Wine
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When the weather outside is chilly...
"Off-season" wine touring in Pacific Northwest wine country
An ever-increasing number of
Pacific Northwest wineries have expanded their tasting room
hours to include the "off season;" many now invite
visitors to their wineries year round. When cabin
fever strikes, remember, no matter what the season, you can
enjoy the discovery of newly released wines and a warm
welcome from the staff of Pacific Northwest wineries, or
even their winemakers. Just choose a wine region
to find
wineries open to visitors year round, and others open at least
through the
December holidays, fun spots for holiday shopping.
There are advantages to
wine touring in the "off
season;" a wintertime winery visit is likely to result
in less competition for the tasting bar and more personal attention... at least for the
time being, until the word gets out that wine touring is an anytime thing.
If you want to stay a while in the
region of your choice, you will recognize another advantage to
making plans for traveling this time of year;
competition for wine-country
lodging and dining
reservations is miniscule compared with other times of the
year, and prices are bound to be less.
If you would rather have someone else to plan your own wintertime tour,
tour guides in the regions can
do it for you. They are bound to know the best of the
chilly-weather hotspots. Many guides and driving
services will allow you to choose from a number of wineries,
or set your own itinerary.
For those who want to plan their own itinerary -- for an
afternoon, a weekend or longer, or those who seek only a
virtual tour, we offer the following suggestions for your
wintertime touring pleasure.
Oregon
Washington
Idaho
British
Columbia
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In Oregon...
starting from the south
Vineyards
and wineries are proliferating throughout the recently
authorized Southern Oregon AVA., a macro appellation
encompassing the smaller appellations of the
Rogue
and
Applegate
valleys
in the southernmost part of western Oregon, as well as the
Umpqua Valley appellation in
the greater Medford area and points north to Elkton.
This means there are plenty of wintertime wine-tasting
opportunities in Southern Oregon.
A wide
variety of wine grapes are grown here, thanks to wealth of
micro climates throughout the warmer end of the state. Climates
in the Southern Oregon appellation vary from cool and wet in the west
-- where Oregon's coastal mountains bring a marine influence
-- to warm and dry
along the I-5 corridor and Applegate Valley. The vast
array of micro climates makes possible the growing of many
different wine-grape varieties. Southern Oregon offers
an excellent selection of wines such as Bordeaux-style blends,
Pinot Noir, Mescolare, Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo and Viognier, to name a few.
Southern Oregon appellations
and Wintertime Touring
The Rogue
The Applegate
The Umpqua
The Rogue
If Southern Oregon is
your chosen off-season destination, several wine-touring opportunities await
you in the Rogue Valley
appellation... to say
nothing of the culture and fine dining for which the area is
well known.
Eden Valley Orchards
-- born of an Oregon donation land claim, is a destination
complex today rich in history... and its selection of
hard-to-find Rogue Valley wines. The Rogue Valley Wine Center
is the name of Eden Valley Orchards' tasting room and retail
wine shop. Housed in the historic Voorhies Mansion, the
Wine
 Center
offers opportunities to taste and purchase wines from not only
the resident winery EdenVale Estate, but eight other Rogue
Valley wineries as well... most without tasting rooms of
their own. Labels represented include Granite Peak,
Griffin Creek, Lorelli, Shasta View, Slagle Creek, Troon
Vineyard, Wooldridge Creek and, of course, EdenVale Estate.
The opportunity to
taste a number of Rogue Valley wines in one location is only
one reason people visit the Eden Valley Orchards complex.
Originally established by Joseph Stewart on 770 acres, Eden
Valley Orchards was the birthplace of the Rogue Valley pear
industry. Stewart sold the property in 1898 to Col. Gordon
Voorhies, who became the chief pear baron of the region.
Today, the Voorhies
Mansion retains its cultural and historic role as a gathering
place and has become a well-known and loved landmark in
Jackson County. Its proportions, surrounding amenities
and valley views continue to attract contemporary guests as
well.
This gracious mansion and picturesque property is
the "place and story" that anchors the Rogue Valley's
agricultural history and remains the heart of pear country.
Historic tours are a
popular activity during the late-spring through fall months;
wintertime visitors can still enjoy parts of the mansion and
plenty of brochures and historic information.
