they tended to the fruit that would be Firesteed Cellars' wines.

Most winemakers feel a connection to their wines--a deep, profound link to the grapes, to the land.  Bryan and Shellie Croft of Firesteed Cellars have this connection; it comes from living on the land, raising their children in the middle of the vineyards, and watching the vines grow every day of every year.  However, Shellie sensed this connection so many years before.

Shellie got her start in wine during college in Chico, California, where she worked in the service industry to make money for school.  One weekend she found herself in Napa working a golf tournament.  By 1990, she was working there full time as a tasting room staff member for Silverado Vineyards.  At the same time, Bryan was a UC Davis grad who was also working at Silverado Vineyards.  The two met, fell in love, and got married in 1998, the same fateful year of seeing their future home.

They eventually moved north to Oregon and were working at a custom crush facility owned by Wayne and Mickey Flynn.  Firesteed was one of the custom crush accounts.  In 2000, Howard Rossbach bought the facility from the Flynns and turned the entire production area to Firesteed Cellars, with no more custom crush clients.  Rossbach retained Bryan as his winemaker and Shellie as the cellar rat, making this upcoming fall Bryan’s twentieth harvest in the wine business.

Firesteed makes nearly 85,000 cases of wine near Rickreal in the central Willamette Valley, every year using less and less outside-sourced fruit and getting closer and closer to being only an estate-grown producer.  Of course, Rossbach and the Crofts specialize in the Valley’s best growers:  pinot noir, pinot gris, riesling, and gewürztraminer. 

Shellie starts our tour in the lab to help us get to know these Firesteed favorites; she considers this area her domain.  We then follow her to the vineyards, literally just days away from bud break at the time of our visit. Though she considers this Bryan’s area of expertise, he is away that day lecturing at OSU.  I’ve seen the pictures of Shellie’s hard work in the vineyards, right by Bryan’s side, so I know she is very knowledgeable in this realm, as well.

We make our way back to the production area and then barrel room, to the exact spot Shellie suffered quite an injury several years ago when falling off a barrel stack while working.  Though this wound has healed, at the time of our visit she was nursing a cracked heel, another winery injury from this fall’s cellar work.  It is a reminder of the genuine hard labor it takes to make wine; this is not a profession for the weak or faint-of-heart—Shellie and Bryan are neither.

Amidst the barrels, Shellie lets us taste her “Shellie Chard,” the 2015 chardonnay still sitting on its lees.  This barrel is actually for the Citation label also produced by Firesteed; these wines are small-lots using only fruit from the Erratic Oaks vineyard, the spot Shellie and family call home.  The inspiration for Shellie’s chardonnay is a very early wine tasting experience she had in Napa.  She was blind tasting chardonnays, and one--with its light oak and unmistakable fruit--seemed so remarkable to her.  She remembers it as “Wine C,” which turned out to be a Kistler Chardonnay.  It is what set her palate for every chardonnay since.

All the Firesteed wines are excellent examples of their terroir.  I first fell in love with the Firesteed Riesling, made in a wonderfully dry style that still shows the characteristic apple and floral  notes with just a slight hint of petrol—my favorite.  Next, the Firesteed Pinot Gris is a quintessential example of the Oregon style—light with zippy acid and white fruits. 

I had my first taste of the Firesteed Rosé (from pinot noir, of course) after my visit:  a beautiful shade of pink--with hints of strawberry, grass, and honeysuckle--that makes me long for summer and a patio.  Finally, my other long-time favorite is the Firesteed Pinot Noir.  Filled with bright cherry, fresh strawberry, slight mint, and wet earth, it is has become my go-to pinot, an outstanding example of an Oregon noir at an amazing price point. 

The connection Shellie and Bryan have to Firesteed wines can be sensed in every sip.  Shellie knew this connection was meant to be nearly twenty years ago when she spied her current home for the first time, years before Howard Rossbach appointed her husband to be the winemaker at Firesteed. 

