June 23rd through June 25th. We leave on Friday, June 23rd around 4:00 (I'm open to leaving time... I realize people need to get home, but I don't want to leave too late.).
I've arranged to stay at a nice hotel in the area at a discounted rate. I'm only taking six people. Cost is $185.00/person. Price does not include hotel or meals.
You MUST MAKE YOUR RESERVATION WITH ME BY JUNE 1st!!! If I don't get six people by then, the tour will be cancelled! NO EXCEPTIONS. Just so you know... My regular one day tour price is $85.00/person. So considering this is two full days, the price is pretty good!
We will visit 10 wineries while there. I've recently been able to taste some of these wines with the wine makers and I have to say I was really impressed. That is why I had to do this tour. I just have to share this wine with someone. It's too good to be missed.
If you are not familiar with Red Mountain, it's east of Yakima about 50 miles. They are growing some very good fruit there and naturally, making some excellent wine too. We will actaully be staying in Prosser. That's closer to Red Mountain than Yakima. It's a nice new hotel, so don't worry there.
I'm also working on a nice wine makers dinner for Saturday night. I really want this trip to be high end and one to remember. High end does not necessarily mean super expensive though. I'm trying to keep my price as low as I can. I also arranged to get lower than winter rates at the hotel. I'm contacting all of the wineries that we will be visiting and trying to work out deals for you. Eather no tasting fee or discounted wines or something special. I promise you that I'm doing everything I can to make it my best tour to date! I'm also throwing in a few extra special things for you. I want my guests to be treated the same way I would want to be treated. And that's to be treated very well!
If you have any questions on this tour or our Walla Walla tour in September, please call soon. I don't think these seats will last long. I want you to go, but you have to call me soon. 503-681-WINE or by email: ron@orwinetours.com.
Cheers,
Ron
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Client Appreciation / Day of Fun
One of the things I like most about my business is the great people I get to meet. Last week I took out Stephanie and Irene. Two great ladies who were fun and as nice as two people could get. Turns out that they not only have a working relationship, but a friendship as well. Irene flew into town for a long weekend, and Stephanie thought it would be fun to go on a wine tour. After the tour, I think they signed a pretty big deal, so... what a great investment on Stephanies part huh? Not to mention they got to go to some very good wineries, taste some great wine, see some beautiful country and just relax and have fun. Thanks ladies for a nice day. I really appreciate having guests like you two.
Yesterday (March 29th, 2006) I was lucky enough to take out the catering crew from Cirque du Soleil. Once again, a very enjoyable group of people. They started out the day working in the van on the way to wine tasting. I'm thinking to myself that I am so glad to be out of that environment. They were ordering supplies, checking on orders, confirming deliveries, etc... But by the time we got to the first winery, they were in full RELAX mode. It was great. We had a wonderful time. Our first stop was with Adelsheim Vineyard. Tim, who is the "guy in the tasting room" is always a fantastic host, as well as Katherine. They are by far the best winery to visit in the Willamette valley in my opinion. Not only because they have good wine, but because they are the best at their jobs and they care about you, the customer. They are very polite, fun, knowledgeable, responsive and just enjoyable to be around. Speaking of Tim, I have to tell you a "twilight zone" type of story. I took a couple in there a couple of weeks ago. The lady is tasting the first wine, looks at Tim and says, " you look familiar... What is your name?" Tim steps back and says, "Alicia???" Turns out they use to work with each other in North Carolina. In fact, they were very good friends out there. That turned out to be a long stop. They had years of catching up to do. Isn't it amazing though how people from the opposite side of the country can run into each other while on a wine tour? Wine really can bring us together.
Hope to see you soon. Check us out.
Cheers,
Ron
Yesterday (March 29th, 2006) I was lucky enough to take out the catering crew from Cirque du Soleil. Once again, a very enjoyable group of people. They started out the day working in the van on the way to wine tasting. I'm thinking to myself that I am so glad to be out of that environment. They were ordering supplies, checking on orders, confirming deliveries, etc... But by the time we got to the first winery, they were in full RELAX mode. It was great. We had a wonderful time. Our first stop was with Adelsheim Vineyard. Tim, who is the "guy in the tasting room" is always a fantastic host, as well as Katherine. They are by far the best winery to visit in the Willamette valley in my opinion. Not only because they have good wine, but because they are the best at their jobs and they care about you, the customer. They are very polite, fun, knowledgeable, responsive and just enjoyable to be around. Speaking of Tim, I have to tell you a "twilight zone" type of story. I took a couple in there a couple of weeks ago. The lady is tasting the first wine, looks at Tim and says, " you look familiar... What is your name?" Tim steps back and says, "Alicia???" Turns out they use to work with each other in North Carolina. In fact, they were very good friends out there. That turned out to be a long stop. They had years of catching up to do. Isn't it amazing though how people from the opposite side of the country can run into each other while on a wine tour? Wine really can bring us together.
Hope to see you soon. Check us out.
Cheers,
Ron
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Featured Wineries
We have been asked to add DePonte winery to our list of "Featured wineries". I was very honored to be contacted by the winery and have them ask to be a part of our regular tours. They make a very good Pinot too. We have had a bottle of their wine in our wine rack for some time and decided we needed to give it a try. I was very impressed. It was a 2002 Pinot Noir. Excellent nose, taste and finish.
We have also added Lawton winery. These guys are great. They make just a few wines, but what they do, they do very well. They have excellent price points and are a very kind and welcoming couple. I look forward to taking people to both of these wineries. You will be very impressed with each.
We have also added Lawton winery. These guys are great. They make just a few wines, but what they do, they do very well. They have excellent price points and are a very kind and welcoming couple. I look forward to taking people to both of these wineries. You will be very impressed with each.
It's Snowing in Wine Country
It's March 10th and snowing in Oregon. If you are from many places in the country, I can hear you now saying, "big deal, it always snows here in March...". Not in Oregon it doesn't. I had to alter our wine tours to lower elevation wineries. Many of our wineries are on the hills, and I couldn't take the van up there. I took some nice pictures of the snow.
We still got some great tasting in however. There are so many excellent wineries here, that we can still visit some outstanding wineries. It amazes me how many new wineries have sprung up in the last year. Many are very small boutique wineries, and I think that's great. Not many of Oregon's wineries are what many would consider large. In fact very few are what I would call large. The average winery in Oregon produces on the area of 15000 cases of wine. Many are smaller and a few are larger.
We are getting numerous calls for tours ranging from next weekend to October. It's amazing how many people come here to taste wine and still how many more people have no idea how great the wine is here. Oregon is the second largest producer of wine in the United States. The wine growing region is mainly up and down (north and south) in the area between the Cascade mountains and the coast range. It's a beautiful area with moderate temperatures and in many cases, perfect for growing wine grapes.
Well, I hope to hear from you soon. If you looking for going on a winery tour, give us a call and mention that you read our wine blog.
Cheers,
Ron
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