As indicated in our last post, Portland pretty much ran out of room for the like of us. So we opted to keep moving on to Eugene, which according to our Lonely Planet guide, is a cool little town.
We stayed at the Campus Inn, after eating at the Ambrosia, where we tried some local Oregon wine from the Willamette valley.
Like Washington, Oregon is also a state that makes good wine in the shadow of mighty California. So we had to check our some wineries the next day as we continued south into the Umpqua Valley.
Wineries included Benton Lane, Chateau Lorane, and Pfeiffer Vineyards. The latter is nifty to note, as they are a solar-powered winery, provided the wine for Obama's pre-inaugural celebration at the White House, and offered an intense tasting experience with Robin Pfeiffer himself in a back room of "the cave".
We were provided with a Riedel glass specifically designed for Oregon wines. Yes, that sounds ridiculous, but it is a cool glass that we got to keep! And use later during our trip.
Robin did provide some unique tips for wine tasting, through red teeth. Highlights include:
- Swirling the glass over a candle (a "living light source"), while watching the colours dance in your wife's face. "You will never see a wine more beautiful." Smooth, Robin... very smooth.
- Nose the wine once. Why would you keep smelling it if you didn't like it the first time?
- Wine does not want to be alone. It wants to be married... with food that is.
This experience took about an hour and was quite enjoyable. Highly recommended! And you can only get their wines from there. His wife Danuta mans the front area and does the white wine tasting, while Robin does the reds.
Venturing out to the coast, we encountered the Oregon Dunes of Siltcoos.
Venturing out to the coast, we encountered the Oregon Dunes of Siltcoos.
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