Treehouse in O'Brien

A few years ago, a new winery took over the big red barn of Bridgeview in the Applegate.  We have been meaning to check it out, but so far had not had the chance. We did hear they had another one outside Grants Pass and we filled it for future reference.

A few weeks ago, Jill mentioned the Treehouse tasting room. I had no idea who or where it was. Then by happenstance, I was having a conversation with someone at work and it came up, they said, "oh, you mean Augustino Estate."  
I finally put two and two together and Jill and I made a trip out to O'Brien to check it out.

Yup, it is indeed a treehouse.  And, it is right on the West Fork of the Applegate River, with a gorgeous view of the Siskiyous Mountains.  It is a beautiful setting, even with the day's scattered clouds and showers.

We were greeted at the door by Rascal the Raccoon (more on him later). And we entered into a cozy, western themed tasting room, complete with swinging saloon doors, saddle chairs, elk antler fixtures and the owner Debbie who was more than happy to pour and share her story.

Debbie and Reggie have operated the Rocking R Ranch for 28 years, raising cattle and hay and also maintaining a vineyard for outside sales. In 2011, they decided that they should have their own winery and they started to stockpile some grapes for that eventual move.  Their nephew, who has lived on the ranch since he was 8 years old (he is now 24), now runs both vineyards.  Greg Paneitz (Wooldridge Creek) is their primary winemaker, with a host of other accomplished area winemakers contributing.

They have estate grown Pinot noir and Reislings. The vineyard receives the nice marine weather, with cool nights and not overly hot days; perfect growing conditions for those particular grapes. Debbie said every afternoon, they get a nice, cooling wind blowing up through the valley from the coast.  Their other grapes are sourced throughout the valley and they still contract some of their grapes off to other producers.

While the wines are outstanding, the first thing that immediately grabs your attention is the actual treehouse.  It was opened (along with the Big Red Barn) in 2017.  The family built the treehouse with help from the DIY Network's The Treehouse Guys, featured in the "O'Brien Oregon" episode and the "Godfather of Treehouses, Michael Garnier, from nearby Takilma and Treesort who was the specialist/engineer of the project.  While the tasting room is on living, growing trees, they have not had any issues with the safety or integrity of the building. It was built on seismic rollers to allow for movement of the trees, wind, etc. It is an engineering marvel. 

Ok, now on to the wines. Although they have only been producing for a number of years, they are already receiving accolades for their outstanding wines. We started off with the Angelina, a dry Syrah/Malbec rose with 0 residual sugar (RS). This is sure to be a great summertime refresher! We next tried their Pinot Grigio (nice acidity and fruit) and a Chardonnay (Jill's favorite).  They also have a Rock N Red, a Cab/Merlot/Syrah blend. The Cab gives this wine great structure and firm tannins and is sure to age wonderfully (as will their single varietal Cab).  
We were treated to my favorite of the day, the 2016 Tempranillo which won Double Gold at the prestigious San Francisco Chronical Wine Competition.  (The wine also won gold at the New Orleans International and was poured at the New Orleans Four Tops in November 2018.) The 2015 Pinot noir also took home gold at the SF competition. Overall they had quite the haul, they entered five wines and won five awards - 2017 Pinot Grigio won silver. 2016 Pinot Noir won Silver. “Caramella” Dessert wine won Silver.  In 2018 the 2014 Syrah has won Best in Class at the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition as well.  Not bad for a relatively new winery!!!  
We finished off the tasting with the Augustino Celebration (Semi Sparkling) which would be fabulous with blue cheese and the 2015 Pinot Noir Port “Caramella” Dessert Wine, which as a Pinot Port-style wine is less viscous than your average tawny Port and paired great with the dark chocolate. The Caramella offers a delicate acidity to offset the luscious creaminess of the chocolate. (YUM!)

