Food & Wine
I want you to make note of the date of this post. When you
see the 22 photos below, you will not believe they were taken in February in
Oregon. For some reason, we are enjoying outstanding weather. Just our luck
too, as DT's college roommate, Red, is visiting from frozen Chicago.
Red loves red wine, and wanted to spend the day touring
Oregon Wine Country. He didn't have to ask twice.
Before heading out to enjoy the beautiful day, I prepared a little nosh:
Just a little schmear with fresh dill, lox, capers and red
onion... on a cucumber slice.
Just a little schmear with fresh dill, lox, capers and red
onion... on pumpernickel.
Just a little schmear with fresh dill, lox, capers and red
onion... on a slice of boiled Yukon Gold potato.
Not a good idea to drink on an empty stomach!
Our first stop was down to our neighbors,
Ponzi Vineyards.
They produce delightful Pinot Noirs and a lush Dolcetto. DT is particularly
fond of Ponzi wines and we serve it often at our house. Imagine our surprise
when we saw daffodils blooming outside the Ponzi tasting room. In February. In Oregon.
A little freaky.
Dave is checking his watch. Don't want to start drinking
before noon. Flag was up, so the boys began their tasting. Of the three
vineyards we would visit today, Red liked the Ponzi pinot noir best. (It is
our favorite too... and we bought a case of their wine.)
Ponzi wines
Next stop was to
Archery Summit,
one of the premier winemakers in Oregon. They only produce pinot noir and
only use grapes grown on their own property. They are also one of the few
Oregon wineries that have actual
caves where they age their wine. If you visit this winery, plan ahead
and book a tour to see the facility!
Today, at Archery Summit, we saw this:
Flowering trees. In February. In Oregon.
And here they are again, sampling more of that famous Oregon
Pinot Noir. Red and Dave are getting happier and happier.
But not too happy. At $100 a bottle, Archery Summit doesn't
give a very generous pour. Archery Summit has a spectacular property and the
views were amazing!
The vines have been recently pruned back and haven't started
to sprout yet.
But with this weather, I suspect everything is going to be
busting-out soon.
It was so nice, we decided to enjoy our wine on the patio.
Look! The photographer stepped in front of her camera!
One can't survive on wine alone. Time for lunch! Of course,
we took Red to the
Dundee Bistro. It is owned by the Ponzi's and they feature local foods.
Today we dined on the outdoor patio. In February. In Oregon.
The boys shared a plate of oysters. The plate was garnished
with a ton of freshly-cracked black pepper.
Red ordered a pizza with mushrooms and pancetta.
Dave and I split a Pizza Margherita (tomatoes, mozzarella
and fresh basil). The Dundee Bistro version also has oven-roasted Roma
tomatoes!
Romaine leaves, apple slices, grapes... if a Caesar Salad
and a Waldorf Salad had a baby... it would be this salad. Delicious.
One last winery to visit -
Domaine Drouhin. Founded by a French family in 1961, Domaine Drouhin is
just above the hill from
Red Ridge Farms,
the Oregon olive oil producer. (Yes, we now grow olives in Oregon too.)
Mt. Hood (center of the photo)
Today, from Oregon Wine Country, we could see south to Mt.
Jefferson and north all the way to Mt. Rainier in Washington State! What a
day!
From the main tasting area, we had a view of a private
wine-tasting at Domaine Drouhin. Domaine Drouhin is famous for their pinot
noirs, and they also produce a non-oaked Chardonnay.
This is Jon and Jodi. We do not know them. You may notice a
bit of bling on Jodi's finger? Jon placed that ring on her finger while we
were at Domaine Drouhin this afternoon! He proposed to her on the patio.
Jodi said "yes".
It was just a perfect day. In February. In Oregon.
Until my next update, I remain, your "ahhh, how sweet!"
correspondent.