Raising their children in the middle of the vineyard at Erratic Oaks gives Bryan and Shellie Croft a deep appreciation for the vines that make Firesteed Cellars' wines.  The terroir is reflected so well in Bryan’s wines because he lives in that spot, in that place where his wines actually begin.  The distance between the land and the glass has never been as short as it is for Firesteed wines.  

Hidden Gems—Willamette Valley Surprises

“Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places! 

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Deciding where to go...it's not as easy as Dr. Seuss makes it sound

 

This is often a problem when traveling…for me anyway.  I’m a Type A personality.  Anal-retentive.  A bit of a freak planner. 

Sometimes too much so.

Planning every second of every trip is something I used to do, and something on which I have had to work as I age.  And I’ve done pretty well, if I do say so myself!

 

I no longer make plan after plan and appointment after appointment.  Mostly because I have had some of my best travel experiences through unplanned stops based on the recommendations of others. 

This is my newest way to travel:  less planning and more spontaneity.

Though it is much harder than it sounds--for me--this plan of action paid off on my recent adventure in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.  I’m calling these unexpected treats off-the-beaten-path, hidden gems.  And they were great surprises!

McMinnville was the first surprise.  Okay, so this isn’t off-the-beaten-path or hidden, but having McMinnville as the home base for the majority of the trip was such a splendid turn of events.  My husband and I stayed just blocks from the adorable downtown area in the cutest historic rental (check vrbo.com for options), making navigating the region quite easy.

Our first treat came in the form of amazing restaurants in the historic city center, most on or near Third Street.  Spanish-inspired dishes awaited us at LaRambla, a quaint, tapas-style establishment.  To say the food was amazing was an understatement.  Our table of four shared lamb nachos, the fondue special, mussels in wine sauce, and fried empanadas, all paired with a great bottle of Domaine Serene Pinot Noir.  Though we were completely stuffed after the meal, we did share a glass of port-style, local wine from the extensive wine list which featured many Oregon options, as well as other wines from around the country and world.

Nick’s Italian Cafe was the next Third Street surprise.  It was another highly recommended spot by the locals, so we knew we couldn’t miss.  More delicious culinary options awaited our small group.  The crab lasagna was absolutely amazing, so amazing that it was featured in Saveur Magazine, along with Nick, owner of the establishment for all 39 years it has been in operation.  Another amazing wine list where we enjoyed a Willamette Valley wine (and Oregon beer) helped make the meal complete.  After, we moved to the back of the restaurant where the locals hangout.  Eventually, my husband started visiting with a friendly patron, who just happened to be a wine maker there for a cocktail.  Then our group was joined by Nick himself, conducting his evening check on his business.  A hidden gem for sure!

Downtown McMinnville was filled with shops and eateries of all kinds, but we found a great jewel in R Stuart & Co for wine.  Honestly, our group of four stopped there because it was open, and we weren’t yet ready for dinner.  However, these breaks often turn into the best experiences, and this was the case here.  We sat at a table looking out on bustling Third Street while we sipped on the three different lines of wines R Stuart produces in McMinnville.  The Love, Oregon brand had beautiful labels on the outside of the bottle with great wines on the inside.  My favorite was the Love, Oregon rosè, perhaps the prettiest bottle of wine I have seen for some time.  However, the R Stuart reserve pinot noirs were simply splendid examples of what the grape can do in the Willamette Valley.

Moving away from the lively town, we headed to more local-favorite wineries.  One such spot was White Rose Estate.  Nestled in the rolling vineyard hills was this picturesque destination.  A small producer of pinot noir, it could be easily missed…but it shouldn’t!  The tasting room was a unique find in, and of, itself.  After stepping inside, I felt I had entered a treehouse, suspended in mid-air.  The steep, enclosed roof added to the ambiance.  There were no windows, but there was also no need. The amazing pinot noirs deserved all the attention here.  Another special aspect was the out-of-house bathroom—no, not an outhouse, just out-of-house.  It added to the whimsical feel of being in another place and time, a place and time with fabulous Willamette Valley wines!

