Thursday, April 27, 2006
Monday, April 17, 2006
Many Exciting Things Going On!
Hi people. I want to draw your attention to several new things. One, we now have Oregon Wine Tour merchandise available as you can see. I'm very excited about this. I've had so many people on the tours ask if we had this stuff and until now, all I could do was to say, "Someday...".
Also, I want you to realize that Memorial Day weekend will sell out very quickly! If you wait, you won't be able to go. If you want to enjoy the kick off to Oregon's Wine Season and get into some of those little craft wineries that are NEVER open, call soon! 503-681-WINE.
Next - Check out our Yakima Valley / Red Mountain wine tour in June. It's going to be an incredible weekend. Save your money because you are going to want to buy a lot of wine. I always do and I usually wish I would have bought more. I'm only taking six people total so again, if you want to enjoy this weekend, book now. You wait and you won't be able to go. Every year we have to tell people the week before that there are no seats available. Remeber, the early bird drinks the good wine... (that's it isn't it???)
Cheers!
Also, I want you to realize that Memorial Day weekend will sell out very quickly! If you wait, you won't be able to go. If you want to enjoy the kick off to Oregon's Wine Season and get into some of those little craft wineries that are NEVER open, call soon! 503-681-WINE.
Next - Check out our Yakima Valley / Red Mountain wine tour in June. It's going to be an incredible weekend. Save your money because you are going to want to buy a lot of wine. I always do and I usually wish I would have bought more. I'm only taking six people total so again, if you want to enjoy this weekend, book now. You wait and you won't be able to go. Every year we have to tell people the week before that there are no seats available. Remeber, the early bird drinks the good wine... (that's it isn't it???)
Cheers!
Oregon Wine Tour Merchandise
Oberglas 15oz. wine glass. Sturdy glasses with Oregon Wine Tour logo etched in glass. $8.50 each or two for $15.00.The hat is a 100% cotton, adjustable band hat with full color embroidered logo. Hats are $16.00 each.
To order, call us at 503-681-9463 or email at: ron@orwinetours.com. Shipping and handeling charges will apply if glasses are shipped.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Friday, April 07, 2006
Spring time is Beautiful in Oregon's Wine Country
Just a quick post today. I took a group out yesterday. One had just moved here from the Bay area and the others were from New York City. We were focusing on red wines and I have to say, they tasted some of the best wine in the area. We started with Natalie's Estate Winery. They are a very small producer of some very good Merlot's and Cab's along with some other wines. I always love to take people there. When you go to Natalies, you sit down with the winemaker (or his wife, President of marketing) and get the real inside scoop about the grapes, the wine and how it was made. It's really why I started doing tours. Nothing like sitting down with the winemaker and feeling the passion about their wines.
I have to say, even though we were tasting some great wines yesterday (April 6, 2006), the real hit for the day was the weather and the look of Spring. Trees are blooming, flowers are springing up, it's getting absolutely beautiful. If you haven't been on our tour yet, now is the best time of year to do it. It is stunning in Oregon's wine country now. I'll have some pictures posted in a day or two. I'm doing a tour today and tomorrow and the weather is perfect, so I'm taking the camera. It's funny to think that less than a month ago I was shooting pictures of it snowing in wine country and now I'm telling you how incredibly beautiful it is. Isn't Oregon something? Cheers!
I have to say, even though we were tasting some great wines yesterday (April 6, 2006), the real hit for the day was the weather and the look of Spring. Trees are blooming, flowers are springing up, it's getting absolutely beautiful. If you haven't been on our tour yet, now is the best time of year to do it. It is stunning in Oregon's wine country now. I'll have some pictures posted in a day or two. I'm doing a tour today and tomorrow and the weather is perfect, so I'm taking the camera. It's funny to think that less than a month ago I was shooting pictures of it snowing in wine country and now I'm telling you how incredibly beautiful it is. Isn't Oregon something? Cheers!
Sunday, April 02, 2006
New wineries
We don't get the opportunity to go out and taste wine very often anymore. I'm not complaining, but it's hard for us to be able to stay up to date with wineries, when I'm going on tours all the time. Again, I'm not complaining!!!
Yesterday we had the chance to visit three wineries that we just have not had the chance to go to. Our first stop was the Pinot Station in Dundee. I don't feel right taking guests to someplace we have not been to before to make sure the tasting room staff is knowledgeable, friendly and that the wines are good. The Dundee Pinot Station was a very pleasant surprise. They have a very nice tasting room, nice staff and a great selection. We will be adding this to our regular stops now.
Second was De Ponte Cellars. What a beautiful location. Up in the Dundee Hills and in a beautiful, new tasting room. There are three wines to taste ( 1 white, 2 reds) and all were excellent. Again, this will be a great stop for our tours. Aaron is the tasting room manager and very eager and willing to provide you with the best tasting experience possible. Again, I was really impressed here. The atmosphere was comfortable and fun. It's well worth stopping at!
Finally, we stopped at Domaine Serene. I have to be honest now. I went to Domaine Serene one time several years ago and was not impressed with the wines or especially the staff. They were not the most friendly people and the wines, I thought, were way too expensive. I was not impressed with the place at all! I try to be open minded and fair, so we decided to stop and visit the tasting room one more time.
