Tag Archives: wine travel

Join Howard Oct. 9-13 in Oregon

09 Monday Jul 2018

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Spend three days tasting the wines of the Willamette Valley, plus one day visiting the beautiful Columbia River Gorge with lunch in Hood River.

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Youngsberg Hill Inn, McMinnville

Our trip starts with your arrival Tuesday, Oct. 9, with a hotel booked in your name in Portland. We’ll visit wineries, the Columbia River Gorge, and wrap up Saturday night back in Portland.

Included: Portland Hotel Tuesday and Saturday, luxury B&B in the valley, ground transportation, tasting fees, and all meals Wednesday morning through Saturday lunch.

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Taste with the winemakers

Transportation to/from Portland is not included.

HH’s Oregon Trip or write Howard at hewitthoward@gmail.com for a brochure.

The deadline is just days away. Join us for an incredible wine trip in the Willamette Valley.

Oregon Day: Don, Drouhin, & Mo

31 Monday Oct 2016

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The beautifully manicured vineyards of Domaine Drouhin

SOMEWHERE IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY’S ROLLING HILLS, Or. – Ok, there is no such dateline but it’s an accurate description of our past three days in Oregon wine country.

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Don Hagge

It seems like our daily wine adventures got better by the day. We began our Sunday with a visit to Don Hagge of Vidon Winery. Don should be considered the eighth wonder of the world. The man worked for NASA, earned winemaking in Burgundy, and has a lifetime of accomplishment and interesting connections that should have some author writing a book.

Vidon, named for Don and his wife Vicki, is a small boutique winery – the type where the wine is great, production small and sometimes fly a bit under the radar. Spending a little time with Don is great story after great story. And, his wines probably represent the best QPR in the valley – quality to price ratio. Don works with French clones and makes wonderfully balanced and satisfying wines.

A testament to Don’s work would be that we bought more wine for shipment home than we did from any other winery.

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Some of our stash – some!

So let’s do a lesson here. It is easiest to let the winemaker ship you the wine if you’re buying six bottles or more. Shipping can run from $60-$100 a case. There are almost always some available deals. Often times if you’re buy six to 12 bottles you’re getting the shipping covered by that discount. I belong to a wine club and get six bottles twice a year. If I buy another six for the same shipment I only pay shipping on six bottles for 12. Most all wineries offer that deal.

Our second Sunday visit was next door at J. Christopher Winery. Dr. Loosen, of Reisling fame, invested in Christopher a few years back and the investment shows in the barrel tasting room. We found a couple Pinots we liked but this is the only stop where we paid the tasting fee and moved on.

Two of us organized most of the details for this trip. Our two buddies making their first trip were assigned to pick a winery they wanted to visit. Alex chose Trisaetum on Saturday and Patrick B. wanted to visit the iconic Domaine Drouhin winery.

Drouhin’s vineyards are stunning and the winery beautiful. We tasted a couple of Roserock wines, their new 200-acre vineyard south of McMinnville. The Chardonnay and Pinot were both good solid $30 wines. The Drouhin wines are always good. The Arthur chardonnay even better than I remember. The signature Laurene ($70) is a stunning wine Our tasting room associate pulled out a 2008 Willamette Valley entry level wine that was one of the best we tasted during our whole trip.

We wrapped up at a winery you’ve probably never heard of – Ayoub Winery, in the Dundee Hills. Mohamad “Mo” Ayoub is a native of Lebanon. He only makes 2,000 cases of wine annually and sometimes slightly less. He recently stepped down from a long career in tech and is focusing for now on his winery. His wines are superior. And, that’s not just me saying that. We tasted about 7-8 different Pinot wines half of which had scores of 93-95 from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.

Why did Mo go into wine? Why does he make a fabulous Cab Franc/Pinot Blend? Why? Why? Mo’s standard’s answer: “Because I do things.”

Not a man of many words, but a man of an extremely dry wit and talent for wine making. Oh, his tasting room is his kitchen table in his home. Quite an experience.

Dinner was in our hilltop rental with an evening of relaxation.

Today, Monday, one of our party heads back early. The other three of us are headed for a Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood drive. We all have redeye flights home tonight.

I think I’ll be spending next few days trying to figure out how much money I spent on wine! Yikes!

