Grapeline© Wine Tours Offers a Santa Barbara Pinot Lovers Tour for Mother’s Day
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Grapeline© Wine Tours Offers a Santa Barbara Pinot Lovers Tour for Mother’s Day
PRWEB.COM Newswire
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) May 07, 2013
On Sunday, May 12, 2013, guests participating in this one-day-only event will taste a variety of Pinot Noirs from different vineyards located throughout Santa Barbara County. The tour departs at 10am from all local hotels and concludes at approximately 4:30pm. Pricing is $99 per person, all inclusive. Reservations are required.
Grapeline is the top guest-rated wine tour company in Southern and Central California, with over 350 5-star reviews on review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor. The Pinot Lovers Tour is part of Grapeline’s Signature Series – occasional tours incorporating Wine Country’s best experiences and offerings. Grapeline called in favors from several of the ‘big guns’ in the Central Coast Pinot Noir world to put together a Vineyard Picnic Tour with a decidedly Pinot twist. The day starts with a vineyard tour and tasting at the private farm and vineyard- Clos Pepe- with the winemaker and Pinot Noir specialist, Wes Hagen. Wineries visited in addition to Clos Pepe are Melville, Foley, and Lafond. Included transportation aboard deluxe shuttles ensures a safe ride for imbibing guests. This is the second Pinot Lovers Tour offered by Grapeline, following a similar sold-out version held on May 20, 2012. The next Santa Barbara Signature Series Tour will be the Foodie Wine Tour held on October 13, 2013.
For the Pinot Lovers Tour, each winery will present several of their best Pinot Noirs. Directly following the behind the scenes vintner’s tour with Wes Hagen at Clos Pepe will be a full tasting at the lovely Melville Winery. Step out onto their wisteria-covered veranda overlooking the vineyards for a gourmet picnic lunch complete with a giant cookie for dessert.
Following Melville will be Foley Winery. The head winemaker, Leslie Mead Renaud, is the Chairperson for the World of Pinot Noir for the second year and has made it her mission to study and learn about Pinot Noir. Foley is highly regarded by leading wine critics and sommeliers and is a premiere Pinot Noir producer.
The last stop is Lafond Winery. The winemaker at Lafond is Bruce McGuire, one of the pioneers in the development of Pinot Noir and Syrah in Santa Barbara County and in California. He is the man behind the idea for planting 8 selected Pinot clones in Lafond’s Santa Ynez Valley vineyard. At the time, Pinot was largely ignored in most of California, but has now found its true home in Santa Barbara County.
Reservations are available online at http://www.gogrape.com or by calling Grapeline at 1 888 8-WINERY. For more information contact John Kelliher at 951-538-2091 or by email jkelliher(at)gogrape(dot)com.
Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/5/prweb10710472.htm
Time to Widen View of US Wine Scene
By Jancis Robinson
and Linda Murphy
I wonder how many Americans realize their importance in the world of wine. The United States has recently overtaken France and Italy to become the globe’s biggest market, drinking a full 13 percent of all the wine produced on the planet, more than any other nation. While wine drinking has been declining rapidly in the European countries that make so much of it — France, Italy and Spain — we are amazed at how rapidly and firmly a wine culture has been established in the U.S.
In cities such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco, you can hardly move for wine tastings, wine bars, wine courses and people who are parlaying their interest in wine into building collections, visiting urban wineries and taking wine tours. But even in the vastness of America between the coasts, wine has been catching on. We looked up wine events in Des Moines, for example, and were delighted to find at least one a month. What we like about this development is that these new wine lovers, many of them relatively young, are working out their own preferences rather than being spoon-fed a series of ratings.
Related: Tips for trekking in wine country.
But it is not just as a consumer that the U.S. now leads the world. Americans overtook Argentina in the 1990s to become by far the most important wine producer outside Europe, with the total amount of American wine produced gaining on the amount made in France, Italy and Spain. The shifting balance is due in some part to a determined program to rip out surplus, low quality vineyards in the EU.
Robert Mondavi was always convinced that California could make wines that were the equal of Europe’s best. That point was made long ago, but what thrills us is that American interest is so great that wine is now being made in every state in the Union. Hawaii and Alaska have their own wines, and North Dakota has eight bonded wineries. We long ago recognized that California, Washington and Oregon could make great wine, but now is the time to check out what we call The Other 47.
