Monday, October 21, 2013

Dundee Hills

Oregon Wine Country
Yesterday we went out to the Dundee Hills, one of my favorite Oregon wine-growing regions. The valley was full of fog, as seen in the background of this photo, but up in the hills it was sunny, and Mt. Hood was visible in the distance. This is the view from White Rose Estate.

Camera Roll-783
Our first stop was at Red Ridge Farms, but on the way there I noticed this scene by the side of the road.   I thought it looked like the bad part of town in The Shire.


Camera Roll-741
Next to this was a foggy, abstract scene that looked like another world.



Camera Roll-850
Up on the hill at Red Ridge Farms, it was still pretty foggy.  We looked around the shop and looked at plants.


Camera Roll-803
In a little while, there were moments when the sun would partly break through the fog.  The hill was covered with leaves.


Camera Roll-819
We went over to the Durant Vineyards tasting room next door.  I walked out on their deck and took this photo of the vines with the fog in the background.




Camera Roll-852
Then we went up to White Rose Estate, where we tasted some Pinot Noir, learned about the history of the area, and enjoyed the spectacular view shown in the first photo.

On the way back towards town, we stopped at the Maresh Red Barn tasting room.  I wanted to try some Riesling, and they didn't have any, but advised us to go to Crumbled Rock Winery just down the road. They did have the Riesling I was looking for.

Winemaking-1495

At Crumbled Rock, we also got to watch someone get inside one of the large vats and shovel the grapes out of the bottom.

We finished the trip with a great meal at Paulee Restaurant, then headed back home.

I always enjoy exploring the Dundee Hills area, and I discover something new every time I go there.