Oregon’s Wine Country
Last weekend I took a trip to Oregon’s wine country in Dundee with my girlfriends for a day away in the land of Pinot. Under a perfectly blue sky, warm sunshine and the first hint of changing leaves on the vines, we made our way through three wonderful vineyards of Dundee. Dundee boasts over 30 vineyards and tasting rooms in its quaint, charming little town. We joined the trail of traffic and headed in the hills. First stop: Lange Estate Winery and Vineyards.
Not only were the views stunning from the hilltop looking over fields of grapes on the
vines below, but they were pressing grapes for chardonnay and the air was permeated with the sweetness of fresh, crisp grapes. A crowd had gathered on the lawn overlooking the vines and we headed inside for a taste. We opted for the $10 special, a fruit white, a chardonnay with hints of subtle pears and two reds covering the palate of pomegranates and berries. Divine.
When you can’t go to Tuscany, an hour outside of Portland hits the spot. We left Tuscany, for Japan and headed down the road to Torii Mor, known for their Pinot Noir and Japanese gardens. After a White flight of three smooth white wines we wandered out into the garden to a table in the shade. The perfect location for a girl’s day conversation and lots of laughter. Before we knew it we were rolling through hills of vineyards on an Indian summer’s day dancing to the radio and anticipating the final winery. We landed at Erath and didn’t even make it inside. We stood in awe at the landscape, the rolling hills in afternoon sun, the smell of warm red dirt and grapes, the whooshing of wind through the leaves. It was utterly breathtaking and the perfect photo opt. We stood taking it all in and for a moment and feeling like the world stood still long enough to let us imagine we were transported to the far away wine country of Europe. A heavenly Saturday.
Sarah McMurray is a wanderlust, a hopeful romantic, an artist, a writer and a passionate connoisseur of coffee and culture. She holds a BA from Seattle Pacific University and has been transitioning from higher education to the non-profit sector. Currently she resides in Bend, Oregon where she feels she is the luckiest girl in the world to call herself a native.
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