Related: The latest for Virginia (wine) lovers.
The curious American wine lover would be well advised to investigate the less-celebrated steely Rieslings of northwestern Michigan and the Finger Lakes region of New York. In blind tastings of Rieslings from throughout the world, their offerings have been ranked among the finest. 
But perhaps the best Viogniers, Petit Mansengs and Bordeaux blends of Virginia would be an appropriate starting point for an exploration of American wine in view of Thomas Jefferson’s early efforts on his Monticello estate to turn Americans into a nation of wine drinkers. (It was the local phylloxera louse that scuppered his early plantings of the European vinifera vines, by far the most dominant vines in wine production.)
In some of the more inhospitable sites for grape vines, where the climate is too cold and the growing season too short to support European Vitis vinifera varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, grape breeders, particularly in Minnesota, have been developing cold-hardy hybrids that ripen their fruit relatively early and produce fully mature grapes that can be vinified into seriously good table and dessert wines. Look for La Crescent and Brianna whites, and Frontenac and Marquette reds. Older French-American hybrids, with names such as Baco Noir, Cayuga, Chambourcin and Vidal Blanc, remain important grape sources in the most challenging terroirs in the Midwest.
Related: Do wine medals matter?
In wet, humid Southern states, native Muscadine vines, which have adapted to the conditions, produce musky-sweet aromas and flavors that can be an acquired taste for some, but are embraced by others who have grown up drinking them. In New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania, the native Concord grape used so widely for juice, jelly and grapey wines such as Manischewitz, can taste pretty extraordinary to a palate not raised on Cabernet and Chardonnay. However, some American vine varieties — the Norton grape of Virginia and Missouri comes quickly to mind — can produce admirable wines without the rankness associated with Concord, wines that should appeal to any lover of fruity reds with character.
Then again, there are wineries in the U.S. that ship in grapes from sunnier climes (often California), and vinify and bottle them under their own labels. Despite movements across the country calling for only locally grown grapes to go into locally produced wines, importing West Coast fruit keeps many a winery tasting room financially afloat.
Related: Using two bottles of $150 wine to transform cheese into a silky dessert?
And in some parts of the country — Alaska, North and South Dakota in particular — vintners make their living selling wines made from vegetables and non-grape fruits. Pumpkins, rhubarb, berries, cherries, apples, pears, peaches, just about any produce that has natural sugar, can be fermented into wine. Many of them taste surprisingly good.
We feel strongly that the dramatic increase in quality of wines made in The Other 47 deserves more recognition. Be adventurous in your wine choices.
Photos, from top:
Grand Valley AVA vineyards are planted along the base of Colorado’s 2,000-foot Mount Garfield, on the eastern edge of the Book Cliff Range.” Credit: Colorado Wine Industry Development Board
Authors Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy. Credit: Michael Wright Studio
Zester Daily Soapbox contributor Jancis Robinson is the first Master of Wine from outside the wine trade. She has been studying the American wine scene since 1976. Her latest book is “American Wine,” which she co-wrote with Linda Murphy. Murphy is the former managing editor of The New York Times’ wine website and the first wine section editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, where she won two James Beard Awards.
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Temecula Wine Country Crash Leaves 1 Horse Dead
A horse used for guided tours through Temecula Wine Country had to be euthanized alongside De Portola Road after it was struck by a car and sustained serious injuries.
The 13-year-old Draft/Quarter Horse-cross named Chewy was part of the Saddle Up Wine Tours rental string, the outfit’s spokeswoman TJ Davis confirmed. The company offers guided horseback tours through Temecula Wine Country and is headquartered at 43750 Los Caballos Road, but in wine country its home base is Keyways Vineyard Winery located at 37338 De Portola Road.
Friday’s incident happened shortly before noon after a group of 10 guests headed out on horseback from Keyways with three Saddle Up guides, according to Davis, who said she currently serves in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Davis was not on Friday’s ride but explained her staff relayed that the tragedy occurred after a guest’s saddle slipped, causing the rider to lose his balance and fall from Chewy along De Portola Road, just north of Pauba Road, not far from Keyways.
The riderless animal spooked as its western saddle slipped further sideways on its belly, Davis said. The commotion caused another horse in the group to spook, and that rider also fell, she continued.
