Rocky Knoll

Dunbar Farms, aka Rocky Knoll Vineyard, has started its farm stand for the spring with a great offering of veggies, bread, olive oils, and such. On Friday night, they had a small gathering to show the progress of their new Tasting Room/Farm Stand.

My better half had ordered some organic produce and farm fresh eggs and we popped in to sample their two red wines, the 2007 Dunbar Red and the 2006 Rocky Knoll Claret. I must say, wow! the Claret is aging nicely, really full bodied, great fruit and nice balance. We chose to have a glass of the Dunbar Red, the Claret's little brother. I had not tasted it in about a year and was delighted to see that it is holding up great with rich fruit and just the right amount of oomph! Easy to drink, very enjoyable. Of course a bottle made it home, but sorry to say, not through the night.

Tasting Room with a view...

The new tasting room/farm stand should be open by late summer, bureaucracy notwithstanding, and looks to be well thought out. It is very spacious with room for the tasting room, the farm stand, and a deck out back. The deck has a gorgeous view of the property, the western hills of Medford and the Table Rocks. The tasting room proper shares the view with expansive windows, making the room very open and bright. The doors leading to the deck are retractable, giving Rocky Knoll the ability to turn it all into one big space for events. The farm stand will have an honor box for self-service with a glass-front cooler and dry bin displays.

Retractable doors on the deck

David Mostue and his mother Emily, have great plans for the tasting room, keeping with the organic/sustainable theme of the farming operation. David's organic operation has evolved very well, he has added ancient grains and is having them milled the old fashion way. In turn, he is having bread made with the grains and sells the grains at the farm stand. No mechanical, modern operation is this, he does much of his farming with huge draft horses. It is this commitment to a simpler, arguably better way of living that guides the farm and vineyard in all of their efforts.

This promises to be a comfortable, relaxing and low-key atmosphere. Perfect for enjoying wine, fresh locally-grown produce, and the simpler things in life. A throwback, perhaps, but I think it genius. Aren't we all looking to find a way to step back from the day to day hassles of modern life? Rocky Knoll's tasting room and farm stand is sure to transport you back to a day when life was much more simple.

For more information, please visit... http://www.dunbarfarms.com
and http://www.rocky-knoll.com/ 

Night time at Rocky Knoll

Here's to the corkscrew - a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly.

-W.E.P. French

A friend with a corkscrew in time of need

is a handy friend, indeed.

:-)

(me)

Saturday was a blustery, rainy afternoon. In short, a perfect day to wine taste indoors. The Better Half and I decided to make a quick jaunt to Caprice Vineyards, about a mile from downtown Jacksonville on Old Stage Rd.

We entered a small, intimate tasting room packed with Alpaca products, many of which were hand crafted by Jeannie, the owner. In addition to grapes, Jeannie and her husband, Jim, also raise Alpacas.

Caprice Vineyards has only been around for a short while, but the vines have their own, unique history. Many years ago, the original owner, Tony Miglarese (spl), decided to plant grapes. He went to his family's vineyard in Southern Italy and brought back (smuggled) plants in his suitcase. The vines self-rooted and today produce the wonderful fruit that goes into Caprice Wines.

We were joined by two other couples, the cozy atmosphere made it ideal for socializing. A couple from Grants Pass and a young couple from Bend, on tour with Main Street Tours.

We had a great time talking with the them. The couple from Grants Pass were quite the wine aficionados. They belong to 10 wine clubs and currently have in excess of 400 bottles of wine. Of course, we all suggested we retire to their place and help them winnow down their collection. The guy was hilarious, he explained that he and his wife have an understanding that should he pass along before her, the new husband was not allowed to have his wine. He said, it will be one big party where everyone drinks all his wine. I suggested “Open Casket, Open Bottle”, to great laughs from all.

We had a wonderful time, we enjoyed their Claret (2011 World of Wine Gold Medalist), bought a bottle of the 2008 Cab and promised to return for a chance to visit the alpacas. That should be another story later on. 

https://www.facebook.com/CapriceVineyards

Have to say thanks to Mail Tribune Columnist Janet Eastman.  She wrote a great piece, Slow and steady, from vine to glass, where she discussed many of the region's tasting rooms. She has laid out our summer itinerary for us. I discovered a few new tasting rooms by reading the article and cannot wait to try them all! :-)

If you have not seen the column, it is at Slow and steady... . I encourage you to check it out.

We are hoping to be off to another tasting this weekend, stay tuned.

Cheers!

Wooldridge Creek Winery

St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic. -Adrienne Cook 

And that could not have been more true as we headed out to the Applegate Valley to WooldridgeCreek Winery to pick up our Spring Wine Club Release. Yes, and our Winter Release, we haven't been as prompt since my immobility.

The day was clear blue skies with fluffy white clouds and just a hint of a nip to the air. Of course, Wooldridge had their fire pits and heaters blazing away on the patio amid clusters of wine tasters. People were also sitting in the lawn chairs, enjoying the sunshine, as traditional Irish music was wafting in the background.

