We recently had to go to Eugene and we decided to make an adventure out of it. Jill found a great internet deal at the Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove that allowed us to take the yellow stinky (our lab, Cotton). We thought since we were going to be done in Eugene at an early time, we could check in and then go wine tasting since there are an abundance of wineries in the area that we have not been to.
First on our list was Sweet Cheeks Winery. We picked it because of the cute, clever name and its proximity to other wineries we wished to visit.
Our server, Jessica, turned out to be the founder's granddaughter and she was able to familiarize us with the wines and the story. We were intrigued by the name and she explained that when the owner, Dan Smith, was first plowing for the vineyard, they were working toward a gully. As they stood on the hill overlooking the work, Pappa Charlie, Dan's father-in-law, said it looks like cheeks. To which Dan replied, "Yeah, they sure are some sweet cheeks". And a name was born.
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| Sweet Cheeks to be sure! |
We loved hanging out in the Tasting Room, it had an eclectic, rustic Hacienda-style atmosphere, with rough wood beams, a central bar and expansive views. The tasting room sits on top of the cheeks and the huge outside patio offers a panoramic view of the countryside.
The have a number of estate wines, as well as wines made with fruit sourced from the Rogue Valley. The also have a kegger-rator for the non-wine drinking clientele. My favorite wine was the 2012 Pinot Fusion, a red blend of 61% Pinot Noir, 21% Syrah and 18% Merlot (the Syrah and Merlot were both sourced from the Rogue Valley).
Our next stop was right across the street at Silvan Ridge Winery. Silvan Ridge is the oldest winery in Lane County (home to Eugene and the Oregon Ducks). Although it was a grey, rainy day, the Tasting Room was warm, inviting and also reminiscent of the Hacienda-style.
The Tasting Room has two rooms off to the side for events and large tastings. One room had a long, beautiful wooden table that could have easily seated 20+ people. Sorry, I did not get a photo, The main tasting area has a cozy bar and warm, gorgeous wood shelves displaying the wine and a beautiful stained glass window over the entry doors. It was both a familiar and comfortable setting.
We were treated a nice selection of wines from both the Willamette Valley and, again, from the Rogue Valley. With a number of great wines, one caught our attention, the 2013 Semillion. While it is only the second vintage of this varietal, it exhibits crisp, floral notes with a touch of toast and a creamy mouthfeel. The wine I was eager to sample was the 2011 Malbec and it did not disappoint. This is Silvan Ridge's first LIVE Certified wine, sourced from the Gold Vineyards in Talent (thanks Randy!)
While we thoroughly enjoyed the wines, something special really stood out. The gentleman standing next to us, Rod Morris from Oregon Travel Adventures, was a regular and we got into a wonderful conversation about travel and all things wine - Oregon (north and south), France, Varietals, the movie Sideways.
Ok, a side(ways) note here... in Sideways, they filmed the wine bucket scene at Fess Parker Winery, but it was renamed Frass Canyon Vineyards for the movie. FPW did not want that type of behavior to be associated with their winery. Frass was chosen because it is guaranteed that no winery will ever use that name... Frass is a term for bug excrement. Eww!
Anyhow, we had the most delightful conversation with Rod, he was a charming and enlightened companion to an outstanding tasting. Rod did turn us on to a new, to us, varietal, Picpoul de Pinet, which is great paired with oysters! We are looking forward to trying it out soon.
After a nice visit it was past closing for most of the other local wineries, but King Estate was open until 8pm, so off we went. That story will be coming shortly...
IN VINO VERITAS
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