Monday, May 17, 2010
Adelsheim Vineyard
A winery that's been a long time favourite of mine, Adelsheim is located in the Chehalem Mountain AVA, just off the 240 hwy, between Newberg and Yamhill. The first time I visited their tasting room at their estate vineyards was in January of this year, and my second trip back this May was as enjoyable as the first.
Their new tasting room facility is about a year old, and is lovely. New and modern without being pretentious, the facility is at the South end of their property, looking up the hill at their vineyards. Cindy in their tasting room helped me out my first time there, and remembered me when I was back this May. She is sweet and, again, unpretentious, while still being knowledgeable and passionate about Adelsheim's wines.
Adelsheim is one of the older wineries in Oregon, and was started in 1971. The wines are light and delicate, while still having enough structure to be cellared for up to ten years, in my opinion. The labels show pictures of different women important to the Adelsheim family, from other winemakers to family friends. Their Calkins Lane Estate Pinot Noir is a favourite of mine. It showcases the AVA well, while still being delicate enough to be identifiable as Adelsheim. Their Elizabeth's Reserve Chardonnay is beautiful as well. It has enough body and richness to be obvious as new-world Chardonnay, while showcasing the fruit and region well.
All in all, this tasting room is well worth the trip: convenient location, lovely, knowledgeable and welcoming staff, and amazing wines!
Their new tasting room facility is about a year old, and is lovely. New and modern without being pretentious, the facility is at the South end of their property, looking up the hill at their vineyards. Cindy in their tasting room helped me out my first time there, and remembered me when I was back this May. She is sweet and, again, unpretentious, while still being knowledgeable and passionate about Adelsheim's wines.
Adelsheim is one of the older wineries in Oregon, and was started in 1971. The wines are light and delicate, while still having enough structure to be cellared for up to ten years, in my opinion. The labels show pictures of different women important to the Adelsheim family, from other winemakers to family friends. Their Calkins Lane Estate Pinot Noir is a favourite of mine. It showcases the AVA well, while still being delicate enough to be identifiable as Adelsheim. Their Elizabeth's Reserve Chardonnay is beautiful as well. It has enough body and richness to be obvious as new-world Chardonnay, while showcasing the fruit and region well.
All in all, this tasting room is well worth the trip: convenient location, lovely, knowledgeable and welcoming staff, and amazing wines!
Oregon Wine Country
I spent a few days last week in the Willamette Valley for my birthday and a mini-vacation. As usual, I ended up working: learning a lot about the '07 and '08 vintages, more about the different sub-AVA's, tasting and drinking a lot.
In the next few days I'll be posting my thoughts on the different wineries I visited. And not just their wines, but also their locations, tasting rooms, and overall atmospheres.
To start us off, though, I thought I'd write a bit about my thoughts on tasting rooms/winery visits. It is shocking how much my view of a wine/winery changes given the demeanor of the person serving it. Moreover, I am much more likely to buy a few bottles at a winery if I feel that the person working there actually values their product, and has enjoyed chatting with me about it. It's bizarre: I went to a couple wineries whose wines I love, but got a rude vibe from the people working there, and now I have that feeling associated with their product (no names here, but check out the individual posts below). I'm not saying you have to smother every customer with attention, I know you may be busy, and some customers (including myself) hate that. But I think you can be happy to see someone walk through your door. And I know it's impossible to do that all the time: we all have bad/off days. But, seriously, if I walk in at 4:45pm and you close at 5, at least be okay with the fact that you have someone to keep you company for the last 15 minutes. And, you might even make one last sale of the day.
In the next few days I'll be posting my thoughts on the different wineries I visited. And not just their wines, but also their locations, tasting rooms, and overall atmospheres.
To start us off, though, I thought I'd write a bit about my thoughts on tasting rooms/winery visits. It is shocking how much my view of a wine/winery changes given the demeanor of the person serving it. Moreover, I am much more likely to buy a few bottles at a winery if I feel that the person working there actually values their product, and has enjoyed chatting with me about it. It's bizarre: I went to a couple wineries whose wines I love, but got a rude vibe from the people working there, and now I have that feeling associated with their product (no names here, but check out the individual posts below). I'm not saying you have to smother every customer with attention, I know you may be busy, and some customers (including myself) hate that. But I think you can be happy to see someone walk through your door. And I know it's impossible to do that all the time: we all have bad/off days. But, seriously, if I walk in at 4:45pm and you close at 5, at least be okay with the fact that you have someone to keep you company for the last 15 minutes. And, you might even make one last sale of the day.
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