Saturday August 27, 2011
Malibu, California
90 degrees in Malibu!
So on the last day of our girls wine tasting birthday weekend in Oregon, we got up early and decided to drive to the coast as the wineries do not open until 11am. And since we went to SEVEN wineries the day before we thought it would be a good break. The drive was beautiful, we went by vast farms, patches of colorful wildflowers, through a forest and over a mountain. About an hour and a half later, we arrived at this:
The beautiful Oregon coast. It's been over 20 years since I've been to the Oregon Coast and have forgotton how beautiful it is. We could have not asked for a more perfect day to spend on the Oregon beach. Sun and clean, brisk air.
The July Birthday Girls at a beach in Oregon
We drove south down the Pacific Coast Highway and made several stops to take more photos of the coastline.
We then ended up at a…….winery. The Flying Dutchman Wines. We loved the sales lady and the fact that they did not charge for wine tasting. But.. the wines were not that great. I think it's just too cold to grow grapes by the coastline. I bought a touristy shopping bag though while there as the sales lady was very nice
Flying Dutchman Wines
We thought about going to a brewery for lunch as the Oregon coast like Washington is known for the local breweries. But the one that was recommended was so crowded, that we decided to buy a bottle of wine at the supermarket and have a picnic with some food we brought with us.
Our picnic stop: Close to the famous lighthouse of Oregon – Yaquina Head Lighthouse – that was built in 1873
Our Picnic with Erath Pinot Blanc
We then headed back toward the airport but as we had to go through Willamette Valley again, we decided to stop at two wineries that were recommended to us.
The first winery was Torii Mor which is located deep in the woods and is one of the oldest vineyards in the area. The name of the vineyard was derived from the Japanese word for gate "torii" and the Swedish word for earth "mor". The vineyard and winery have a very Zen like atmosphere. We liked the wines especially the 2010 Pinot Gris. And of course, the PInot Noir's were pretty good to but my favorite was the 2008 Hawks View Vineyard Pinot Noir. But for 50$ it was above my budget.
Torii Mor Winery
Our last stop was the famous Erath Winery. As expected it was quite beautiful and grand. Erath was started by Dick Erath in 1968. Dick Erath is one of the "pioneers" of wine making in Oregon. He is one of the UC Davis graduates that went out to Oregon to prove that high quality wines can be made in Willamette Valley. Erath is now known as one of the premier PInot Noir makers in the world.
Entrance to Erath's winery
We tried seven wines – 2010 Pinot Gris Rose, 2010 Oregon Pinot Blanc, 2009 Pinot Gris, 2009 Estate Selection Pinot Noir- Willamette Valley, 2008 Battle Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir-Willamette Valley, 2008 Leland Vineyard Pinot Noir-Willamette Valley and 2006 Rocky Hill Vintage Pinot Noir. The last wine was a "bonus" tasting. I LOVED the 2008 Leland Vineyard and the 2006 Rocky Hill Vintage. Both are 50$ each but since I could not fit them in my suitcase I did not purchase the wines. I definitely will either buy them online or look for them at my local wine store. And what a great way to end our trip.
View of Erath Vineyards
We made it to the airport in ample time and then had to say our goodbyes. We had a fabulous trip from start to finish. And a special thanks to Sandra who got me the free ticket, drove the whole time and came up with the itinerary.
very happy to read your blog.