EARLY BIRDS GET THE (WINE) WORM…

The 10^th Annual World of Wine Festival will be August 22-25^th this year. A tip for all of you planning on attending- Tickets are $75, if you are a wine club member, check with your winery and see if you can get early insider tickets for $65.

For those of you who don’t know, WOW is a celebration and competition of local wines. Over 60 wineries participate; the only stipulation is the wines entered must be made from southern Oregon grapes. This means we get winemakers from all over the region involved, as well as, our local favorites.

I worked this event for a number of years as a server and arranging auction item donations and I always had a great time. When I worked the event, it was held at Del Rio Vineyards. Now they have moved to Jacksonville, where they have been able to grow the event from 1 day to a 4 day event, offering more opportunity to truly discover Southern Oregon Wines.

This is a terrific way to experience the fabulous wines that Southern Oregon has to offer. In addition to the wines, you also get a souvenir wine glass and chance to sample the area’s culinary delights- pizza, beef, jerky, cheese and chocolates in particular. There is a silent auction, raffle and wine wheel for added fun. I believe the entry fee is worth every cent.

We enjoy this event so much we have a framed collection of WOW posters hanging in our living room to commemorate the great times we have spent there.

I highly encourage you to consider the Grand Tasting Event, at the very least, on Aug. 25^th. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

http://www.worldofwinefestival.com/home

https://www.facebook.com/WorldofWineFestival

SOUTH STAGE CELLARS

We had a great time popping into South Stage Cellars on a recently Saturday afternoon/eve. Located in downtown Jacksonville, this historic location has a rustic charm all its own. With brick and rough hewn woodwork, a great fireplace and many hand-built pieces of locally built furniture, the tasting room is warm, inviting and homey.

The owners, Don and Traute Moore and their son Michael, own over 300 acres of grapes, many of which are sold to top winemakers throughout Oregon. The tasting room features many of these wines, as well as South Stage Cellars wines which are all crafted from the original Quail Run Vineyard.

There is a mantle along one wall that houses mason jars full of the various soils from each of the Moore's vineyards, giving customers a visual reference as to why same varietals grown at different sites taste different.

The Tasting Room is a cultural hub of Jacksonville, with a rotating artwork display, Wine & Dine Wednesday Nights (you must make reservations- it sells out), Friday Happy Hour, music on Friday and Saturday nights and a host of other, fun intriguing events that Manager Porscha Schiller dreams up. On this day, there was a wine club release being held in the garden out back. The deck and garden was full, but not crowded, and everyone seemed perfectly content. A special for the wine club was an offering of the new Carmenere, one of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux, France; now mainly found in Chile. It was being offered for a limited time and then being shipped back to the library for further aging. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to sample.

Connie who was working the Tasting Room was professional and very personable. She even gave some great advice for our dinner that evening. Upon hearing a tasting request, we decided a skosh is slightly more than a smidgen, just for future reference.

I happened upon Michael Moore who said the vineyards look great for so early in the spring. He told me they had budbreak all on the same day throughout the vineyards, regardless of elevation or location. He seemed quite happy and was optimistic for the growing season.

We had a few tastes and then a glass of South Stage Cellars Viognier, always one of my favorites, while listening to a gentleman singing and playing guitar. It was a perfect way to end the afternoon before dinner. 

South Stage Cellars Website 

South Stage Cellars Facebook Page