After tasting, we wandered the deck overlooking the property and had to ask about the raccoon mascot at the front door. Debbie explained that it was a menace that terrorized the property for years, opening containers, throwing things in the pond and being a general nuisance. Apparently, he eventually succumbed to a passing vehicle and one of the hands is a hobby taxidermist and preserved him as the tasting room mascot. His name is Rascal and he keeps diligent watch over the tasting room and guests. And he looks quite dapper in his bowtie.

We eventually retired to the seats by the fireplace for a glass of wine. The stones behind the stove came from their old bunkhouse (the ranch has been working since the 1800s) and the stove is a left-over from the 1930s. It is still working great we can attest, it was warm and cozy in the tasting room.

All in all, it was a great day. We enjoyed tasty wines, heard a great story and have a place this summer to come out to and escape the heat.

         Time to step in the way back machine.

Jill and I love to go out to Jacksonville, do a little shopping, some noshing, wine tasting in the surrounding areas. Back in 2011-2012, we enjoyed visiting Corks Wine Bar in town. Fred, Carol, Tracy and Ken were always hospitable and featured great wines.


Well, this day we popped into Corks and Jill felt like a Chardonnay. The only one they had on hand was one we had never heard about - 2010 Schultz Homeward Chardonnay. As we were unfamiliar with it, Ken informed us that it was a new winery and they had just won Best Chardonnay at the annual World of Wine Fest (more on that later). Jill trusted Ken's recommendation and gave it a whirl and absolutely loved it. We were blown away that an absolute newcomer could come this far, this fast.  We were able to find the wine in our travels, but they did not have a tasting room for us to explore.


Fast forward to this weekend and I had learned that they had opened their tasting room and we decided to go for it. We headed out to the Applegate Valley and found the former cattle ranch, now Schultz Glory Oaks® Vineyard, on Slagle Creek Road.

  

Upon arriving, we found an unpretentious tasting room with one group and the two owners, Debbie and Greg, in attendance.  

Greg greeted us at the door with genteel southern charm and invited us in.  Greg had a soft Louisiana accent, having spent a good amount of time there. I inquired about the accent and how he came to be a winery in Southern Oregon.  He explained that he was actually born in Oregon and his wife, Debbie, was born in Oklahoma.  They had decided that they wanted to go into the wine business, took some classes at LSU (Geaux Tigers), and then moved on to Cal-Davis for the Winemaking Certificate Program. As to Southern Oregon, they had no real connection to Washington or California, and as Greg was from Oregon, they found the Rogue Valley appealing. They liked the geography, geology and climate and after 7 years, they are loving it! I shared with him the story of our first exposure to his wine and he said, Fred's place, Corks! He explained that they named that wine Homeward to represent Greg's coming home to Oregon.

Greg went over the current plantings and plans for this year (more Bordeaux varietals being planted) and said that Linda Donovan at Pallet Wine Co. is still producing his wines.  The vineyard was designed to have a low-impact and sustainable approach to the land, they have their LIVE certification and they have a huge commitment to proper land stewardship.


They have a 60-acre site and produce approximately 700 cases per year, representing 8 varietals. They are taking a careful, measured approach, which fits their overall outlook and personalities.

 

They use native yeasts, utilize malolactic fermentations, do not filter and minimally handle the wine, and leave many of their wines on the lees in neutral oak barrels for a wonderful mouthfeel and flavor profile. Their wines exhibit a great sense of place, terroir.


Tastings are casual, they have about 7 wines available and you can taste any 5 for $5. Jill and I, as usual, varied slightly, but both thoroughly enjoyed the Viognier, Merlot and the Tempranillo Rose` (the Rose` is sure to be a major hit this summer). Of course, Jill still loves the Homeward Chardonnay. 😋





Greg and Debbie were wonderful hosts and we met some locals from Grants Pass who were great fun. Joe and Debbie have a Contemporary & Classic Rock Music duo called Ellipse and they play at local wineries. Joe is from Argentina and has some great stories and they both have wonderful, engaging personalities. We cannot wait to see them play (next is Friday April 6, 2018 - 5:00 to 8:00 pm, Schmidt Family Vineyards).

