Where Should We Go?!
Take a deep breath and sit and relax. The lights are down, the decorations are put away (except for my neighbors), relatives are back in their homes and the kids are back in school. Life feels like its getting back to normal. Well, for a moment. Now the wifey brings up the question, “Where should we go?” What a loaded question. I don’t think you should follow it up with, “Oh, honey, glad you asked. I’ve been wanting to take you on a romantic getaway to TPC Sawgrass and play a few rounds.” I think she was asking to maybe do something different. A wine weekend, perhaps? Over the next few issues, I’ll be giving recommendations on what regions to hit and what wineries have great wines and friendly tasting rooms.
Being in the wine business, I get plenty of perks. I get to taste great wines almost everyday, as well as travel and visit wineries that produce all these fun bottles of adult grape juice. But going to a wine region takes some planning and research. The first time we went to Napa, I booked four wineries for the day and then realized that the wineries were 50 miles apart and had to cancel a couple. Hey, I was a Napa newbie and didn’t listen to my wife and look at a region map first. But enough about Napa! (That will come another time). Instead, we’re going to talk about the Pacific Northwest. The Williamette Valley. Home of Pinot Noir country and an absolute blast to visit. The Valley is long, about 150 miles, but most wineries are reasonably close to each other. It’s surrounded by the Cascades, Oregon Coast Range and the Calapooya Mountain ranges. Flying into Portland will get you to the main hub of the Valley in about an hour and then the fun begins. The 2016 Wine Enthusiast wine region of the year, it has plenty to offer with great wines, food and hotels. Here are a few must go-to’s while in the Valley.
Argyle- Founded in 1987 with the belief that this cool climate area could make and compete with some of the best sparkling wines in the world. Not only do they win blind sparkling competitions against the finest champagnes of France, they make award winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. The tasting room (pictured) has a lot of history as well as an alleged little ghost that roams one of the buildings on the property. Just ask them about it when you get there! It’s a family friendly winery, as well, with things to do for the kids outside. Maybe shouldn’t bring up the ghost to the kiddos. For sparkling fans, this IS A MUST go-to.
Dobbes Family Estate – Dobbes is dedicated to making the finest wines true to the variety. They were so nice and accommodating with our group. We grabbed some sandwiches, sat outside and ran through the wines under the trees while listening to music and getting one of the best wines I had that weekend: their Grenache Blanc. Fantastic! Toni, who I recommend to ask for, was amazing and made the experience unforgettable.
Below are some recommendations. Go explore! There are so many great regions to taste wine, eat great food, and find your own little gems. Until next time, drink what you like and like what you drink!
Wineries to Visit while visiting the Williamette Valley: Argyle (Bubble bubble bubbles!); Dobbes Family Estate (Grenache Blanc is amazing); King Estate (Best Gris in the Valley); Archery Summit (Cave tasting if you have time); Domaine Serene (World class wines);Lange