Chewy, a chestnut-colored gelding described by Davis as a normally quiet, gentle and well-trained mount, left the trail and headed into traffic where he was struck by a female motorist driving a Volkswagen Passat.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Nathan Baer, a report from an officer in the field indicated the Passat driver was traveling at a speed of approximately 10 to 15 mph when the impact occurred.
Davis disputes the speed, saying the collision broke both of Chewy’s front legs.
A veterinarian was summoned to the scene and it was decided the animal’s injuries were life-threatening. He was euthanized on the spot.
“One leg was completely shattered,” Davis said, adding that a necropsy was performed and revealed the horse’s shoulder was also broken.
A call placed by Patch to the attending veterinarian was not immediately returned to confirm any necropsy findings.
“The driver could not have been driving 10 or 15 mph,” Davis argued. “It was more like 70 mph.”
According to Davis, the uninjured female driver stopped after the crash but then left the scene and had to be summoned back by CHP. Baer did not release the driver’s identity.
Although Saddle Up features horseback riding with stops at various Temecula wineries, both Davis and Baer confirmed no alcohol had been consumed prior to the collision.
Davis said neither fallen rider was hurt, and the man riding Chewy was apologetic about the tragedy.
Prior to Friday’s ride, Davis said all the horses’ cinches were checked by Saddle Up guides.
“We tell people that girths [cinches] can loosen during rides and to let us know if they feel unbalanced. This is also stated in the agreements they must sign,” she explained.
After the mishap, Chewy’s fallen rider told Saddle Up guides he felt his saddle slipping as the group rode out, but he neglected to tell anyone, according to Davis.
“He said he felt it slip and he knew he needed to get off,” she relayed. “He was an experienced rider.”
As a result of the sad misfortune, Davis said Saturday was spent reminding Saddle Up guides to check cinches several times before and during rides. The horseback riding outfit has been offering guided tours in Temecula Wine Country for approximately six months, she said.
“I know his girth was checked before the ride, but we’ve started a new policy that includes five checks,” Davis said.
In addition to Saddle Up’s internal policy change, Davis said she also wants to see the county step up to make Temecula Wine Country safer for all equestrians. She called for added police, flashing signs to slow traffic along busy streets and at crossings, as well as trail fencing installed along De Portola to keep horses from running into traffic.
Saddle Up is willing to pitch in with labor and some costs, Davis said. She believes other Temecula equestrians and local wineries can all work together to make the area safer, but they need the county’s support.
“We need them to pitch in,” she said. “It’s ridiculous to think that a sign and a white line painted on asphalt will slow drivers out here,” she said.
Horseback riding in wine country is an added attraction that brings tourists to the area, Davis added.
“Our goal is to promote wine country,” she said. “We need the county’s help to make it safer.”
A toast to the winemakers
WINE COUNTRY: A French country chateau houses the wine cellar and tasting room of Moon Dancer Vineyards and Winery in Wrightsville.
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When tasting wine, connoisseurs hold their glasses up to the light to look at the wine’s colour and clarity.
I don’t always know what I’m supposed to see, but at Naylor Wine Cellars in Pennsylvania, I held up my white wine and it was crystal . . . No. I have to say that it was most definitely cloudy. Very clearly cloudy.
During a tank-side chat about the steps in the winemaking process, assistant winemaker Ben McIntyre quickly clarified that I wasn’t imagining things. It was all part of the Tour de Tanks event held at 26 Pennsylvania and Maryland wineries in March, during which guests are invited into cellars and backrooms to learn about those various winemaking steps.
It’s a follow-up to the Wine Just Off the Vine event held in November. Last year, visitors sampled these wines just days after they were put into barrels. We sipped those same wines-in-progress, aged by five months.
Using York, Pa., as our home base, my tasting companion and I made plans to spend two days visiting six wineries along the Mason-Dixon Wine Trail that surrounds the city. The wineries don’t open until noon, so we spent the morning browsing through the shops in downtown York and downing a hearty breakfast at the newly renovated Central Market.
Then we set off on the trail, where interesting wine facts poured from winemakers’ mouths: why some use barrels instead of steel tanks; why the region makes so many fruity and sweet wines; and how snacks ranging from brownies to beef jerky to ancho-chilli chocolate are paired with Chambourcins, Traminettes and other wines.
