Our latest Video AdVINEture features a sneak peek of our recent trip to Oregon! After a night in Portland we headed to the Willamette Valley to interview Doug Tunnel of Brick House Vineyards and Wayne Bailey of Youngberg Hill Vineyards & Inn. We also experienced the provisions tasting at Soter Wines and stopped into Sokol Blosser for a tasting. Fall is our favourite time to visit any wine region and with harvest just completed, there was lots of activity and lots of optimism about the 2018 vintage. We are big fans of the wine coming out of Oregon and this latest trip solidified that the Willamette Valley truly deserved to be named Wine Region of the Year (Wine Enthusiast 2016)!
There really is a first for everything. We recently visited South Africa for the very first time and we are the first to admit that our experience with wines from the region was limited at best. Relatively speaking, few South African wines make it to Canada so our experience has been inconsistent in terms of quality. Our first visit to the region of Franschoek began with a stop at storied family winery Haute Cabrière. We were drawn to this particular winery because of its history and the fact that they are reputed to make top quality Pinot Noir and Sparkling Wine. We discovered not only does this winery’s reputation precede it, it’s a reputation that is well deserved.
In the heart of the coastal town of Getaria, not far from San Sebastián, you’ll find yourself in the middle of Spain’s most unusual wine region: the Denomination of Origin Getariako Txakolina. Txakoli (pronounced “chock-oh-lee”) wine is produced here and it is the pride of Basque Country. Slightly fizzy, it’s a dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content that is the perfect pairing to the area’s plentiful seafood. We paid a visit to the most renowned Txakoli producer, Txomin Etxaniz, with Iberian Wine Tours, to see firsthand how these wines are made and the history behind them.
Of all the interviews we’ve done with winemakers and/or winery proprietors, the story of Skinner Vineyards and Winery in El Dorado County has to be one of the most unique we’ve come across. While wineries that have been in a family for generations are common, the Skinner story is a tale reminiscent of its Gold Rush heritage—one of curiosity, discovery, risk, and ultimately reward.
In Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley, just outside the town of Healdsburg, sits a 1200-acre winery featuring a yellow Chateau, covered in vines, perched at the top of the estate. If you didn’t know better, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled upon a winery in Bordeaux, France rather than one in California wine country. Jordan Vineyard and Winery not only conjures up this feeling when gazing upon its stunning property, it also evokes Old World tradition with each sip of their wine.
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