Round One

Day One and I hit the ground running-new camera in hand (thank you Herve!) I picked up Meghan (an eager co-pilot) at 11:15 and we were off. The hit list: Dobbes Family Estate, Domaine Drouhin & Stoller Vineyards. I have done a fair bit of research on each and was excited to check them out. We could not have asked for a better day. The sun was shining and it was warm, I think the Audi's temp gauge read 88 degrees.

Right off 99W in Dundee sits Dobbes Family Estate, our first stop. I was more familiar with the Wines by Joe label-which is hard to miss in any given wine store. We opted for a full tasting which included the 2007 Wine by Joe Pinot Noir as well as 4 of the Dobbes Family Estate wines. These wines did not disappoint and both Meghan and I left with a bottle of the 2007 Grand Assemblage Cuvee Pinot Noir. Yummy!

Next stop was Domaine Drouhin. The drive alone is intoxicating and once again reaffirms how amazing and picturesque our wine country is. Meghan was in heaven, as any newbie to the area would be. DD is a gorgeous winery and we landed a key spot in the tasting room. Before we knew it, Meghan had joined the wine club and we were talking about future trips to the winery for "club only" events. (Hot air balloon breakfast anyone?!)

Just down the road is Stoller Winery. I have read a lot about Stoller and I am impressed by how sustainable it is in its practices, not to mention its numerous wine accolades. We sat outside and enjoyed the lush surroundings and ended up purchasing a bottle of the delicious JV 2007 Estate Pinot Noir.

Come 4:00 we were hungry! I had been dying to check out the highly hyped Allison Hotel in Newberg and now was the perfect excuse to swing by and enjoy a snack. We pulled up, bypassed the "hybrid and electric car" only parking spots and made our way through the hotel to the terrace. We nibbled on a yummy plate of meat, cheese and fried mushrooms and sipped on a Brick House Pinot. The Allison is a grand endeavour to say the least and I was really glad we were able to end the day here.

It was a glorious excursion and a perfect way to catch up with a friend, do some research and reinforce how EASY it is to escape the daily grind and enjoy a day in Oregon Wine Country.

P.S. the photo is of Meghan at Domaine Drouhin. Cute indeed.