As one winery worker put it, you don’t just buy a ticket to taste. You pay for an education.
At each winery, we presented our Tour de Tanks ticket – a frequent-drinking card of sorts listing each participating winery – for stamping. We picked up our free wine glass at the first stop and took it with us everywhere, as directed.
That meant making frequent use of “rinse stations” that consisted of everything from painted ceramic pitchers to big orange plastic buckets with spigots.
Used to simple tastings of a handful of bottled wines, I found it much more intriguing to step into dark cellars and brightly lit tank rooms to learn the backstories of the vineyards and vintners, and to taste both finished and unfinished wines.
The wineries varied from a country home to a former barn to the basement of someone’s house just off the interstate, and friendly winemakers answered questions about the grapes and the soil as well as about their businesses and themselves.
And really now, how could someone whose great-grandfathers were a cooper and a beer brewer not wind up in the business, as is the case with Jim Miller, the owner and winemaker at Moon Dancer Vineyards and Winery in Wrightsville, Pa.?
Moon Dancer was our first stop after setting out from our base in York, on roads that wound past stately houses and trailer homes, rising at one point for a view of one of the widest stretches of the Susquehanna River.
At the top of a gravel road, we reached a French country chateau framed by vineyards. After sampling from five bottles in a tasting room, the last one a warmed spice wine, we headed downstairs. “It’s the first sobriety test of the day,” said my friend Sid at the top of a steep staircase.
The cellar was a sight to behold. Candles flickered atop nearly every barrel, creating a golden aura. From behind a table laid with cheese, crackers, grapes and locally made beef jerky, Miller talked about the land, the Pennsylvania white oak barrels made in California and how he had learned to make wine years earlier from a book called “How to Make Wine.”
We moved on to Allegro Winery in Brogue, which has been in business for more than 30 years, helping ourselves to the hot tomato basil soup on offer – perfect for a raw March day – before taking a tour in the next room with owner and winemaker Carl Helrich.
When we were about to leave, Helrich issued a challenge involving a Bordeaux blend he is proud of, Cadenza 2010: He said that I should serve it to a friend who’s a wine connoisseur, tell her or him that it’s a French Bordeaux and see whether she or he disputes it. Only then should I say that it’s actually a Pennsylvania wine. I told him that I’d take the bottle home and give it a shot.
Naylor was our third stop, and as we entered the nondescript building, the smell of wine hit like a physical force.
Standing among the steel tanks, McIntyre poured us that cloudy glassful, explaining that it was an unfinished, yet-to-be filtered wine, but eminently drinkable.
Before we were allowed to taste it, though, he had us sniff the wine and guess what we were detecting. One person called it “grapey,” another “sweet.” McIntyre smiled. Yes, the wine was fruity, hence the powerful grape aroma. But sweet? “Your mind is playing a trick on you,” he explained.
“The learning experience here is, you can’t smell sweet.” The memory of grape juice or Concord grape jam made us all assume that the wine was sweet, he said. It was not. But it would be by the time it was bottled.
We went along to another “teacher” to taste some reds. He pulled the rich crimson liquid from a barrel with a “wine thief” – it looks like a turkey baster without the rubber top – and told us to take a sip of a Chambourcin, then a bite of a brownie and then taste the red again to see whether we noticed a difference. Most of us did.
Sid and I suddenly realized that we were off schedule and raced to Logan’s View Winery, trying to beat the clock. We thought we’d allotted plenty of time for four wineries in five hours, but between the chats and the sips and the second sips… and the third sips… we were lagging behind, and the drive between each winery added 25 minutes or so.
We pulled up to Logan’s View at 4:57, afraid that we’d be turned away, since closing time for all the Tour de Tanks wineries is 5 p.m. Instead, we got a warm welcome from one of the half-dozen owners – there are 18 in all – who were hanging out. They told us it’s typical to get a rush of people at the end of the day.
At this winery, as at nearly every one we visited, we were asked whether we preferred dry or sweet wines. Sweet wines are better sellers in the area, apparently.
I’m sure I tasted more varieties of sweet and fruity wine in two days than I have in years. At Logan’s View, the fruit used in the wine is grown locally, and we tasted blends with such names as Strawberry Blonde, Blackberry Nights and Logan’s Blue.
