spaswinefood: The king is grape, long live the King Estate Winery

King Estate Winery 80854 Territorial Highway, Eugene is the largest Oregon winery. Spaswinefood had heard so many good things about this winery that I have been wanting to visit for some time. I finally did during the Wine Bloggers Conference 2012 (WBC12) Pre-Conference tour. I was delighted to be able to visit with fellow wine bloggers from Argentina, France and the United States. Situated in a beautiful setting in the South Willamette Valley the view from King Estate Winery is absolutely stunning.

King Estate Winery Vineyard © Spaswinefood

King Estate Winery

When we arrived at King Estate we were welcomed with a delicious cheese and fruit platter. We were also served chilled Pinot Gris. The King Estate is well known for its Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. I can see why.

Cheese and Fruit Platter at King Estate Winery © Spaswinefood

Welcome to King Estate Winery © Spaswinefood

King Estate Acrobat Pinot Gris 2011 © Spaswinefood

During our visit to the King Estate our wonderful host was Elizabeth Allcott, Wine Club and Direct Sales Manager.

A special thanks to King Estate Winery staff for their wonderful hospitality © Spaswinefood

King Estate Wines

King Estate Winery produces four wine series (Domaine, Signature, Acrobat and NxNW). The Domaine, Signature and Acrobat series include Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, with NxNW series including wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Riesling. Organic farming is practiced at King Estate, with its estate grapes being organically farmed. The winery does however use sulfites during the wine production process.

King Estate wines get great reviews. These reviews can be found at Snooth, with selected wine reviews at Bacchus and Berry (Acrobat Pinot Gris 2010), Corks and Caftans (Signature Collection Pinot Noir 2007) and Taylor Eason (Domaine Pinot Gris 2009 and Pinot Noir 2008). Recent articles on King Estate include Fodor’s, New York Times and Prince of Pinot. You can also check winery visitors’ reviews at Tripadvisor and Yelp.

After the welcoming reception we toured the barrel room. It was just perfect to escape to the barrel room on a hot summer's day. Yes, we visited during the Oregon heat wave.

King Estate Winery Barrel Room © Spaswinefood

Missinwine checking out King Estate Barrel Room © Spaswinefood

Dining at King Estate Winery

The King Estate Winery has an excellent restaurant that offers both inside and outside dining options. During our winery visit we dined inside, which was perfect for our group. The restaurant is under the direction of Executive Chef Michael Landsberg. Where possible the restaurant uses ingredients organically farmed on the estate and supplemented by products produced by local farmers and ranchers.

Dining at King Estate Winery © Spaswinefood

Over dinner we got to taste a variety of King Estate wines perfectly paired with each plate. Dinner started with a Caprese Salad.

Caprese Salad, King Estate Winery Restaurant © Spaswinefood

Next, we were served a tasty vegetable plate.

Local Mesclun Greens © Spaswinefood

For the main course I selected a vegetarian entrée.

Vegetarian Burritos © Spaswinefood

During dinner we were served some excellent Pinot Gris. There were also a few reds.

King Estate Winery NxNW Syrah 2009 © Spaswinefood

King Estate Winery Domaine Pinot Noir 2009 © Spaswinefood

For desert some of the options were:

Flourless Chocolate Cake © Spaswinefood

French Meringue (Basil ice cream with blackberries) © Spaswinefood

My desert choice was the French Meringue. Desert was paired with King Estate Winery Vin Glace 2011.

King Estate Winery Vin Glace 2011 © Spaswinefood

King Estate Winery Vin Glace 2011 © Spaswinefood

After a delightful dinner of great food, wine and conversation, I managed to capture a few photos of some of the wine bloggers in our group.

In addition to visiting the winery we later got the opportunity to experience more King Estate hospitality at the Wine Bloggers Conference (#WBC12) Dinner. Yes, they catered an awesome diner (trending of twitter). I shall write about that experience later.

If you plan to visit Oregon's South Willamette Valley Wine Country the King Estate Winery is a must visit.

For a complete list of South Willamette Valley wineries see Southern Willamette Valley Wineries Association. The Oregon Wine Board also provides a list of Oregon wine regions. I invite you to join me in my travels in Oregon and elsewhere in search of the best in Spaswinefood.