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Sunday, September 13, 2015

2015 Western Trip – Day 40 – First Wine Tasting Day

Even though we were staying seven full days in McMinnville, the final three were over Labor Day weekend, so we’ve structured our stay to attempt to avoid the crowds.  We began the first day with a visit to Crescent Café for breakfast.




Their offerings were not just your normal breakfast fare as you can see on their menu.  Pat had the Fried Cornmeal, Bev had Chicken Hash, and I had Creamed Chicken and Biscuits which I really enjoyed - it was something I haven’t had in a long, long time.


For our afternoon activity, we decided to hit a few wineries but first a little background.  This area refers to itself as the Burgundy of America because they grow mainly Pinot Noir and Chardonay grapes.  There are 400+ wineries within a 50 mile radius of here so deciding where to begin was a monumental task.  Fortunately, blogger buddy Cathy (Wives With Knives) lives here and she gave us her list of favorites as a place to begin.

Our first stop was the Stoller Family Estate which had a beautiful tasting room and grounds overlooking the vineyards running up the hill.






We liked their wine and bought a bottle of Rose for Pat and a bottle of Pinot Noir for us to go with the steaks we were grilling for Pat’s BD.

The next visit was to Sokol Blosser Winery which also had a very pretty tasting area - vines everywhere were loaded with grapes.





We only liked one of their wines, a semi-sweet, so we bought some for Pat.

And the final stop for the day was to Argyle Winery for some bubbly.  They also had a large and brand new tasting area. (Judging from the tasting rooms, all of the wineries are doing okay).



They made most of their sparkling wines from Chardonay and some from Pinot Noir which we knew we preferred after a visit to Champaign France many years ago.  So the nice lady taking care of us agreed to let us taste the ones we wanted rather than their normal offerings and we ended up buying a half case of the one we really liked.  We may have to go back and get a reload before we leave the area.

After a delicious breakfast, some great wine, and a BD dinner, I considered it a day well spent.

Trivia - long before the arrival of the grape, the Willamette Valley was a major agricultural area with some areas having a half mile of soil depth.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

9/1/15 event date

11 comments:

  1. Whats not to like about a day like that?
    Good food, good wine and good company

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  2. Both the breakfast place and the wineries are very upscale. Very nice! I know it must have been a great day.
    Sam

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  3. Looks like you are having a GREAT Birthday Breakfast. Enjoy your day!! Safe Travel back to East Tennessee friend.

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  4. We have stayed at the Hotel Oregon in McMinville. They are a Mcmenamins establishment. The Mcmenamins go to historical sites and turn them into bed and breakfast/breweries and wineries. If you get a chance you should see the Edgfield in Troutdale. I personally think Oregon is a lot nicer then Washington. Their parks system is top notch.

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  5. Looks like fun...Terry is enamored with your chicken and biscuits! We have never wine tasted in that area of Oregon. We have gone to some mighty good wineries around the Eugene area.

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  6. I'm with Terry. That chicken and biscuits looks wonderful. Haven't had that in years. Not a wine drinker but for some reason wineries are always in such beautiful areas.

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  7. Larry, Another restaurant tip! Interesting menu at the Crescent Cafe... Fried Corn Meal...is something that my mother used to make when I was a pre-teen/teenager. We called it corn meal mush and served it with syrup. Its hard to find in the grocery store. Your breakfast was right up my alley...add Tabasco and I'd be good to go. Buy enough of that wine to bring home and share! Great looking wineries! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  8. Sounds like a day well spent Larry. Hope you will have the chance to see Cathy.

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  9. I had to look up the location of the restaurant - thought you were in McMinnville Tennessee - haha - I thought you must have drove home! Love the breakfast and the wineries. A day well spent is a good day!

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  10. I love the vineyards when they're still loaded with grapes. Sounds like a fun day. Ingrid @LiveLaughRV.net

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  11. I am glad you had a nice time tasting wines. It's such a beautiful area and I find the wineries themselves are stunning.

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