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An Illinoisian In Oregon
Oct. 18th, 2011 11:19 amIn order to get from Crater Lake Oregon to Redwoods National Forest, one must take US 199, the "Redwoods Highway." This road happens to run down the Illinois River Valley in Oregon. The valley is sparsely-populated by Eastern standards but by Western standards is above-average, and holds three wineries. Since I like wine, I decided to stop at all three.
My first stop was Deer Creek Vineyards, which consisted of a small tasting building about 3 miles off of the main road. Fairly good wine, but at $24 / bottle, a bit pricy. Still, I bought a bottle of Cabernet - after all, I wasn't coming back any time soon.
The next stop was Bridgeview Vineyards. It's on a tiny country road more or less near the Oregon Caves. It's the oldest winery in the valley, with a huge tasting area overlooking a small irrigation pond with a footbridge. When I pulled up, the door to the tasting area was open but nobody was around. I ended up wandering into a back office area where one of the owners came out and did the honors. They had a broad selection of reasonably-priced wines, and I ended up getting two whites (a Riesling and a Gert) as well as a pair of reds (a Cab and a Cab-Merlot blend).
I left Bridgeview and headed down the same country road to a tiny, ancient general store. This led me to a single-lane paved road, which became gravel, and snaked around the side of a mountain. The road ended at Foris Vineyards, a very quaint little operation. They had prices intermediate between Bridgeview and and Deer Creek. They also had a pair of Cabernet Francs that were entirely too dry for my tastes. I ended up with a bottle of port and a three-wine blend, their "Flyover Red."
All told, a worthwhile diversion.
My first stop was Deer Creek Vineyards, which consisted of a small tasting building about 3 miles off of the main road. Fairly good wine, but at $24 / bottle, a bit pricy. Still, I bought a bottle of Cabernet - after all, I wasn't coming back any time soon.
The next stop was Bridgeview Vineyards. It's on a tiny country road more or less near the Oregon Caves. It's the oldest winery in the valley, with a huge tasting area overlooking a small irrigation pond with a footbridge. When I pulled up, the door to the tasting area was open but nobody was around. I ended up wandering into a back office area where one of the owners came out and did the honors. They had a broad selection of reasonably-priced wines, and I ended up getting two whites (a Riesling and a Gert) as well as a pair of reds (a Cab and a Cab-Merlot blend).
I left Bridgeview and headed down the same country road to a tiny, ancient general store. This led me to a single-lane paved road, which became gravel, and snaked around the side of a mountain. The road ended at Foris Vineyards, a very quaint little operation. They had prices intermediate between Bridgeview and and Deer Creek. They also had a pair of Cabernet Francs that were entirely too dry for my tastes. I ended up with a bottle of port and a three-wine blend, their "Flyover Red."
All told, a worthwhile diversion.