 

Oregon Day 3: Meeting a Pinot Pioneer

31 Monday Oct 2016

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WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OR. – Saturday was a day of Pinot, great luck, and fabulous food.

Four wine dudes traveling for the first time together in Oregon’s Willamette Valley rocked it with great wine, friendship, and a bit of good luck. We’re here for three days of wine tasting and other adventures.

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Amy and Lynette – the Jam ladies.

When you go to wine country it’s all about great tasting experiences, learning about the vineyards, and getting acquainted with the wonderful people of wine country. But a great trip should include more. You should explore the area’s restaurants, sites, and the unique businesses.

 

We started our Saturday with one of my favorites – The Republic of Jam. Lynnette Shaw’s brainchild is now six years old and thriving as tourism continues to boom in the valley. Yes, they sell jam. They also sell cocktail enhancements, flavored ketchups and mustard.

Marionberry, Pacific berry, strawberry basil, and so many other combinations really test your taste buds. Republic of Jam is in Carlton nestled in the middle of the main street of the small village. The jams are a wonderful experience for the taste buds. Lynette and Amy have a unique business that has become a must-stop when visiting. I bought six! The have a small jar for $7.50 and larger one for $10. It’s a real taste of Oregon produce with a twist.

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Winderlea co-owner Donna with Dude Patrick T.

We made our first winery stop at Winderlea in the Dundee Hills. Co-owner Donna Morris was hosting a wine club pick-up reception and she invited us to join in the fun. Great food bites and a tasting of their new 2014 vintage wines was a treat.

 

Winderlea is truly boutique at about 6,000 cases. Veteran winemaker Robert Brittan uses the well-sourced fruit to make beautiful Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. The Chardonnay is soft, round and has real depth. Tasting through the new releases was a great experience of really well-made wines. Brittan was winemaker for Napa’s Stags Leap before moving north.  Winderlea wines run from $38 to $85. And since we’ve been talking about costs and tasting fees, it’s nice to note the Winderlea makes an annual and  substantial contribution to a local charity providing health care to vineyard workers.

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David Adelsheim shared a few moments with us.

This weekend is my fifth trip to the valley and another of the guys has been here four times. Two of the guys are making their initial visit. With about 500 wineries now, it’s hard to get everywhere. But through my five visits I had missed two important wineries. We visited Bergstrom Friday and Saturday we had a great visit to Adelsheim.

 

Adelsheim is one of the valley’s pioneers. The tasting room offered several different tastings at the $25 level. Adelsheim, like most here, waive the fee if you buy wine.

We had a very “Oregon experience” during our stop. Our friendly tasting room associate Sandy was telling us all about the wines we were tasting and someone came up behind us to introduce himself. Yes, it was David Adelsheim. He talked about changes in the valley and the future of his winery for a good 15 minutes. It was an awesome experience. He then called Sam Schmitt, head of marketing, over to give us a full vineyard and winery tour. Adelsheim’s Pinot runs roughly $60 to just over $100 a bottle. They have a couple of different whites including a $25 Pinot Blanc that I thought was terrific.

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Schmitt talking vineyard with our group.

Next was a quick visit, by our standards, to Trisaetum Winery. A couple of the guys are big Reisling fans and Trisaetum is widely praised for their efforts with the German varietal. I tasted the Pinots and a couple Reislings. The guys assured me Trisaetum lived up to its billing. I drank a lot of Reisling when I started getting interested in wine but not much of a fan as my palate has evolved. I could tell they were well made wines and priced at an affordable $20-$30 range.

 

Saffron Fields was our final stop of the day. I’m a club member so a big fan. Their wines are made by Tony Rynders, who rose to fame making wines for Domaine Serene. It’s a beautiful setting and great Pinot. There price points range $40-$60. Saffron has a nice Chardonnay, one of the best Rose of Pinot I’ve had in the valley, and their reds.

Now, a note to newbies. I’d never recommend more than three wineries a day for someone making their first or second wine country visit. Frankly, I’m most comfortable with just three. You get palate fatigue and even if you take small sips or spit, you are absorbing alcohol. But our group knows when to say when and is anxious to visit several of the iconic wineries and the quirky ones.

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Rabbitt, Pork, with rockfish in middle.