Not necessarily unknown or concealed, Sokol Blosser made my list for a special reason.  Yes, the wines here were amazing; yes, the service was top notch; yes, the surroundings were splendid; and, yes, the establishment was quite historic.  All of these were motives for visiting, but there was another, lesser-known purpose as well:  tasty food enjoyed in the outdoor areas.  Sokol Blosser has an in-house chef who creates great specials.  The customary cheese and charcuterie board pleased with every bite, but the chef’s house-made hummus and pita bread made a lunch with an amazing view.  These specials change daily, so multiple trips would be wise to enjoy all Sokol Blosser has to offer.

 

Further south in the Willamette was another hidden gem—Left Coast Cellars.  One late afternoon, my hubby and I were looking for a quick bite to eat.  Left Coast was another recommendation from natives, the highest honor in my book.  We parked and admired the breathtaking grounds.  Inside, we ordered a house-made sandwich to share as a late lunch.  We noticed a gray-haired gentleman working in the kitchen as we started our tasting.  We sipped on two different sparkling options, moved onto white wines, and ended with several excellent pinot noirs.  Our light fare arrived, and we enjoyed the food with the wines.  Soon, the gray-haired gentleman came out after noticing our Wyoming license plate.  This man working in the kitchen just happened to be a former resident of our neighbor state, Colorado...and the owner of the entire organic Left Coast Cellars property!  We had quite the visit about his background and the farm.  This was the last stop of our week-long stay, and that it was such an exceptional surprise seemed only fitting for our whole trip, a trip where the unplanned destinations seemed meant to be.

“So…

be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray

or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shae,

you’re off to great places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting. 

So…get on your way!”

Dr. Seuss may have said it best about traveling through life—there are so many places to go.  But many of these great places shouldn’t be found by planning every step of the way.  Many of these treasures will only be found by going off the usual path, being spontaneous, and listening to others.

 

Don’t by Type A, don’t be anal-retentive, don’t be…the old me.  Learn to go with the flow and enjoy the twists and turns life throws your way.  The best laid plans can be good now and then, but the hidden gems of travel just might be some of the greatest memories of a destination. 

A Classic--Ponzi Vineyards

As we wound our way up the gentle hillside, the overcast sky was barely letting the sun through.  However, the looming rain clouds provided one of the most beautiful views:  lush, green knolls in every direction we looked.

We passed houses and farmland, and then entered the sloping vineyards just before we glimpsed the gorgeous facility.  Modern, with a rustic feel, the wood and glass seemed to fit into the hill itself, part of the environment as if it had always been there.

But it hadn’t.  This was actually Ponzi Vineyards' new tasting and production facility.  Though these structures were only recently completed, it is the quintessential example of Willamette Valley wine—a family-owned winery that cares about the environment so much that it feels as if it is actually a part of the environment.

Dick and Nancy Ponzi were Willamette Valley winemaking pioneers.  They came to Oregon from California in 1970 looking for the perfect place to grow pinot noir.  Vines were planted and worked by the Ponzis, and as the children grew, they helped their parents work the vineyards.  The first commercial sale of wine was in 1976, and the entire Ponzi family has been involved on some level ever since.

Today, Dick and Nancy’s daughter Luisa is the winemaker, having learned the ropes from her parents and at school in Beaune, France twenty vintages ago. Luisa’s husband, fellow winemaker Eric Hamacher, and their children are active in the business and even live with views of the valley’s vineyards.

Luisa’s sister Anna is the president at Ponzi Vineyards.  She is the marketing force behind making Ponzi’s wonderful wines known around the world.  Anna’s family is also active in the winery life, especially her architect husband Brett, who helped design and build the new tasting room that opened in 2013.

Luisa and Anna’s brother Michael was active in the family business for nearly twenty years before he and his wife branched out to move to Italy and focus on another product:  olive oil.  

