Wine Tasting
After spending eight- and one-half months on the Coast of Washington, Mark, and I finally got my dad’s house on the market and under contract. We felt it was time for us to set sail and head back on the road. So, on June 17th, we were back on the road, with our first stop being Arlington. We went up there and spent a few days with Mark’s niece and her husband boondocking in their driveway, and on Monday, June 21st, we were on the road again heading into Oregon (Willamette Valley) for some sunshine and wine tasting.
Our first stop was in McMinnville, Oregon, at a campground called Olde Stone Village. We enjoyed our time there. The campground was lovely, and it was remarkably close to a lot of amenities.
When we were picking wineries to visit, one of the things we were looking for, besides the wine, was a fantastic view. I wanted to look at a picturesque vineyard and relax and enjoy. The three wineries we chose gave us just that.
Maysara Winery – We were greeted with a very eager staff that was very attentive and willing to teach us and educate us on not only the wines we were drinking but the vineyard itself. It was a hot day; we sat under an umbrella on the patio and sipping our wine, overlooking the fantastic scenery, and came home with a bottle of their 2014 Jamsheed Pinot Noir. This wine was perfectly entwined with blackberry and fresh cracked pepper with matured and lengthy tannins on the finish.
Youngberg Hill Winery – We arrived here later in the afternoon. We sat outside on the deck overlooking the vineyard, and we were able to obtain some shade, and we did another tasting. We spent a little more time here as we took our time enjoying the entire experience. After the tasting, we came home with a bottle of their Aspen Pinot Gris. This wine was very floral and smooth with a flawlessly sweet finish.
Durant Winery – We visited this winery the next day per a suggestion from a wine group that I belong to. Out of all three wineries we visited, this took first place on the view; it was spectacular. We were able to look out over the valley and see both Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson in the distance. We both did their wine tasting and shared a charcuterie board. We relaxed and did enjoy our time.
Other things we did while in Willamette Valley –
Space and Air Museum
Downtown McMinnville
We left McMinnville on June 25th and made our way down to Sonoma Valley. We made a few stops along the way. We stayed in Canyonville, Oregon, at the Seven Feathers RV Resort, then on to Weed, California, where we spent the night at a Harvest Host. We landed in Red Bluff, CA, for a few nights stopping the constant on-the-road craziness and tried to relax, but the weather was well over 100 degrees, so we spent a lot of time inside. Then on to Orville, CA, where we were just a golf cart ride away from the casino there. We stayed at the Oroville KOA, a cute little campground, and we will be back. Our last stop was USCG Petaluma in Petaluma, CA. I enjoyed staying on base as there were many trails to walk on, a cute little pond near our campsite full of fish and birds.
We took in a winery while in Sonoma Valley and had a wonderful experience.
Ledson Winery: This winery is also known as the “Castle.” When walking in, I mentioned to my husband the Castle reminded me of many of the castles in Rhode Island. It was beautiful. When we walked in the door, we were greeted by a truly kind, eager staff that escorted us to the wine tasting room where Johnny was our “guide” that led us through our tasting. Johnny made our experience very memorable. He was funny, witty, and knowledgeable. Mark and I ended up spending about 3 hours there and tasted over 15 wines. We walked out of there with a memorable experience and three bottles of fantastic wine. If you have never been to Sonoma Valley and aren’t sure where to go, please put this one on your list.
Other things we did while in Sonoma Valley:
Drove up Highway 1 past Bodega Bay. As we headed north, Mark and I commented that we were sure glad we were in the car and not the motorhome. This road (HWY 1) is not a motorhome-friendly road. The road was highly twisty, with many hairpin turns and cliffs that would not have been enjoyable in our motorhome.
We spent one day walking downtown Petaluma and ate at one of their restaurants Ayawaska Resto Bar. The food was terrific.
On July 7th, we packed up and started making our way back to Washington State.
Our first stop was in McMinnville, Oregon, at a campground called Olde Stone Village. We enjoyed our time there. The campground was lovely, and it was remarkably close to a lot of amenities.
When we were picking wineries to visit, one of the things we were looking for, besides the wine, was a fantastic view. I wanted to look at a picturesque vineyard and relax and enjoy. The three wineries we chose gave us just that.
Maysara Winery – We were greeted with a very eager staff that was very attentive and willing to teach us and educate us on not only the wines we were drinking but the vineyard itself. It was a hot day; we sat under an umbrella on the patio and sipping our wine, overlooking the fantastic scenery, and came home with a bottle of their 2014 Jamsheed Pinot Noir. This wine was perfectly entwined with blackberry and fresh cracked pepper with matured and lengthy tannins on the finish.
Youngberg Hill Winery – We arrived here later in the afternoon. We sat outside on the deck overlooking the vineyard, and we were able to obtain some shade, and we did another tasting. We spent a little more time here as we took our time enjoying the entire experience. After the tasting, we came home with a bottle of their Aspen Pinot Gris. This wine was very floral and smooth with a flawlessly sweet finish.
Durant Winery – We visited this winery the next day per a suggestion from a wine group that I belong to. Out of all three wineries we visited, this took first place on the view; it was spectacular. We were able to look out over the valley and see both Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson in the distance. We both did their wine tasting and shared a charcuterie board. We relaxed and did enjoy our time.
Other things we did while in Willamette Valley –
Space and Air Museum
Downtown McMinnville
We left McMinnville on June 25th and made our way down to Sonoma Valley. We made a few stops along the way. We stayed in Canyonville, Oregon, at the Seven Feathers RV Resort, then on to Weed, California, where we spent the night at a Harvest Host. We landed in Red Bluff, CA, for a few nights stopping the constant on-the-road craziness and tried to relax, but the weather was well over 100 degrees, so we spent a lot of time inside. Then on to Orville, CA, where we were just a golf cart ride away from the casino there. We stayed at the Oroville KOA, a cute little campground, and we will be back. Our last stop was USCG Petaluma in Petaluma, CA. I enjoyed staying on base as there were many trails to walk on, a cute little pond near our campsite full of fish and birds.
We took in a winery while in Sonoma Valley and had a wonderful experience.
Ledson Winery: This winery is also known as the “Castle.” When walking in, I mentioned to my husband the Castle reminded me of many of the castles in Rhode Island. It was beautiful. When we walked in the door, we were greeted by a truly kind, eager staff that escorted us to the wine tasting room where Johnny was our “guide” that led us through our tasting. Johnny made our experience very memorable. He was funny, witty, and knowledgeable. Mark and I ended up spending about 3 hours there and tasted over 15 wines. We walked out of there with a memorable experience and three bottles of fantastic wine. If you have never been to Sonoma Valley and aren’t sure where to go, please put this one on your list.
Other things we did while in Sonoma Valley:
Drove up Highway 1 past Bodega Bay. As we headed north, Mark and I commented that we were sure glad we were in the car and not the motorhome. This road (HWY 1) is not a motorhome-friendly road. The road was highly twisty, with many hairpin turns and cliffs that would not have been enjoyable in our motorhome.
We spent one day walking downtown Petaluma and ate at one of their restaurants Ayawaska Resto Bar. The food was terrific.
On July 7th, we packed up and started making our way back to Washington State.
Comments
Post a Comment