We wrapped up Saturday with another great dinner. We dined at Thistle in McMinnville. We had planned on having the chef’s tasting menu but the manager just convinced us to have ‘everything.” So that’s exactly what we did. Thistle is a chef-driven, farm-to-fork, hipsters and upscale eatery at affordable prices.

 

The food was wonderful. We enjoyed a chicken liver and a pork pate’ as well as some squash soup and a couple of salads. We shared on dish of about everything. Entrees were pork, rock fish, and rabbit. The chef weaved interesting flavors and ingredients. It was a very enjoyable meal.The dinner came to about $50 apiece. We brought our own wine and the restaurant waived the $20 corkage fee.

Oregon Day 1: Getting There

28 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by in Food & Travel, Oregon, Uncategorized

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Grapes are gone this late but we’re hoping to see great fall color.

PORTLAND, OR. – And so the adventure begins. Four wino buddies spending an extended weekend in Oregon’s Willamette Valley tasting, tasting, dining, and then probably tasting some more.

I’m going to journal about these days in Oregon. The idea is to share ideas of cost, planning, and the actual experiences that might provide some wine country touring perspective and maybe advice. So, let’s go:

All four of us live in Central Indiana. All of us flew out of Indianapolis but separately. In this day and age, with frequent flyer miles and bonus points, it’s a great way to travel. The guys who bought tickets paid slightly less than $400 for the round trip. I used flyer miles and paid $11. For the record, I used 32,000 points for my flight.

Interestingly enough, all four of us flew different carriers through different cities to get here. My flight was something of the traditional short hop to Chicago’s O’Hare then straight to Portland. One of our group actually had a connection from Houston. Yes, THAT Houston – as in Texas. I did that once through Dallas – never again.

If you’re flying to the Northwest, several airlines offer good connections going through Chicago, Denver, and Minneapolis.

We’re all staying near the airport since arrivals are late. I booked a Hilton Garden Inn for two of us with Hhonors points. I recall the normal room rate being $229. Obviously, near an airport all hotels are a little pricier but the convenience can be worth it.

The other two guys are just down the road from here. Tomorrow morning I’ll jet back over to the airport and pick up our Alamo Rental car. We have a midsize for Friday through Monday for $180. A tank of gas at the end of the trip and not a bad rental cost.

Friday morning we head to the valley. We’ll stop off and pick up a UPS wine shipping box or two to hold our purchases. Then Monday when we leave the valley we’ll each ship our wine home. I’ll elect UPS Air … so my wine will probably arrive Wednesday or Thursday after I get back Tuesday morning. I forget the exact cost from last trip but a full case by air is going to run $70 or a bit more.

I’ll write about the winery stops each day. We have done some pre-arrangment, maybe 40 to 50 percent of our stops. Friday we start off at Lange Estate Winery. I reached out to Jesse Lange who I’ve met several times and he’s going to join us for the tasting. After that, we head to Bergstrom wines – where we hope to have a little time with Josh Bergstrom. And we’ll cap off our first day winery visits by going to one of the real pioneering wineries, Adelsheim. Dinner for our first night will be at the iconic Nick’s Italian Cafe in McMinnville.

I’ll update Friday night our winery visits, dinner, and a bit about our farmhouse rental near Carlton.

Our Saturday and Sunday plants are a little bit less structured. Friend Patrick and I have been out here numerous time while our other two travelers are making their first visit. We want them to help shape the experience.

So today’s travelogue will be followed by Friday’s real wine geekiness.

 

 

 

 

Gaining an Understanding of Burgundy

16 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by in Food & Travel, France, Newspaper Column 2016, Uncategorized

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The Grape Sense newspaper column has often focused on introducing new wines, new price points, and an education focus about wine.

There is no bigger educational high point in wine understanding than Burgundy, France. Burgundy is home to a confusing geography, hard to find wines, and most of the world’s most expensive single bottles.

Grape Sense LogoNormally the focus is on value wine. But on occasion a look at other prominent wine regions helps with perspective. Additionally, I just returned from leading a wine tour group in Burgundy – my first-ever visit as well.

Burgundy lies southeast of Paris where the whites of Chablis and silky red and whites of Burgundy have a history going back hundreds of years. Many of the vineyards and wine making facilities date back to the time of Romans. Many of the vineyards and ancient winemaking efforts were started by monks in the early 12th or 13th century.

