"Off-Season" Touring in
the Oregon Wine Country
ON-LINE
WINTER DISCOUNT COUPON
If
you thought visiting wineries was only a fair-season pastime, think again.
Pacific Northwest wineries with winter hours are abundant, with most open
year-round -- a sure cure for
your cabin fever.
No
matter which wine region you prefer, you will find most of the wineries open during
the first few months of the year. Now is a perfect time
to explore a variety of wineries and plenty of Northwest wines. You are
sure to receive more personal attention, face fewer crowds, and enjoy a
refreshing
break
from your winter routine.
For
your touring pleasure, we have compiled a list of top-notch wineries that
welcome your visit... rain or shine or snow. So what are you waiting for?
Plan your winter getaway today!
North Willamette Valley
In
the northern portion of Oregon’s
Willamette Valley, from about Salem to Portland, numerous wineries
keep their doors open year-round, presenting a wealth of options for
memorable winter wine touring experiences. Heading
north from Salem, on Highway 99, you’ll come to Duck Pond Cellars,
just 25 miles southwest of Portland. The winery’s tasting room, open daily
from 11
am-5 pm, offers visitors an unusual tasting opportunity. Duck Pond wines
represent the flavors of several terroirs, growing regions in both
Washington and Oregon. Tours (available by appointment during the
winter) cost $3 per person for parties over ten.
Duck Pond Cellars - N.
Willamette Valley, OR
If
you plan to
visit this region soon, consider aiming for mid-March. In
March,
Duck Pond Cellars hosts “Pearls and Oysters” from 4-7 pm it releases two
new sweet-style wines during this special event. Guests will also be able
to taste Duck Pond’s Sparkling wines and Pinot Gris, and Desert Wind
Semillon paired with fresh oysters on the half shell.
Not far from Duck Pond
Cellars is the another family-owned and operated winery – Elk Cove
Vineyards, one of Oregon’s oldest wineries. Sales Manager Brad Potter
says winter can be the perfect time to visit the winery’s tasting room,
which is open daily from 11 am-5 pm.
“Visiting
us during the off-season is great if you want individual attention from our
staff, since we have fewer people through the tasting room. The scenery is
amazing during all seasons, but from the tasting room, you can watch the
storms roll in and out of our valley...it's quite ominous!”
Elk
Cove will host its Annual Windhill Release party in April when guests can
take advantage of some great discounts while tasting through a series of
Pinot Noir vintages from Windhill Vineyards.
**
"If you would test the soul of a friend, take him into
the
wilderness and rub elbows with him for five months! One of three
things will surely happen: You will hate each other afterward
with that enlightened hatred which is seasoned with contempt; you
will emerge with the contempt tinged with a pitying toleration,
or you will be close, unquestioning friends to the last six feet
of earth--and beyond. All these things will cabin fever do,
and more. It has committed murder, many's the time. It has driven
men crazy. It has warped and distorted character out of all
semblance to its former self. It has sweetened love and killed
love. There is an antidote--" . . . *
* Cabin Fever by B. M. Bower
