September 1st is a great time to begin a tour of Umpqua Valley, one of Southern Oregon’s four wine regions. The arrival of September signals that summer is ending and the grape harvest is about to begin. Umpqua Valley has been described as America’s Last Great Undiscovered Wine Region. There are more than 20 wineries in the Umpqua Valley. Some claim that Southern Oregon’s climate is more ideal than Northern Oregon for growing wine grapes because it receives 40 percent less rain.
Before setting out to visit the wineries in the Umpqua Valley I did a little research. Northwest Travel article by Jon Klein " Pleasures of the Umpqua: Great Wines off the Beaten Path" was a good source. In addition, the Oregon Wine Press September 2010 edition listed the winners of 2010 World of Wine (WOW) Festival medal winners. Given that the Abacela, Brandborg and Misty Oaks wineries had won gold medals in the WOW competition, I put these three wineries on the list to visit. As we traveled through the valley Reuslte, Delfino and Giradet got added to the two-day tour list.
Day One
We began our tour in Elkton at the northwest end of the Umpqua Valley where the Brandborg Winery is located. Tasting at Brandborg was a true delight. The wine server was charming and gave us lots of information about the individual wines we were tasting. It is quite proud of its accomplishments; specifically its WOW gold medals for 2007 Pinot Noir and 2008 Riesling.
 |
| Brandborg Winery © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Brandborg Signpost © Spaswinefood |
Misty Oaks Vineyard
 |
| Misty Oaks Vineyard Signpost |
2008 Viper Trail Malbec – gold
2008 Jones Road Cabernet Franc – silver
2009 Friendswood Gerwurtztramier – silver
2008 Julio’s Hill Pinot Gris - silver
 |
| Misty Oaks Vineyard © Spaswinefood |
Reustle Winery, which won 2010 Small Winery of the Year (Riverside International Wine Competition) lived up to its reputation. We enjoyed the food and wine pairing.
 |
| Reustle Winery and Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Wine Cellar Entrance © Spaswinefood |
We began our second day at Delfino Winery. Although Delfino has been growing grapes for other wineries it is now starting to produce its own wine. It has built a reputation as a Bed and Breakfast. The setting is perfect and you will enjoy this friendly wine tasting experience.
 |
| Entrance to Defino Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Delfino Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
Giradet Winery is one the oldest wineries. While it produces many excellent wines it is probably best known for its Boca Noir.
 |
| Giradet Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Some of Giradet's Prize Winning Wines © Spaswinefood |
Driving into Abacela’s Winery new entrance, passing grape vines and motoring on up the hill to the tasting room one gets the feeling of an established winery. While it is known for its Tempranillo WOW acknowledged its 2008 Garnacha with a gold, and 2008 Dolcetto and 2009 Albarino with silver medals.
 |
| Abacela Vineyards © Spaswinefood |
 |
| Entrance to Abacela's Tasting Room © Spaswinefood |
Overall my wine tasting trip in the Umpqua Valley was quite delightful because the wineries are small and the personalized attention of the friendly wine servers made it memorable. If you want a relaxed wine-tasting experience in a pleasant rural setting then the Umpqua Valley is perfect. While many of the wines we tasted were on the young-side there are a few gems to be discovered. The Umpqua Valley is well on its way to becoming established. If you want to extend you tasting further into Southern Oregon you might visit the wineries in the Rogue, Illinois and Applegate Valleys (see Southern Oregon Wine Association for details).
Sharon
September 2010
Umpqua Valley, Oregon
Glad you stopped by, only 19 more tasting rooms to go! Do come back and try a few more wineries; a few leap to mind: Hillcrest, Palotai, Becker, Spangler.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions. I hope to return soon.
ReplyDelete