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Nothing like getting in the vineyard

Burgundy is a place for history. Perhaps the first educational point to get out of the way is a reminder that most all of France doesn’t tell you what grapes are in the wine on their bottles. You have to have a very basic understanding. In Burgundy reds are Pinot Noir and whites are Chardonnay.

After that, it gets complicated. There are approximately 100 specifically designated wine growing regions or AOCs. The wines are named for the region and its growing characteristics or terroir.

An example would be Gevrey-Chambertin which is a small village and surrounding vineyards south of Lyon but north of Beaune, the heart of Burgundy. My group tasted four Gevrey Chambertin wines at Domaine Rene Leclerc. The four wines came from four different vineyards – with a difference in soil, slope, and micro-climate – even though all lie in the same region.

And, the wines had slight differences. The area is known for wines of more structure and slightly more pronounced tannins. We tasted different in the earthiness you get in Pinot Noir and a slightly different level in the spiciness on the wine’s’ finish in your mouth.

Okay, it’s pretty geeky for a wine novice.

A fact that surprised some of us was the production breakdown. In the U.S. if someone says the word Burgundy people think of red wine. Actually Burgundy is planted with 60 percent white wine grapes. The whites were consistently silky and elegant. The better white wines were rich with a full mouth feel while maintaining that silky texture.

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… and then you taste!

Good Burgundy seems to start around $50 or asmore in the U.S. So indeed, not the normal focus of Grape Sense. But they represent some of the best wines in the world and certainly worth a try.

Burgundy is also one of the ultimate trips for wine fans. The walled-village of Beaune is a delightful home base with legendary wine caves beneath the city streets, the famed Hospice de Beaune, and wine tasting shops, Michelin-starred restaurants, and charming hotels throughout the city.

European wine travel requires advance planning. A trip to Burgundy is really the ultimate for real wine fans.

Wine Travel Depends on Region

16 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by in Food & Travel, Newspaper Column 2016

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For wine lovers nothing is more fun than a day visiting tasting rooms or maybe even wine travel.

Depending on where you go, there are some things you need to know. It can be a Saturday on the road, a trip to the coast, or a dream vacation to Europe to enjoy wine. But all wine trips take a planning.

Grape Sense LogoThe easiest way to start is using the internet to find a wine trail close to home. Indiana has several wine trails. Figure out your geography and plan on visiting no more than about three wineries. That is advice not a standard. Needless to say a designated driver is always a must. But tasting at more than three wineries can impair your judgment. I also find that when I hit a fourth winery in a day I’m suffering ‘palate fatigue.’

After you’ve hit some Hoosier wine trails and you get the tasting room fever, try neighboring states. I admit I’ve visited just a couple Ohio wineries, none in Kentucky or Illinois. But I’ve visited Michigan wine trails three times and they are delightful. You can plan an easy trip into southwestern Michigan and choose from many different wineries. A great weekend trip would be up to Traverse City, a great food town, and visit the really good wineries of Leelanau County and Old Mission Peninsula. The wines are surprisingly good.

If you wish to travel east, check out the wineries of upper New York State, the Finger Lakes Region. Virginia wines are also gathering more accolades with every vintage.

If you’re ready to head west there are more options to cover than space allows. Wine mecca for those of us in the U.S. is Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Napa, in particular, is one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world. But Napa is very commercial and very expensive. Lean on advice from friends who’s visited Napa to plan your trip. Look at every winery’s website and see what fits your tastes.

Some Napa wineries, the very best, usually accept guests by appointment only. Many welcome walk-in visitors daily as well. But also be aware that the big winery names you know don’t come cheap. All wineries in Napa charge a tasting fee. Many will have 2 or 3 tasting levels.

Be prepared if you want to taste the very best wines or at the very best wineries to shell out big bucks. The better Napa wineries charge $50-$100 for a tasting. And unlike many Midwestern states, that tasting fee will not be refunded with a purchase. But if you’re going, be sure to do at least one premium tasting to learn more about what the fuss is all about.

Oregon’s Willamette Valley is an awesome wine tourism region. It’s not as busy as Napa or Sonoma but growing fast. Tasting fees are going up but still nothing like Napa.

Finally, some advice about going to Europe – particularly France or Italy since that’s where I can share the best advice.

