Sipping Around in Willamette Valley

In the afternoon, we took a trip out to the Willamette Valley. It is Oregon's leading wine region has two-thirds of the state's wineries and vineyards and is home to more than 200 wineries. Their specialty is Pinot Noir. The area is huge, full of rolling hills, ranches, farms, etc. I read quite a few articles on the Oregon wine trail in the past. Since I am so close by, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a quick look. This would not be a full blown wine tasting trip since we only had one afternoon. Most wineries will be closed by 5pm. We arrived in the early afternoon, hungered for food. I needed to eat before consuming much alcohol. Most people know by now that my maximum limit is 2 glasses “with food”!!! After that, I am not responsible for not being sociable. We had a bite to eat at the Dundee Bistro in Dundee. Tom had fish and chips. I had the Tandoori chicken, north-westernized! Both are delicious.

I did a quick search earlier in the day to find a few wineries to stop in, as there is no way I can do the 200+ places. By the time we arrived, I know we could only fit in two. I picked a popular one, and one that is opened to the public only 2 times a year, during Memorial Day weekend and the Thanksgivings weekend. Our first stop is at the Argyle Winery. It is one of the most well-respected wineries in Oregon, located in an old restored home in Dundee, actually just across the street from the Dundee Bistro. They had a special going on for the holiday weekend. In their warehouse, they had a live band playing. The fee of $15 offered us a taste of 6 wines and cheese platter, even including non-alcohol soda beverage for the “designated” drivers. It was a hard choice between the Reserved Pinot and the Nuthouse Pinot Noir.

Our next winery is the Belle Pente Vineyard & Winery (pronounced “bell-pont”). Again, the tasting fee of $10 covers the samples of wines and cheese. This is a small producer, about 4-5000 cases a year. We did five tastings, and ended up with a bottle of the ‘05 Estate Reserve Pinot for cellaring. They only made 300 cases of this. We will hold it for a few years yet. By then, it was close to 5pm, and time for our nap back in the hotel. Wow, we were definitely getting in the mood of “vacationing”, as it was past 9pm by the time we woke up from our nap. Room services were in order instead of eating out.

In couple of the pictures below, you can see fields of red color flowers. They are either red or crimson clover flowers, grow for the seeds, yes, I think that is the kind used in seasoning.