Our final winery, on Sunday, was in a converted barn. Basignani had the feeling of a rustic, high-ceilinged pub with long counters, and the walls were lined with empty, dusty wine bottles. Two friendly dogs roamed in and out at will.
A small group of us walked outside and around back to join the barrel tour with Vincent Basignani, the owner’s cousin, who explained that when the yeast is introduced to the grapes’ juice, it’s “very violent. You can hear it bubbling.” He also mentioned that the winery gets shipments of 190-proof brandy alcohol in trucks labelled “Hazardous Material.”
Clearly, making wine isn’t just rewarding, but dangerously exciting, too.
WHERE TO STAY
The Yorktowne Hotel, 48 E. Market St., York, Pa., 717-848-111. Historic hotel built in 1925, with 121 rooms and within easy walking distance of downtown restaurants and shops. Rooms are $145 on weekend evenings in March.
Grace Manor Bed and Breakfast, 258 W. Market St., York, Pa., 717-542-0787. Also in the historic downtown, this Beaux-Arts home has 10-foot ceilings and themed rooms that include France, Asia and Mexico. Rates start at $157.
WHERE TO EAT
The Left Bank Restaurant Bar, 120 N. George St., 717-843-8010. Fine dining. Entrees from $23 for artisan mushroom ravioli to $43 for filet mignon.
White Rose Bar Grill, 48 N. Beaver St., 717-848-5369. Wide-ranging menu with salads, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, pasta and chicken. Entrees start at $17
WHAT TO DO
Tour de Tanks, Saturdays and Sundays in March (except Easter Sunday). Twenty-six participating wineries on the Mason-Dixon Wine Trail in south-central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. Tickets ($30.5) may be purchased at any winery.
We visited:
Moon Dancer Vineyards Winery, 1282 Klines Run Rd., Wrightsville, Pa., 717-252-9463.
Allegro Winery, 3475 Sechrist Rd., Brogue, Pa., 717-927-9148.
Naylor Wine Cellars, 4069 Vineyard Rd., Stewartstown, Pa., 717-993-2431.
Logan’s View Winery, 4830 Hildebrand Rd., Glen Rock, Pa., 717-741-0300.
Royal Rabbit Vineyards, 1090 Jordan Sawmill Rd., Parkton, Md., 443-721-6692.
Basignani Winery, 15722 Falls Rd., Sparks, Md., 410-472-0703
- The Washington Post
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Taste of Solvang: Your To-Do List
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DESSERT’S THE BEGINNING: Very often a cooking or recipe article starts with the sentiment “dessert’s just the beginning.” But at Taste of Solvang, which runs from Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17, it really is actually the beginning. This is a smart move in two ways. One? Dessert first. And two? It shows off what the windmill-dotted village is famous for: pastries and sweets and cookies and such. We know, it’s also famous for wine and Danish Days and several other things, but if a group of people is driving in the 246 and the word “aebleskiver” isn’t mentioned somewhere between Buellton and Solvang, well. We absolutely wouldn’t believe it. Everyone but everyone talks about aebleskivers on their way into the town. Discussing the light pockets of fried doughy goodness is practically a prerequisite for visiting.
BEYOND DESSERT: The Dessert Reception gets the foodie weekend going on Friday night, March 15; there’s a contest as well, plus wine (this is the Santa Ynez Valley, after all). We realize getting to the town might be a bit of work on a Friday afternoon, but if you can swing it, you really need a full-on dessert experience. It’s the Solvang Way. Other recs? Choose one of the weekend’s other activities, either the Walking Smorgaasbord or the Beer Tasting Tour, and jump in. We probably don’t need to explain that one will emphasize edibles while one will emphasize drinkables.
INTO THE VINEYARD: If you can get to Solvang at the end of the week, before the weekend, well, lucky you. Don’t rub it in. But when you get there, look into the picnic and wine tours. You’ll get to see some of the nearby countryside which, we don’t need to tell you, would make the average postcard of most anywhere else weep in outright envy. That particular wine country is just that beyond. Fact.
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Milestones here, near for Hershey Harrisburg Wine Country
Wine Country by the numbers
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15: The number of wineries participating in Hershey Harrisburg Wine Country. The wine trail started with 12 last year.
