Day Tripping - Wineries and Coastal Views

On one of my days in September, I am going to drag my friend, Kerrie, to the coast. She will probably have a good idea of where to go but I think that Cannon Beach is the place to get some great pictures. Plus, on our way back, we can detour south on 47 and do a little wine tasting. And once we get to Cannon Beach, it looks like Hemlock Street is the place to shop. But to be honest, I simply want to see the Pacific Coast from the Northwest point of view. Lincoln City was suggested by another friend, Kim, who hails from Denver. And in looking at their website, it looks very promising. I love to shop for antiques and collectibles and Lincoln City has a large selection of stores. Plus, you can make your own paperweight at the Jennifer L. Sears Glass Art Studio. Or blow your own glass float. That would be a great souvenir. $65 each.

At the Pacific Coast Center for Culinary Arts, you can take a cooking class that specializes in the foods and culinary heritage of the Pacific Northwest.

There are several festivals in the area. In October, you can enjoy the Lincoln City Plein Air Art Fest. Plein Air is a French term for "open air" and features painting done outdoors on location. The Annual Fall Kite Festival includes demonstrations, competitions and other great fun. The Glass Float Gala is held at the Chinook Winds Casino Resort and includes dinner, prizes, a private showing of the Glass Galore Artists and your very own glass float. In November, there is a Chowder Cook Off and in February they hold an Antique Week.

You can also do a little whale watching. The best place, according to the Lincoln City website, is located at Roads End, the NW 21st Street beach access and SW 40th Street. You can also beach comb, check out the tidal pools or just enjoy the soothing sound of the waves washing ashore.

Just a few ideas for a day trip out of Portland.

Heading back to Portland, I would like to turn south on 47 and visit a few wineries. A couple I have found to have daily tasting hours are listed below, along with their specialities.

Elk Cove in Gaston was founded in 1974 by Pat and Joe Campbell. Winemaker Adam Godlee Campbell joined his parents in 1995 to produce Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. To get there, turn left off of Highway 47 on Olson Road. Tasting room hours are 10 am - 5 pm daily. Website: http://www.elkcove.com/

"2003 Pinot Noir Deano's Roasted dark
fruits make up the aromatics. Its chocolate and blackberry-dominated flavor
profile is medium to full-bodied, suave, and silky-textured. Drink over the next
5 years. Barrel selection from five premium vineyards of the North Willamette
Valley. Barrels chosen reflect the terroir, the cooperage as well as the
superior fruit. Deep dark red color, big, dark cherry fruit"

The previous description was copied from the pages of the Adea Winery website, http://www.adeawine.com/index.html. What a wonderful description and it certainly makes me want to taste this wine. This winery is located on Hwy 47. Tasting room hours to be reported later.

The next wineries I am going to mention use the Carlton Winemakers Studio, the nation's first "green" cooperative winemaking facility.

"Each winery operates independently with separate
cellars and staff, but all benefit economically from sharing state-of-the-art
equipment in the gravity-driven building designed to use natural light, passive
solar heat and recycled materials."

Tasting room for all of these wineries in open 11-5 daily, seven days a week and is located in the Carleton Winemakers Studio.

Andrew Rich uses grapes from the finest vineyards in the Pacific Northwest. Website: http://www.andrewrichwines.com/index.htm

Boedecker produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Website:http://www.boedeckercellars.com/

Bryce Vineyard produces 1 wine from its' 4 acre vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA.

"Using high density vine spacing, sustainable vineyard
practices, limited yields, and traditional winemaking techniques, our aim is to
produce a wine of great honesty that truly reflects and celebrates the character
of our unique site."