Wine tourism remains new for both of Europe’s Old World Wine regions. Planning is essential for winery visits in both countries. Only the biggest, most commercially-motivated, wineries have open tasting rooms as we know them. A call or email is necessary to secure an appointment.

It’s wise, and not cheap, to engage a wine tourism professional to plan your trip and accompany you – especially if you don’t speak the native language. Most wineries vigorously engaged in tourism will have English-speaking staff. But if you want to visit a smaller winery, you can’t count on English-speaking staff. Such wine guides can charge up to $500-$1000 a day but they will take care of every detail.

 

Domaine Leclerc the Day’s Highlight

14 Tuesday Jun 2016

Posted by in Burgundy 2016, Food & Travel, France, Uncategorized

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My travel group, and I hiding in the back, at the vineyards of Romanee Conti.

Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France – For any real oenophile is there anything better than starting your day in one of the premier wine regions in the world? Or starting your day in a wine cellar built in 1692 sipping Burgundy?

Debate among yourselves but that’s how my eight Burgundy tour participants and I started our week Monday morning at the north end of Burgundy just south of Dijon. Monday’s story is probably best told in my photos from the day.

The group got its first lesson in Burgundy appellations and more Sunday afternoon with Pierre. (see previous post.) But Monday we all got a first-hand education in the Côte de Nuits region.

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Chateaux Clos Vougeot

We started our day at one of the icons of Burgundy Clos Vougeot. The historic Chateau and property showcases the history of Burgundy wine. Whether one cares to think of the Romans or the Cistercian the monument is a living history lesson.

After alter an hour at Clos Vougoet learning the history and seeing the huge old wine presses, it was off to our first morning tasting at Marchand Tawse.

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Guillame led us through the Marchand Twase wines.

The wine caves and tasting room in Nuits Saint George is how we kick-started our wine tasting in the caves of the old property. Current ownership is two Canadian business men but the cellars date back to the 15th and 16th century.

They make a wide range of Pinot and Chard from many different appellations. I think it’s fair to say our group found the wines solid and an interesting start to our day.

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Lunch at Petite Auberge

At mid-day we had another highlight meal, this time at La Toute Petite Auberge in Vosne-Romanee. It might be called a wine-tasting lunch. We were served up a plate of Burgundian specials like snails, Oeufs en meurette (an egg poached in a red wine sauce), pressed ham, and some small sausages in a pastry wrap. One white and three red wines were poured with lunch.

The highlight for many of us the past two days has been discovering another regional product, cassis. The dark, rich berry is delicious on its own. Our lunch concluded with a Cassis Tiramasu. There were gasps at the table!

After lunch we really enjoyed a ride through the countryside seeing the vineyards. We made a brief stop at the vineyard of Romanee Conti. For those who may not recognize the significance of that, Romanee Conti is probably the most expensive wine in the world. Their wines are impossible to acquire and hit the market anywhere from $8,000-$13,000 a bottle. It was fun seeing this bit of Burgundy lore; we took a group shot.

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Francois Leclerc talking about his vineyards.

Our final stop of the day was nearly unanimous among the group the best wines of our trip thus far. Domaine Rene’ Leclerc in Gevrey Chambertin was a lot of fun. Rene Leclerc has retired and turned the winery over to his son Francois who gave us a tour and led the tasting.

The younger Leclerc was a fun guy leading us through the caves, dating to the 1400s, talking about his different vineyards and pouring the great Pinot Noir. The uniqueness of this tasting is that all four bottles poured were Gevrey Chambertin wines but from different parts of the region  (or AOC). The group thought Leclerc’s wines were some of the best of our trip. I agreed!

Today (Tuesday), we are off to visit two of the top Domaines in all of Chablis – William Fevre and Billaud-Simon.

Au Revoir.

Dinner in a Grand Beaune Cave

11 Saturday Jun 2016

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There are two rooms in an old wine cave beneath the city streets. This one is really beautiful.

BEAUNE, France – I’ve found my way around Beaune just in time for my eight guests to arrive this afternoon for “The Charms of Burgundy.” The trip is five nights in Beaune with wine education, domaine visits, great food, and – we’ll probably taste a few.

Of course, the French are known for their cuisine as much as they are for their wine. I had my first real dinner Friday night at Caveau des Arches, very close to my hotel.