We are looking forward to returning and tasting more of their wines and seeing the new plantings grow and mature.  Oh! I promised more on that first vintage Chardonnay at the World of Wine... the story goes that not only did the Homeward Chard win Best Chardonnay, it was also one of two contenders for the Best of Show, ultimately won by JoePa at Plaisance Ranch for their 2010 Ginet Rose` (Plaisance will be another story so you will have to wait on that one!)


I will be blogging again as we begin to go tasting this spring, so please be on the lookout for new entries. I hope you enjoy our adventures and discover some of the wonderful wines (and stories) Southern Oregon has to offer. 

                                                                 CHEERS!

I am currently taking a class at SOU, Working in the Wine Industry.

I have found it to be fun and informative. Robert Trottmann, from Ledger David, is the instructor and has a wealth of knowledge to share. It is amazing to watch the young minds absorbing all that he has to offer, soaking up the information and looking forward to starting out on their own amazing careers.

As part of my classwork, I had to do a research project on where I would like to be in the wine industry. Since I so thoroughly enjoy writing this blog, I thought is appropriate to do my project on Grape Discovery. 

I have done a slide show presentation, so if you would like to see it click on this 

LINK

Wine brings to light the hidden secrets of the soul, gives being to
our hopes, bids the coward flight, drives dull care away, and teaches
new means for the accomplishment of our wishes.

-   Horace

Random Thoughts

Greetings!  I thought I would just share a few random thoughts with you this week.

Recently while working in the Tasting Room, the discussion arose regarding the tremendous proliferation of wineries in Southern Oregon, I was asked what I thought about it and did it bother me. This was a good question that I had to pause and reflect about before answering. Of course, competition is good and Southern Oregon has been supportive in welcoming new businesses to the fold. But, beyond that, my response was the rapid expansion we have experienced is good as long as it brings along with it a corresponding increase in quality. More great wines in the valley is a welcome addition as it brings more attention to Southern Oregon. There are many wineries in the valley that are producing highly-rated wines which raises the overall profile of Southern Oregon wines. Any addition to that list is sure to be good from a consumer, oenophile and business standpoint.

When I first stated there must have been around 30 wineries in Southern Oregon, today there is approximately 70, and more to come as I've heard on the "grapevine."

I remember many years back, while I worked at RoxyAnn Winery, Ron Stringfield of Galaxy Distributors and a Garagista in his own right, helped organize a monthly blind peer-tasting amongst the valley winemakers. I had the occasion to work one of these events and I must say, it was enlightening. There is nothing quite like a winemaker ripping apart a wine, only to discover it was one if their own. What these tastings ended up doing, however, was to create a conversation and a way for the winemakers to share their successes and failures.  I saw a marked improvement in the region's wines overall after these little soirees.  As the old saying goes,

 "a rising tide lifts all boats." 

As to personal reasons, namely this blog and my own wine enjoyment, I enjoy seeing the advent of new wineries, it means new places to go and new wines to try and more blogs to share with you.  The journey of discovery continues.  On a professional note, it means new career opportunities, new tourism attractions and a welcome addition to our local economy.

To learn more about Southern Oregon Wines, please visit the Southern Oregon Winery Association or for info on Oregon wines in general, visit the Oregon Wine Board

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.

 -Aristophanes

Linda Donovan Wines

Wine tasting comes in many forms.  It can be a friendly tasting with friends at home, it can be a big wine event, it can be at the local store as reps ply you with their latest releases, or it can be at a winery or tasting room.  Even within the confines of the tasting room, there are a myriad of approaches to presenting the wines. Some tasting rooms offer tastings and then wines by the glass and bottle for on-site consumption, often with musical accompaniment, food and other attractions to round out the experience. Others still take a more simple approach, invite you in, taste the wine, enjoy, tell the story and maybe sell you a bottle or twelve.