The vineyard is not open to the public, but they use the tasting room hours of 11 - 7 daily 7 days a week at the Winemaker's Studio. Website:http://www.brycevineyard.com/Index.html

Sparkling wine uses three essential ingredients: Pinot Noit, Chardonnay and maybe Pinot Meunier. Domaine Meriwether was 20 years in the making and produces sparkling wine in Oregon. Their website has a very descriptive page on the process for making sparkling wines. http://www.meriwetherwines.com/methode_champenoise.cfm

"Our intent is to create an estate winery known largely for its red varietals. Foremost among
our reds is the Spanish grape Tempranillo. A natural bridge between the Pinot
Noir and the Cabernet Sauvignon, this grape is legendary in Europe and vastly
under-planted in the New World. We are positioning ourselves to be among the
first estate wineries showcasing Tempranillo"

This statement from the About Us page of Dominio IV says it

all. Introducing a new grape variety. Their first production from the vineyard was in 2004. Website: http://www.dominiowines.com/index.em?pid=166195

Next on the list is Hamacher Wines. Started in 1990, when Eric Hamacher arrived in Oregon, the wine uses eight diverse vineyards located in Oregon's Willamette Valley. While many winemakers boast of site and vineyard designates, Eric has found that by leasing from individual vineyards all over the valley, he is able to benefit from their diversity without experiencing any of the problems of maintaining a huge infrastructure. His pursuit of the perfect Pinot Noir has been fueled by his years of work with wineries in California. while attending UC Davis. Website: http://www.hamacherwines.com/hamacher/index.jsp

J.Daan is a boutique winery specializing in local Pinot Noirs and Columbia Valley Syrah. Winemaker Justin Van Zanten's goal is to produce serious Pinot Noirs that reflected the unique qualities of the region and were offered at a good value. Website: http://www.jdaan.com/about.html

The Lazy River Vineyard is 146 acres hidden from the road. It is planted in Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Reisling. The owners of this winery, Ned & Kirsten Lumpkin, Eric Hamacher and his wife, Luisa Ponzi, were the originators of the Carlton Winemakers Studio in 2002. Website: http://www.lazyrivervineyard.com/index.html

Ribbon Ridge was started in 1978 but the dream of producing their first Pinot Noir was not realized until 2003.

"The estate vineyard is the sole source for Ribbon
Ridge Vineyard's flagship Estate Pinot Noir. We make our wines at Carlton
Winemakers Studio in Carlton, and are one of 9 resident boutique wineries
who share the eco-friendly, cooperative wine-making facility."

They also produce some white wines, 2005 Dewey Kelly Early Muscat, 2006 Dewey Kelly Cuvee M, and Muse Early Muscat X. Website: http://www.ribbonridge.com/default.cfm?action=about

Scott Paul Wines is the last on the Carlton Winemakers Studio list, but certainly not the least.

"Every bottle bearing the Scott Paul label contains true, authentic Oregon Pinot Noir. Our wines are made lovingly by hand. The aromas and flavors in the wines come only from the grapes, and the sun and the earth that grew them. Our goal is maximum transparency of flavor. Our quest is to produce Pinot Noir with flavors that are delineated and pure. "

Specializing in the Pinot Noir & Chardonnay much like the Burgundy area of France, this winery also imports from there and offers this note of interest:

"The Burgundy region of France has been producing what are widely
considered to be the world’s finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays for nearly a
thousand years. Burgundy is a relatively small area (only about 13,500 acres of
vines in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, as opposed to Bordeaux’s 235,000 acres or
California’s 515,000.) Oregon is nearly identical in size to Burgundy with about
13,700 vineyard acres planted. As in Oregon, most of the winegrowers and
producers in Burgundy are small, family operations. The average estate size is
about 18 acres – enough to produce about 2,500 cases of wine each year. Those 18 acres are often split into 10 or more tiny parcels of vineyards scattered around
several different vineyards and villages – so production of each wine is often
only a few hundred cases or less."

The portfolio that Scott Paul offers from Burgundy can be found on their website: https://www.scottpaul.com/

So that concludes the Winemaker's studio list. I would like to cover one more winery, EIEIO. I mean, how can I let this by? Owner and vinter, Jay McDonald, yes, you are reading right, McDonald....started in 1995 when several of the wineries associated with the Carlton Winemakers Studio approached him to make a wine of his own. So his wines are made at the studio and sold there. He started with 200 cases and now annually produces approximately 1500 cases. Website: http://www.onhisfarm.com/

So we will be leaving Portland and I am so sure we did not spend enough time in this glorious city, but it is on to Glacier National Park. Are you ready?