Oregon Pinot Noirs have been hailed as some of the best.  What got them this distinguished status among the world’s best Pinot Noirs?

The grape growing conditions of the Willamette Valley are ideal for this varietal.  Iron-rich red soil, combined with warm sunshine and nourishingly damp climate make for the perfect growing conditions.  There was something magical about the 45th parallel, that imaginary line around the Earth that brought us fantastic Cotes du Rhones from France and Piedmonts from Italy.  Tapping into this little-known fact, Dick Erath experimented and planted over 23 varieties in the hills of Dundee over 40 years ago.   Through some trial and error, the Pinot Noir grape flourished in Oregon’s warm Summers and cool wet Autumns.  The marine climate allowed bright fruitiness to come forward through a well-developed grape.

Erath Winery put Oregon Pinot Noirs on the map in 1972.  Today, the Willamette Valley is home to hundreds of wineries, making it the Sonoma Valley of Oregon.  If you are visting Portland, Oregon, don’t miss Erath Winery located in nearby Dundee.  The tasting room is open 11am-5pm everyday.  You can also arrange a tour of the cellars by calling ahead.

The legendary Erath Winery has a wine club that is free to join.  You enjoy 20% off regular pricing on any of your orders.  The catch is that they only ship 4 times a year, but each shipment comes with a selection of 3 wines costing less than $85.  These wines are fantastic and well worth the anticipation!

Fine Wine, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Wine Club, Wine Tasting dundee, erath wine club, oregon, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

So while in Dundee, OR I decide to try some of the local cuisine after a day of wine tasting. I asked several people and they all recommended a brand new restaurant called Farm to Fork. It’s near the end of the strip in Dundee on the right hand side (driving north to south). Since everyone recommended it I figured we should at least give it a try. There are only 9 tables in the restaurant which makes it quite quaint.  I tried to find a website, but I don’t think they’ve even set one up yet. Fortunately Farm to Fork is on Yelp. It looks like everyone had the same experience as me… amazing food! And tons of local Portland wine to fully satisfy your pallet. And the prices weren’t that high. It really seemed like a great value. Oh wait.. I just found the website. It’s part of the hotel Inn at Redhills. Just for the food alone I’d recommend staying at this hotel. The chef at Farm to Fork is Paul Bachand and he uses only the finest local ingredients. I started with the Warm Truffled Goat Cheese Tart and follwed it with the Superior Farms Leg of Lamb, which was braised in red wine. Mmmm.. it makes my mouth water just thinking about it now. So if you’re ever in Dundee after a day of wine tasting be sure to checkout this restaurant. You won’t be disappointed!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider

Uncategorized dundee, fine cuisine, food, local food, portland, Wine Tasting