The latter approach is what is offered up at Linda Donovan’s new tasting room. Linda is an accomplishe winemaker who runs Pallet Wine Company in Medford and produces her own labels as well as labels for small wineries  throughout Southern Oregon. Pallet is a humming, busy place, but it does not offer wine tasting. Initially there were plans to do a tasting room at the facilities, but time and space concerns dictated otherwise.

Recently, Linda decided it would be good to open a small, simple tasting room where she could serve her wine and tell her story. She chose a site on her sister’s Valley View Orchard, right next door to the orchard’s historic farm stand. It has an open air feel with a large roll-up door, a bright, basic room and a wonderfully expansive vista overlooking Ashland. 

The Linda Donovan Wines Tasting Room takes a basic approach – it is only open Thursday – Sundays, from 1pm - 6pm and no glass or bottle consumption is available. She prefers to let the wines be the center of attention and the stars of the show. She certainly has accomplished this style. We had a great time sampling wines, playing with her large yellow lab Finnigan and taking in the information Linda was all too happy to share with us.

We opened with a 2011 “Le Jeune Chien” Sauvignon blanc. I love a nice, crisp sauv blanc and this did not disappoint. I had to ask as to the name and Linda explained that a while back, she had two old dogs that she had been with many years. After their passing, friends kept saying get a new dog, so she ended up living up to the belief that you should adopt, don’t breed or buy. This dog became Le Jeune Chien or the young dog.  

Next up was a 2011 Late Bloomer Dry Gewurtztraminer, which had “nothing sweet about it”. It was dry, dry, dry for a Gewurtz, a perfectly crisp wine on a hot day or for pairing with food.

We moved on to reds with a 2008 Linda Donovan Tempranillo, made with grapes from Fortmiller Vineyards, which always produces smooth, delicious fruit. This rich wine was a mouthful with beautiful, smooth-grain tannins. After the Tempranillo, we had a chance to taste a 2010 Long Walk Vineyard Mouvedre, grown on property at Valley View on the Corner Vineyard. Mouvedre is rarely a single variety, often paired as a GSM, but this wine is gorgeous with earthy spicy tones and a (savory) umami mouth feel. As a special treat we had the opportunity to sample the 2010 Orchard Red, a blend of Long Walk Vineyard consisting of 29% Mouvedre, 14% Gernache, 29% Cinsault and29% Carignan, a unique wine with surprising depth and character.

Before we left, Linda offered us a sample of her value label, Pick Me. These are the perfect Tuesday night wines, with a Pick Me White, a blend of Semillion, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc and the 2009 Pick Me Red Merlot. Priced at $8 each, these wines are perfect for the non-occasion occasion, a second bottle or a quick nip.  :-)

It is my belief that every wine producer in Southern Oregon would be well served to offer $8 bottles of wine, but that is for a later post. Linda subscribes to this theory as well, much to my delight.

So, for a simple, laid back and totally relaxing tasting, and great wines to boot, I highly recommend visiting Linda Donovan’s Tasting Room at Valley View Orchard in Ashland. 

I do not think you will be disappointed.

p.s. While camping at Howard's Prairie last weekend, we ran out of wine! A quick jaunt to the HP store and we found the Pick Me Red and White, which was enjoyed around a roaring campfire with wonderful company.

Rosella Vineyard & Winery and others...

This weekend saw us revisiting many of our favorite haunts.  On Friday, we went to Dunbar Farms/Rocky Knoll Vineyards to checkout out their Belgian Draft horses, Bonnie & Clyde, they are using to cultivate their land. While there, we also enjoyed a nice glass of Rocky Knoll Dunbar Red, a very nice, easy to drink Cab Sauv, Cab franc & Merlot blend.

Afterward we went to to RoxyAnn for Friday night music where we were treated to TC & the Reactions rocking the house. Catch these guys, they are a vary talented band that performs "Power Rhythm & Blues". We enjoyed the RoxyAnn Viognier, always a tasty and refreshing wine on a hot summer eve, and got to share in some bubbly (not sure what we were drinking at that point, too busy dancing and visiting with the old gang).