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The chilled mackerel

The restaurant was highly recommended on a number of online sites, I read the reviews, checked out the website, and made a reservation before leaving the UW. Like most French restaurants they have a standard menu and a fixed-price menu. At Caveau des Arches, the fixed-price options are a Burgundian (25E), Traditional (34E) and Gourmet (54E).

My primary waiter’s broken English was only a minor challenge. I can read parts of the menu but not all. I chose the Traditional menu with the option to have the appetizer of the night, mackerel.

The mackrel was served cold, almost as though it had been pickled, with salad. It was a bit fishy, as any raw fish can be, but quite delicious.

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I should have taken the pic when the fish was looking at me! My bad!

I decided to stay with the seafood theme and ordered the trout with mixed baby vegetables. The beautiful, and good-sized, fish arrived whole which my waiter promptly offered to de-bone. I took him up on the offer and he masterfully removed the fish head and center bones.

The fish was cooked just right. The firm white fish was delicious in a brown butter sauce with crunchy almond slices. The veggies tasted fresh as well.

When in France, you eat cheese. The ‘cheese course’ was next with a choice of traditional Burgundy or fresh cheese. I went traditional and was rewarded with a soft, mild, and creamy goat cheese that was quite good.

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The best Creme Brulee ever!

Dessert really knocked the meal out of the park. Ordering Creme Brulee is a bit like going to Italy and having the cannoli – but it sounded good. It was the best I’ve ever had. The vanilla was intense and incredibly smooth. The potato chip-thin, warm chocolate chip cookie was out of this world.

Dinner did not include wine but I had two choices by-the-glass. I didn’t see the labels and our struggle with language did not motivate me to push it. I had a 1st Cru Beaune white that was rich and wonderful. My red was a Pommard that was just ok. But at 7E a glass, the wine was a bargain. The wine list was quite extensive running from great buys to crazy prices.

The service was good. I was dining as a single  and in these places you never know what’s going to happen. For the most part, I was pleased. There were times when tables with two or four people got more attention but that was to be expected. The wait staff were all wonderfully trained young men in white shirt and tie. Two of the waiters spoke some English.

So I left after paying a bill of 50 Euro. Honestly, that was a great value for a nice French restaurant. If you’ve never traveled Europe before, 50E with today’s exchange rate is $56.50. Everything was beautifully prepared and presented. The staff struggling a bit with their English. The atmosphere is really beautiful.

For any wine fan making the Burgundy pilgrimage, Caveau des Arches is a good one to add to your restaurant list.

I should note my group will dine Sunday night at Le Benaton and Wednesday at Loiseau des Vignes – both awarded one Michelin star. I’ll try to get similar posts up. Even if you’re not likely to visit Burgundy, who doesn’t like delicious food with nice photos?

Here are my photos from walking around Beaune Friday afternoon and evening.

Join Me for Drink & Eat Oregon

23 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by in Food & Travel, Newspaper Column 2015, Oregon

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When I started writing a wine column seven years ago there was no intention of getting into the wine tour business. But there is a desire among many to travel to wine country with all of the arrangements taken care of by an insider.

Grape Sense LogoWhile I won’t quite claim insider status just yet, my first trip of 2014 treated my eight guests to fabulous food, accommodations, and wine tasting with owners and winemakers.

The 2015 trip runs June 15-20, or five nights and four full days. Drink & Eat Oregon is designed for anyone with a wine interest. We’ll be drinking some of the best Pinot Noir along with Oregon’s signature Pinot Gris and emerging light-bodied Chardonnays.

Here is how the trip works. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to get to Portland, Oregon. A room will be reserved for each couple at a major downtown hotel. We being with a reception Monday night June 15 and then take off for the Willamette Valley the next morning. Once you arrive in Portland – all expenses are covered by the trip fee until the trip ends Saturday morning, June 20.

Our 2014 group on my first Oregon Pinot Noir tour.
The stunning Columbia River Gorge.
For my palate, Lange is one of Oregon’s most consistent producers.
A quick lunch of local ingredients at Lange.
Members of our group tasting Jesse Lange’s three soil series Pinots.

