From Grapevine to Glass…
There's a magic that comes from spending time in nature. John Muir knew it, so did Henry David Thoreau, and so did countless other writers and visionaries throughout history. It's a place to reconnect, dividing what is known from unknown in ourselves, our lives, the world. It comes as no surprise that I was the most excited for our fourth day touring the Willamette Valley day: Vineyard Tour Day.
We started our day at Evening Land Vineyards and I was ecstatic to visit their Seven Spring Vineyard. Apparently, in all my jittery joy, I didn't even think to question when Google Maps sent us to their old tasting room in Dundee instead of the vineyard, as they were two separate locations in late 2023. As we learned later on our tour, they're focusing all their efforts moving forward on Seven Springs and plan on building a subterranean tasting room in the vineyard. I hope to be among the first to visit as soon as their doors re-open. After ending up at the wrong location, my partner and I sped over to their vineyard, along a rollercoaster of winding Oregonian back roads only to end up driving down a lonesome fog covered road and ending up at the most precious little cottage at the forest's edge. Our host, Kevin, came out with two glasses and a big smile to welcome us to the property, the sun parting the clouds as we stared in wonder at what was hidden away in this beautiful corner of the world. He went on to explain the lay of the land- how the vineyard benefited from the Van Duzer Corridor much the same way the Côte d'Or does in Burgundy. That they focus on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Gamay and the pocket surrounded on three sides by towering pine trees is where they grow the grapes for their sparkling wines. I went on to explain how I was drawn to the winery because it was part of Rajat Parr's portfolio.
Pinot Noir on a Vertical Trellis System in all its glory
View from the center of Seven Springs Vineyard through the Tasting Glass
Rajat Parr was the man who mid-COVID (through a series of interviews with SommTV, including his role in the SOMM movies) inspired me to leave my budding career as a pastry chef and set out on a whole new journey. It feels silly to admit that this person, somebody I'd never met and probably doesn't know I exist, changed the path of my life. He was a chef, and then became a sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers Americas, and then went on to be a winemaker. But, it doesn't feel silly to say he's a big part of why I started down this particular rabbit hole, or how I ended up here shivering in the dewey morning air in one of the most beautiful vineyards I'd yet seen. It was all my partner could do to talk me out of signing up for another tasting membership, only leaving hauling away three bottles I couldn't bear to live without. We left Seven Springs in a daze knowing it was only a matter of time until I returned. But we had another tasting down the road we had to get to.
Our next stop was Cristom Vineyard, another winery my store represents. I knew precisely two things about them going in: 1) they were based in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and 2) they made very good pinot noir. Honestly, that's about all I know when I make reservations at a winery sometimes! We pulled up outside their tasting room, the sun shining down and warming us as we wandered through the garden toward the front door. Perhaps it was the fact it was the middle of the week, or perhaps it was that I precisely picked our time to visit at the end of harvest in the middle of fall, but everywhere we went that week, we almost always had the tasting room and the staff to ourselves, with maybe a few other souls to share. And genuinely, the peace was enviable. I've been a tourist for a lot of my life, and I didn't miss the crowds, the rush to get to experience everything on my bucket list, fighting for a view of anything worth my time. Sitting down in a deep leather arm chair, soft morning light filtering in from the sliding glass patio doors, I didn't think my day could get any better. Until our host walked in.
An older man clad in rancher's clothes, he was friendly and eager to share his stories, and we were happy to listen. He'd worked for Ridge back in the day before the Judgement of Paris on the winemaking production side of things, and he asked us if we'd like a tour of the vineyard since it was just the two of us there that day. My partner and I exchanged a look and responded, "Please, yes!" He grinned and led us out to his dust covered Chevy and told us how one of these days, they'd probably stop letting him do this. Thank God today wasn't that day!
He explained that he usually gives a 45-minute tour of the property, but we sadly explained we had another tasting not too far off. So, reluctantly, he promised he'd be fast. Not that we minded. Over hill and over dale, he drove us past all of the Cristom vineyards, and I was stunned to see just how many there were! Biodynamically farmed, Cristom shares land with a lot of their neighbors, and all of their vineyards are named after the owners and their family. The stunning part, apart from the view, was seeing how much fruit was left hanging on the vines. Our host explained they couldn't possibly collect it all and that some of the grapevines grew a second crop after harvest. The remaining grapes would become fertilizer for the next vintage, or snacks for the sheep wandering through the rows, trimming the weeds and leaving fertilizer of their own. True to his word, our host dropped us off at the tasting room at the bottom of the hill after our whirlwind tour of the property to finish our tasting before we had to skedaddle to the last tasting of the day.
Reluctantly leaving Cristom Vineyard what felt like too soon, we wandered down to our furthest tasting on our tour: St. Innocent Winery. I found that their current owner did a pairing tasting: offering a flight of their wines to pair with custom bites made for each glass. As a German oenophile, I'm always intrigued to see how people grow and make wines with German varieties outside the old country. And one of the varieties the Willamette Valley is best known for is its' Riesling. It seemed like a win-win-wine. We pulled up as the sun hit its peak just above the mountain line, a last kiss of light in the garden before winter came to settle. Our host, a jolly young man was happy to see us and let us select our table. While he prepared our flight and pairing plates, we snuck over to an interior balcony overlooking their fermentation room, the sound of bottles popping calling our attention like sirens in the sea.
At the very back of the room, we saw three people running a factory line: pull a bottle from the fridge, pop the crown cap, add the dosage, add the cork and cage, pack it in another fridge. It's something I'd seen in videos, read about in textbooks, but never witnessed myself. The itch to run down and get a closer look was almost too loud to ignore until our host came back with the food. Maybe one day I'll get to be part of a sparkling wine production line myself, but that day, I was eager to eat. A series of four wines and four bites awaited us, and as my partner and I progressed through the courses, he shared a funny thought... When I told him our last stop of the day was a wine paring, he thought we were going to get four full courses like at a wine dinner, not appetizer sized bites. I smiled at my friendly giant, the snack fork looking like a toothpick in his hands. Portion size aside, it was a pleasant way to come upon the end of our vacation. One day left, and so many more memories to make.
Resources
Evening Land Vineyards - Seven Springs
Located 4180 Lone Star Road NW Salem, OR 97304
Open Wed-Sat 10 AM, 12:30 PM, or 3 PM
Starts @ $40 per person for parties of 1-6 people
Reservations required
Cristom Vineyard
Located 6905 Spring Valley Road NW, Salem OR 97304
Open daily, 11 AM - 3:30 PM
Starts @ $35 per person for parties of 1-6 people
Reservations required
Outside food allowed on patio, no food available for purchase, dogs on leash welcome on patio
St. Innocent Winery
Located 10052 Enchanted Way SE Jefferson, OR 97352
Open Thurs-Tues 11 AM - 5PM
Starts @ $35 per person for parties of 2-4 people
Reservations required
No outside food, food available for purchase, dogs on leash welcome on patio