We went in the Tasting Room, a small, rustic, intimate room, to pick up our releases where we saw Winemaker Greg Paneitz holding court, as is his custom. It is always great to see Greg, he is personable, humble and knowledgeable.

Greg and his partner Kara Olma have been innovators since they arrived in the valley. They were amongst the first to put me on the path to discovering wine and I thank them for the knowledge, passion and friendship they have inspired.

Greg and Kara's newest innovation was putting wine in kegs for wholesale restaurant sales. It is a remarkably brilliant idea, keg the wine, keep it pressurized, guaranteeing a long shelf life, as well as being affordable to the establishment and the customer. In addition to the sales aspect, it also keeps the winery costs down as there are no bottles, corks, labels, boxes or foil to buy, not counting the cost of bottling and storage.  

Needless to say, this program has been a huge success in the Rogue Valley as more and more places support the local wine industry. To this end, Greg informed me that the building under construction behind the winery would be for keg storage as they ramp up their efforts into their next innovation. They are currently working with the Oregon Wine Board to put bulk wine into grocery stores. If all goes well, you will be able to bring in your container (or purchase one there) and buy wine by the ounce from the deli, like buying cheese or lunch-meat. Details are being worked out. The model for this is last year's Britt Festival, where this service was offered for the first time to great response.

During our conversation Greg and his attentive staff poured us some of their other wines, I particularly liked the 2009 Pinot Noir. It had great body, not too thin, wonderful depth and flavor with just the right amount of spicy zing.

After chatting with Greg and picking up our wine, we wandered outside to enjoy the nice day and try the release wines and accompanying appetizers. We tasted the 2011 Dry Gewurztraminer, a nice crisp, dry Gewurtz that Greg suggested to pair with the Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner we had later that evening. The Gewurtz was sampled alongside a Tandoori chicken and rice sample.

Then it was off to taste the red, a 2009 Zinfandel, a rich, full, not too jammy, Zin that paired nicely with a Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and Anchovy Butter. Yes, Anchovy butter, it sounds weird, but WOW! it was good and I am not an anchovy fan.

We sat down and visited, enjoyed another taste or two of the Zin and the sun before heading off to a traditional St. Patty's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage. Greg's recommendation was spot on, the Gewurtz stood up to the cabbage and balanced the meal nicely. It was the perfect pairing of food, wine and friends.

Sláinte!

 

Congrats to all of the recent winners at the annual Greatest of the Grape, held at 7 Feathers.

Kudos to Earl Jones' continued success for the  

The 2012 “Greatest of the Grape”:   Abacela – 2007 Tempranillo Reserve

This is the benchmark of not only Oregon Tempranillos, but all US Tempranillos!

See the winners of the various categories here..."Greatest of the Grape" Winners Announced 

 

My better half, Jill, & I had a chance to head over to RoxyAnn for a little Friday night wine and music. It was a nice night of old and new. We had a chance to see some old, familiar faces, catch up with the gang, taste some new wines and hear a new band.

It was a relatively quiet Friday night. The RoxyAnn Tasting Room has taken on a bit of a neighborhood wine bar character. Many people stop in after work for a glass or bottle, have a fruit & cheese plate and catch up with friends. There is also a regular group that patronizes the Friday Night music, which always draws a good crowd. The regular band had to cancel at the last minute, but Tasting Room Manager Brenda worked her magic, bringing in a great band at a moments notice. But, more on them later.

We had a chance to taste some recently new whites. The 2010 RoxyAnn Pinot gris and the 2009 RoxyAnn Viognier. Winemaker John Quinones has definitely put his imprint on the wines. They are still crisp, clean and wonderful, but with just the right amount of oak added to round out the flavors. They were also tasting the 2003 RoxyAnn Claret. This old favorite doesn't have the bright fruit it once had, but still is nice and smooth. What a treat!

While we were chatting we were visited by the new winery kitty, Mister. When we lived on property, we were adopted by the then winery kitty Bob. We still have her to this day, but that is a story for another time. Anyhoo, Mister was quite sociable and the staff was trying to find a permanent home for him, but we were not takers. 

 

The fill-in band turned out to be a wonderful surprise. The St. Clair Family was Father, 2 teenage sons and a young daughter. They took turns performing country/western and a little rockabilly. They truly were amazing, great voices and good performers all, even the young girl. We didn't intend to stay very long, but ended up listening all evening, After the set, the band wandered over to our table, we chatted and found out the Dad and boys will be on the 

TV show, The X Factor on March 31^st. 

We will be sure to tune in, so should you. With a glass of wine in hand, or course.

To top off the evening, the family has 5 acres and adopted Mister, giving the stray a new home. When we left the kids were debating who the cat was sleeping with. 

Yeah, like it's their call, that cat will sleep with who it wants.

We thought we were going to stop in and experience the same ole, same ole, but were happy to find an evening full of discovery!

Cheers!