On Saturday, we were off to the beautiful Applegate Valley. Local legend has it that there are more airline pilots per capita living there than anywhere on the west coast. Apparently, when flying from San Francisco to Portland and Seattle, there is always a break in the clouds over this little valley, revealing an amazing view from above. Upon visiting you can experience it yourself; the weather is beautiful, they have more blue sky days than the Rogue Valley and it is a gorgeous valley, unspoiled by development and "progress". It is also home to a growing number of excellent wineries. One can make a day of visiting the various tasting rooms, each with their own, unique story.  We spend a lot of time out there, as the in-laws are Applegate residents, so you will be hearing more about the Applegate in the future.

We enjoyed the day with the in-laws (out-laws?!) and ended up at Rosellas Vineyard and Winery.  Rex and Sandi Garoutte opened it back in 1998, concentrating on making quality wine from self-grown fruit.  They currently grow Cab Sauv, Merlot, Chardonnay, Zin and Syrah.  They produce nice, smooth wines with great fruit and low tannins. Rex achieves great balance with his wines and are always quite tasty.

I absolutely love going to Rosellas, it is the most unadorned, unassuming tasting room, very intimate... it must be 12' x 15' inside, but  Rex and Sandi have such effusive personalities, it feels much larger.  It may be small, but it is not lacking in the fun factor. Especially when Rex is holding court. He is a kick with a wealth of knowledge about grapes, farming, wine and the Applegate.

On this particular trip, we got to revisit his Merlot Blush. Wow, we loved it, it possesses great fruit, just a touch of sweetness and bright acidity with a light strawberry color. Rex has been kegging this wine for sale at the Britt Festival and was a huge hit last year!  His Cab Sauv is coming along great, the vines have been in the ground long enough that they are now well established and showing off some of the terroir of the property. Rex had a new wine, a sherry called Wai Kula "Liquid Gold", a fortified white blend. Amber in color, it shows nut and vanilla with spicy notes. It will make a great aperitif or as a special treat with some chocolate at the end of the evening. Rex called drinking the the Wai Kula, "running with scissors", meaning it is dnagerous- goes down easy and packs a bit of a wallop! Rex did assure us we can open it, put the cork back and forget about it, no hurry to finish this bottle, savor and enjoy!

We thank Rex and Sandy for their hospitality and friendship; do not miss this winery when you venture out to the Applegate. You will not be disappointed.

We will be back on the wine trail in coming weeks and we will share with you. Until then...

CHEERS!

WHERE ARE WE?

Can you identify this winery by

the brief shot provided?

Please answer in the comment section below....

WHERE ARE WE?

Starting this week, we will be posting weekly pictures of 

Southern Oregon Wineries. 

Our challenge to you is to tell us "Where We Are" by the snippet we provide.

Please answer in the comment section below...

Can you tell us Where We Are?

DANCIN VINEYARDS

After the craziness of the Memorial Day/Opening weekend, we ventured back out to Dancin Vineyards with a group of friends.

They stay open until 8pm on Fri & Sat, later than most vineyards, and we made an evening of it. We sat on the patio that provides a great view of the valley, but one of the day's frequent rain showers drove us under the covered alcove by the front door. Offering table-side service, we sat down to enjoy a few glasses of wine. The day's flight had a great offering of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Malbac and Malbec Rosé. Dancin is the only tasting room I know that serves in the big, beautiful Pinot Noir glass. Along side they have a small carafe in which they serve the 5 oz. glass pour. All in all, it is a wonderful presentation, classy and very unique.

We watched with great interest as a party left the wine cave. As curiosity overcame us, we just had to go see what was in there.

 Dan, one of the owners (Cindy being the other) offered to show us the Cave. We expected a giant, deep cave carved into the hillside. Instead we were treated to a beautiful, intimate, tastefully appointed room with a gorgeous dark wood dining table running down the middle that can seat 10 people. Dan informed us that they could serve more with different configurations. At this time, rental is based on food and wine sales, but Dan said they were customizing the rates for each occasion. We were intrigued and look forward to have a small party there in the near future.