However, don’t believe for a minute that Dick and Nancy passed the winery to their children for a relaxed, retired life.  They are still active at the winery and have delved into other business ventures as well, including an early-Oregon craft brewery.  One of their accomplishments has been the Dundee Bistro and Bubble Bar, a restaurant with an outstanding food program featuring locally grown and raised products, known for excellent regional cuisine and an extensive wine list.    

The pioneer story makes this family-owned winery a classic, but so does the winemaking facility.  The winemaking was moved from the original, historic Ponzi vineyard site (which is still a working vineyard and winery) to the new facility—Collina del Sogno—in 2008, where 45,000 cases are made a year.  This is gravity-flow production; the grapes come in at the top level, move to the second level for fermentation, go to the third level for barrel aging, and end at the fourth level for bottling and storage.  Gravity does the work during these processes, meaning that the wine sees less oxygen and softer handling, leading to a high-quality wine. 

The new tasting room was opened in 2013 at the same site as Collina del Sogno.  The wood, concrete, and glass create a welcoming environment for tasting.  The windows let in clear views of the Willamette Valley while customers warm themselves near the indoor fireplace.  The Bocci ball court is just one place to spend time when the Oregon weather is beautiful.  The outdoor patios offer more amazing views of the greenery and vines below.  All of the winery offices are also located here, as well as a small museum area that chronicles the Ponzi Family’s story over the last forty-five years of making wine.    

However, all wine lovers know that the best wines start in the vineyards—Ponzi is no exception.  The vineyards are LIVE certified sustainable, “the world’s highest standard for sustainable viticulture.”  These environmentally-sound strategies can be seen almost everywhere:  from cover crops to compost, from organic pest control to eco-friendly glass.  Yet, the only other resource that is as important to the Ponzis as their grapes is their people, another vital part of a thriving winery.

The beautiful wines of this winery also show Ponzi Vineyards as the classic example of what the Willamette Valley can produce: beautiful pinot noirs and chardonnays. 

The 2014 Chardonnay, aged in stainless steel, is a spectacular example of chardonnay’s tendencies to be a chameleon.  In the steel tank, the light, mineral characteristics show before the fruit, and then the tropical fruit shows through to the finish—a more Chablis-like example.

The 2012 Avellana is the other side of the chardonnay coin.  This wine, twenty-five percent aged in oak for twenty months, is full of butter and pear, richness and cream.  The tropical fruit finish ends the quintessential example of a quality, buttery chardonnay, all without being overdone or overripe.

Pinot noirs are showcased here, too, like the 2013 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, with the archetypal favorites of an Oregon pinot:  bright strawberry, deep cherry, crisp acid, and tasty eucalyptus.  From the bright color in the glass to the long finish, it is a perfect Willamette Valley pinot noir.

The Aurora Vineyard Pinot Noir uses fruit from the most prized vineyard site, situated at slightly higher elevations (300-600 feet) and planted in prestigious laurelwood soil.  This is a deeper, richer, darker wine with great fruit, but the wet earth makes this incredibly complex, while showing the characteristic signs of pinot delicacy.

Lest one think that Ponzi Vineyards is not a diverse producer, think again.  Indigenous Italian varieties are grown by the family, like arneis and dolcetto.  Rosés and sparklings are also made, and, recently, even a lightly-sparkling muscat was produced—a Moscato di Ponzi. 

Though Ponzi does make a select few unique wines from unique grapes, Ponzi Vineyards is the classic example of a Willamette Valley winery.  The Ponzis were early pioneers in the wine industry in the valley.  Still today, they produce excellent examples of the region’s top grapes.  The Oregon philosophy of caring for the environment is first and foremost for this winery, as is caring for the people who work there.  The gravity-flow winery is not specific to Oregon, but has become an Oregon mainstay.  The tasting room is new and modern, yet fits into its surroundings like it has been there for decades. 

Yes, Ponzi Vineyards is truly a classic—the perfect example of what a Willamette Valley winery can…and should…be.

More March Madness--Oregon Wineries

            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.