We were greeted very kindly by Nicole, the tasting room manager. She asked for us to sit at a table and she would be out with some wines to taste. At this time, there was about 20 other people in the tasting room. We went and sat at a table over by some windows to look out at the view. Nicole came over with our glasses and the wine very promptly. She poured the wine, explained it very well and then excused herself so she could assist the other guests in the tasting room. As far as I could see, all guests were consistantly treated very well, very promptly and all seemed to be having a great experience. We tasted the wine, wrote down notes, talked about it and just really enjoyed the experience. When we finished the wine (a nice chardonnay by the way), Nicole was over at our table with the next taste. I was honestly impressed with how she was paying attention to her guests and making sure all were being served promptly and politely. Again, we tasted, wrote down notes, etc...
This went on through five tastes. Nicole was always willing to answer questions and never made us feel like she was rushed or didn't have time to talk to us.
Out of all fairness, Domaine Serene was an excellent experience. The wines were incredible, very enjoyable and certainly worth purchasing. In fact we bought three bottles of wine and will be back to buy more! Nicole is to be commended for providing excellent service and turning around our feelings about Domaine Serene. My apologies for the previously negative attitude. They have a $15 tasting fee, which is a bit high for some, but I felt well worth the wines and experience. I will absolutely be taking my guests there in the future!
So we added three more wineries to our tour line up. All three stops were excellent. We are so lucky to live here in Oregon. Come visit us and experience some of the best wine in the world.
Yesterday we had the chance to visit three wineries that we just have not had the chance to go to. Our first stop was the Pinot Station in Dundee. I don't feel right taking guests to someplace we have not been to before to make sure the tasting room staff is knowledgeable, friendly and that the wines are good. The Dundee Pinot Station was a very pleasant surprise. They have a very nice tasting room, nice staff and a great selection. We will be adding this to our regular stops now.
Second was De Ponte Cellars. What a beautiful location. Up in the Dundee Hills and in a beautiful, new tasting room. There are three wines to taste ( 1 white, 2 reds) and all were excellent. Again, this will be a great stop for our tours. Aaron is the tasting room manager and very eager and willing to provide you with the best tasting experience possible. Again, I was really impressed here. The atmosphere was comfortable and fun. It's well worth stopping at!
Finally, we stopped at Domaine Serene. I have to be honest now. I went to Domaine Serene one time several years ago and was not impressed with the wines or especially the staff. They were not the most friendly people and the wines, I thought, were way too expensive. I was not impressed with the place at all! I try to be open minded and fair, so we decided to stop and visit the tasting room one more time.
We were greeted very kindly by Nicole, the tasting room manager. She asked for us to sit at a table and she would be out with some wines to taste. At this time, there was about 20 other people in the tasting room. We went and sat at a table over by some windows to look out at the view. Nicole came over with our glasses and the wine very promptly. She poured the wine, explained it very well and then excused herself so she could assist the other guests in the tasting room. As far as I could see, all guests were consistantly treated very well, very promptly and all seemed to be having a great experience. We tasted the wine, wrote down notes, talked about it and just really enjoyed the experience. When we finished the wine (a nice chardonnay by the way), Nicole was over at our table with the next taste. I was honestly impressed with how she was paying attention to her guests and making sure all were being served promptly and politely. Again, we tasted, wrote down notes, etc...
This went on through five tastes. Nicole was always willing to answer questions and never made us feel like she was rushed or didn't have time to talk to us.
Out of all fairness, Domaine Serene was an excellent experience. The wines were incredible, very enjoyable and certainly worth purchasing. In fact we bought three bottles of wine and will be back to buy more! Nicole is to be commended for providing excellent service and turning around our feelings about Domaine Serene. My apologies for the previously negative attitude. They have a $15 tasting fee, which is a bit high for some, but I felt well worth the wines and experience. I will absolutely be taking my guests there in the future!
So we added three more wineries to our tour line up. All three stops were excellent. We are so lucky to live here in Oregon. Come visit us and experience some of the best wine in the world.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Memorial Day Weekend
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND - May 26, 27 & 28.
This is the BIG weekend in the wineries. It is the official opening to the wine season. All of the wineries open their doors and excitedly present you their wines. They usually offer nice food to eat, plenty of wine to taste and other surprises.
We take out extra vehicles this weekend. We encourage you to put together a group of friends, family or coworkers and spend the day with us in Oregon's beautiful wine country. We usually go to those small craft wineries that are not normally open. Visit those hidden gems that may only produce 600 - 1000 cases of wine a year. Meet the wine makers / owners. Talk to them about their wines and share in their passion of wine.
Enjoy a great day. Book early, we always sell out!
Cost: $75.00/person.
This is the BIG weekend in the wineries. It is the official opening to the wine season. All of the wineries open their doors and excitedly present you their wines. They usually offer nice food to eat, plenty of wine to taste and other surprises.
We take out extra vehicles this weekend. We encourage you to put together a group of friends, family or coworkers and spend the day with us in Oregon's beautiful wine country. We usually go to those small craft wineries that are not normally open. Visit those hidden gems that may only produce 600 - 1000 cases of wine a year. Meet the wine makers / owners. Talk to them about their wines and share in their passion of wine.
Enjoy a great day. Book early, we always sell out!
Cost: $75.00/person.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)