As some members of our group departed for further

adventures, Dan came out an chatted with us, covering a wide range of topics from wine making philosophy, Cave rental, tastings and fees, wine club, the use of chickens, plans for music and more. Dan is the the wine grower and assists Eric Weisinger in the winemaking. It is good to see Eric back from New Zealand and being involved in this project. 

 Behind the gorgeous Tuscan-style tasting room is a lovely lawn area shaded by a Black Walnut and other big mature trees. Along side is an unusual Chicken Condo, where they rotate chickens out to mobile Chicken coops, called tractors,  in the vineyards. The tractors are large enough that the chickens can move about, scratch up the weeds and their waste helps fertilize the vineyard. The chickens seem to be a major hit, kids and adults alike are fascinated by their antics.

Dan told us, they they will be concentrating on making top flight Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, but are augmenting their line-up with Velocity Cellars wines- Velocity, Malbec and the aforemention Malbec Rosé (my drink of choice for the evening, that's right- Real Men Drink Pink!). The also have a delicious Dana Campbell Viognier and there are plans to add a Rosenblum Zinfandel. Love what they are doing, there is a certain synergy to their offerings that works great.

In addition to the wines, Dan's wife Cindy (Dan+Cindy= DanCin) runs a stunning little food service with fresh baked artisan breads, thin crust pizzas made in a wood-fired pizza oven, desserts, cheese and deli plates and a host of other delectable delights. Their tasting notes offering food pairings for each wine, so you can best experience the tastes.

Dan and Cindy have been together 17 years and have figured out what makes them function best. Dan said that within the name DanCin, they are "fine as long as they stay between the 'n & c'." In other words, perfectly balanced right down the middle. This shows through in their wines, food and atmosphere. It is a comfortable place with attentive staff that really puts it best foot forward. 

The logo itself encompasses their winery. The seven dots along the top represent the 7 Pinot Noir clones they use, the Dan and Cin and two distinct boxes, surround by one box, unifying them together.

We had a brilliant evening with our friends and Dan certainly added to the enjoyment of discovering Dancin Vineyards. We would certainly like to thank him for opening a very special bottle of Rosenblum 2001 Maggie's Reserve Zinfandel, it was a special treat and greatly appreciated. The wine has held up great and is delicious to the last sip.

For more information, please visit the...

Dancin website

Dancin Facebook page

QUADY NORTH

We recently popped into Quady North in Jacksonville. What a fun, funky little place. From the outside, it looks like the typical turn-of-the-century building in J'Ville. Inside, it is an intimate room with whitewashed walls, modern, colorful furniture and a cool, breezy air about it. The first thing I learned- it is pronounced Qwah-Dee, not Qwāy-Dee, as I've always thought.

Jeannie took us through a tasting, I was particularly fond of the 2011 Rose`, a Syrah/Granache blend that epitomizes the “new style” of American Rose`s- clean, dry with a great nose and supple acidity. In other words, a perfect summer wine.

I got chatting with a wonderful couple from McMinnville who told us of a guy up there making oak stave furniture (from used wine barrels), in particular, an Adirondack chair that had notched arms for wine glasses- brilliant! This let to a story that owners Herb & Melanie Quady had a baby last year and had received a cradle made from a wine barrel. Wow, talk about starting them young. Future winemaker there, or at least an aficionado.

Speaking of children, Herb makes a great Syrah called 4-2,A, a term created by his daughter. Little Margaux was blending juice and water and called her concoction 4-2-A, or fourtooay (she thought of chardonnay, Cabernet, Viognier). If not winemaking, she has a bright future in marketing.

One last trick I learned- if using a wine barrel as a planter, put plastic gallon jugs on the bottom as fill to make the planter lighter. This still gives you plenty of soil. I wish I thought of that before I planted my tomatoes. But, luckily my ½ barrel is on castors, so I can roll it into the sun for best exposure.

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

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!