Again, all expenses – lodging, transportation, meals, wine tasting – are covered by the registration fee. The only thing not covered is the wine participants might purchase. That’s made easy too! You can have wine shipped home by the winery or join a wine club. Additionally, I cover the shipping costs, and all the handling, of one case of wine for each couple on the trip. You can buy a bottle or two here and there and your registration will cover the cost of having it delivered to your door.

Last year we visited Lange Estate, Winderlea, Domaine Drouhin, Vidon, Alexana, Saffron Fields, and Hawk’s View Cellars. We dined at McMinnville’s iconic Nick’s Italian Café and Recipe in Newberg.

Additionally, we take a break from all the wine tasting on Thursday and drive the stunning Columbia River Gorge. If you’ve never seen it, you are missing one of the most beautiful spots in the United States.

The cost per person is $2600, double occupancy. Just look for other similar trips and you’ll see it’s very reasonably priced for a boutique wine tour. As a matter of fact, when I checked search engines the closest thing I could find was a 3-day trip for $2700. A trip similar this one was $3800.

Besides the great tasting experiences led by winemakers and owners, I’ll be along to answer questions and give some insight on Oregon wine and the spots we visit.

You can find more information about the trip on my wine blog – www.howardhewit.net – at the top of the page just click on “Drink & Eat Oregon 2015.” You can write me with questions at: hewitthoward@gmail.com

I already have considerable interest on a potential trip to Burgundy, France, for next year.

Rose’, Pinot, & Idiot Legislature

27 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by in Food & Travel, Newspaper Column 2015, Oregon

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There are numerous websites and publications detailing everything happening in the world of wine. Sometimes those issues are worth sharing.

Grape Sense LogoIndiana Senate Bill 113 – The Indiana Direct Shipping bill remains in House committee. The bill would remove the ridiculous 2006 restriction on Indiana wineries requiring a face-to-face purchase before wine can be shipped in state.

CrazyThe bill is a double-edged sword opening up an important stream of revenue for small wineries but increasing the licensing fee from $100 to $500. Contact your local legislator asking the fee be restored to $100 as Sen. Phil Boots intended.

There’s a pattern here if you pay attention. The big alcohol related legislation of the session is Sunday sales but the same thing has happened. The legislation actually failed this week because the liquor lobby (read wholesalers/some retailers) objected. The bill was weighed down with the unruly burden of requiring supermarkets and drug stores to build walls. No one could make this stuff up.

RoseloresRose, How We Love Thee. Dry Rose, and particularly dry French Rose, is one of the biggest success stories of the last decade. For too long pink meant sweet but now pink, or a light salmon color, means great dry French wine.

For the 11th straight year exports to the U.S. of Provence Rose’ wine increased by double digits. In 2014, Rose exports went up 29 percent on volume.

Oregon Stature Grows. The last two years have established the importance of Oregon Pinot Noir above and beyond some of its founders wildest expectations. When the ‘big boys’ start buying up properties it’s easy to label Oregon Pinot a worldwide success story.

Domaine Drouhin started the foreign investment in the 1980s but recently it has exploded. Drouhin bought nearly 300 more acres of vineyard about a year ago. Louis Jadot more recently acquired a 32-acre vineyard and hopes to buy more.

Jackson Family Wines, probably better known to the average consumer as Kendall-Jackson, has purchased nearly 500 acres of Oregon vineyard in two separate acquisitions. They are operating a winery near Yamhill under the name Gran Moraine.

Joseph Wagner, think Caymus, has purchased the Elouan Brand while Bill Foley picked off 35,000 case boutique brand Four Graces.

The interest shows Oregon is making great wine and has a great future. The purists must continue to hope some of these big boys don’t destroy the boutique feel of the Willamette Valley.

Alexana winemaker Bryan Weil sharing barrel tastes.

Alexana winemaker Bryan Weil sharing barrel tastes.

Join Me on Oregon Tour. I’ll be hosting my second trip to Oregon’s Willamette Valley in June. It’s a five-night, four day boutique visit. We taste with winemakers and winery owners, stay in a fabulous bed and breakfast and eat in a couple of Oregon’s best restaurants. The trip is all inclusive one you arrive until you leave.

You can find full details of the wine trip on the Grape Sense blog (www.howardhewitt.net). Click the link at the top “Drink & Eat Oregon” for full details or write me at the address below.