EdenVale Estate
(Tue thr Sat, 10-5 - Sun, Noon-4)
Eden Valley Orchards
2310 Voorhies Road
Medford , OR 97501
541-512-2955
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Mini-Guide
to
Off-Season-Friendly
Wineries
Oregon
Rogue Valley
Ashland Vineyards
(Tues
- Sun, 11 - 5)
Bridgeview
(Daily, 11 - 5)
Del Rio Vineyards
(Daily, 11 - 5)
Foris
Vineyards Winery
(Daily, 11 - 5)
LongSword/Fiasco
(Weekends, 11-5
@ Fiasco)
Paschal Winery
(Winter: Tues
- Sun 11 - 5)
Rogue Valley Wine
Center
(Tue - Sun,
10 - 5)
Roxy Ann Winery/
Velocity Wine Cellars
(Daily - 11 -
6)
Weisinger’s Winery
(Winter:
Weds - Sun, 11-5)
Winery contact and address information
Applegate Valley
Rosella's Vineyard &
Winery
(Thurs
- Mon, 11-5)
Troon Vineyards
(Daily 11 – 6,
except closed
January)
Valley View Winery
(Daily - 11 to 5)
Valley View's
Anna
Maria tasting room
-
Jacksonville
(Daily,
11 - 4)
Winery contact and address information
Willamette
Valley
Umpqua
Valley
Columbia Gorge
Northeastern Oregon
Washington
Idaho
British
Columbia
Wine Country Events
organized by wine region
Calendars:
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Del Rio Vineyards -- Located in Gold Hill, the
entrance to Del Rio Vineyards is the historic Rock Point Stage
Hotel
built in 1864. The building has been partially renovated
to serve as Del Rio’s wine tasting room. Much of the
building has been restored to its original state, and the
tasting room has the charm and warmth of days gone past.
Being the
largest of Southern Oregon's vineyards and one of the largest
suppliers of premium wine grapes to more than 20 Oregon
vintners, Del Rio’s tasting room -- like that of Eden Valley
Orchards -- offers the opportunity to taste not only Del Rio's
own label, but a variety of fine wines produced throughout our
local area, some from Del Rio Vineyard grapes.
Del Rio
Vineyards
(Daily - 11 to 5)
Off exit 43 of I-5
52 North River Road
Gold Hill, OR
541-855-2062
RoxyAnn Winery - Inspired by the Rogue
Valley’s natural beauty and bounty, RoxyAnn Winery was founded
in 2002 at the historic Hillcrest Orchard in east Medford that
has been bearing fruit for over 100 years. Gus Janeway
oversees production of RoxyAnn Wines as well as four other
labels produced in the same facility, including his personal
project, Velocity Wine Cellars.
RoxyAnn
Winery
(Daily - 11 am - 6 pm;
Friday Spring Jazz Series 6:30 - 8:30 pm)
3285 Hillcrest Road
Medford, OR 97504
541-776-2315
Weisinger's of
Ashland
Vineyard & Winery --
Located in the southernmost part of the state, Weisinger’s
family-owned winery is open from Wednesday to Sunday 11 am-5
pm during the "off-season months" of October through April. This boutique winery on
the outskirts of Ashland features both a tasting room and a
gift shop, and offers personal in-depth tours by appointment.
The tasting room affords a spectacular, panoramic valley view,
letting you appreciate the snow-capped Cascade and Siskiyou
Mountains as you try the wines of southern Oregon vineyards.
Weisinger's of Ashland
(Spring & Summer -
Daily 11 am to 5 pm
Fall & Winter -
Weds - Sun 11 am to 5 pm)
3150 Siskiyou Blvd
Ashland, OR 97520
541-488-5989
If you
plan to stay
in the Ashland area a night or two, consider staying at Weisinger’s
very own
Vineyard
Cottage... a great place according to “The Best Places
to Kiss in the Northwest.” Cottage guests are treated to a
wine and cheese basket and an insider’s look at the winemaking
process.
Applegate Valley
Heading
west from Medford on Hwy 238 will take you to historic
Jacksonville and
Southern Oregon's
Applegate Valley
appellation.
Valley View Vineyards invites wintertime travelers
to visit them in two locations… their Anna Maria tasting room
in Jacksonville, open 11 am-4 pm daily,
and their beautiful Wine Pavilion in the historic vineyards of the winery
just a nine miles west of Jacksonville.
- Valley View Winery
(11 - 5 Daily)
Applegate Valley
- 1000 Upper Applegate Road
- Jacksonville, OR 97530
- 800-781-9463
541-899-8468
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Valley View Winery
Jacksonville Tasting Room
(11 - 5 Daily)
Applegate Valley
125 West California Street
Jacksonville, Oregon 97530
Downtown Historic Jacksonville
800-781-9463
541-899-1001 |
In addition to the wide
range of wine varietals grown in this region, the
draw to the Applegate
Valley is warm weather and sunshine, as temperatures often
reach the 60’s as early as February.
The town of Jacksonville
offers a good variety of dining and lodging choices for
visitors to
the area.
Umpqua Valley
- page two
Wintertime Touring in
Northern
Oregon
Willamette Valley
Columbia Gorge
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Wine
News & Reviews
This Page Archived:
"Off-season" wine touring in Pacific Northwest wine country
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Copyright © 2006 - 2008 Susan R. O'Hara. All rights reserved.
Last revised:
May 22, 2008
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