1: The Vineyard at Hershey, which led the charge in creating Wine Country, celebrated its first anniversary during the weekend.
12: The Vineyard at Hershey started with family volunteers. It has grown to a full-time, paid staff of 10 with two additional commissioned salespeople. And the vineyard is hiring as it grows and prepares to open a new building for production and entertaining.
60 percent: While 60 percent of The Vineyard at Hershey’s business comes from tastings and direct wine sales, a growing percentage is tied to private events, sales to area restaurants and other private label distribution.
50: The number of Wine Country tours booked last year. Wine Country President Jason Reimer expects that number to double this year; Premiere #1 Limousine Service LLC is projecting it to triple.
2,000: Ticket sales generated by signature events in the spring and fall last year. Of those, 30 percent came from outside a 60-mile radius. Promotional efforts last year focused on the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., markets. The focus this year is on marketing Wine Country to the Philadelphia market.
75 percent: The recent ValenWine’s Day event bolstered sales for participating wineries by an average of 75 percent over last year. There were 487 tickets sold that weekend, including 450 couples.
$600: The cost of the average wine tour package through Premiere #1 Limousine Service. Most group bookings have been for six to eight people.
32 percent: In 2011, 23 percent of Premiere customers said they heard of the company through referral or previous use. That percentage increased to 32 last year.
Wine Country’s Most Romantic To-Dos
A cheesy poem is probably not a good idea, and while flowers or a special dinner are nice, there are few more amorous things than a visit to the Wine Country. However, with a daunting number of impersonal options available, it’s easy to miss the mark. Here are three can’t-miss romantic Wine Country trips:
1) Book the Be Our Valentine Package at the Silverado Resort and Spa, which comes with chocolate and champagne and all that sexy stuff, and sign up for their Massage Lesson for Two, which is a two hour experience that includes 40 minutes of massage, instruction, and tips of how to massage your partner.
After, grab some sushi to go at Eiko’s (make sure to order the Hamachi Bon Bons and a desert to share), and drive up Atlas Peak to private Vin Roc Napa, which has one of the most beautiful and private views of Napa Valley from their perch at the top of the mountain. It’s also the perfect spot for photos, and you won’t have to share the memory as few of your friends, if any, have been there.
Head out to dinner at nearby Celadon or stay in for room service or dinner at the Royal Oak.
2) Head to Yountville, Napa Valley’s most romantic and walkable town, and stay or lounge at Bardessono, which was just rated #1 Most Romantic Hotel by Trip Advisor. Start with a treat and espresso at Bouchon Bakery, then walk and sip your way through town to fantastic tasting rooms like Maisonry, Hill Family and Page Cellars or jump in a car and head up to nearby Keever Vineyards (views), Girard Winery (wine and chocolate), or Chandon (bubbles). Make advance reservations and when you’re hungry, walk to Bottega, Redd, Bistro Jeanty, or The French Laundry.
3) Take the ferry across the bay, get picked up by Beau Wine Tours, and head to the Epicurean Connection in the Sonoma Plaza for some eats to go. I recommend the raspberry rose petal truffles with Hamel Family Vineyards and a picnic and hike at Jack London State Park, or one of these fantastic spots.
If hiking isn’t your thing, let Beau take the reins with their discounted “Romantic Private Wine Tour” package, a six-hour custom wine tour that includes stops at wineries such as Buena Visa or DeLoach Vineyards. If you can stay, do it at the Flamingo Resort, which is pairing with Safari West on a “Valentine’s Wild Jungle Love” package. The package includes overnight accommodations, a chocolate and wine reception, and a Safari West tour with animal experts educating guests about mating behaviors.
For other ideas check out this list from the Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma or last year’s Valentines Day recommendations from 7×7.
State’s wineries pairing wine, chocolates and lovers
Wine and chocolate.
It goes together like love and marriage.
Or lust and dating.
So why not grab your sweetie and go on a deliciously romantic wine tour?
Wineries around the state are offering special tours that pair wine and chocolate the weekends before and after Valentine’s Day, which falls on a Thursday.
You can stick close to home or have an overnighter.
About a dozen Clark County wineries near the Oregon border will open their doors for a tour weekend, Feb. 16 and 17.
The region is fertile ground for grapes.
“We’re kind of in the golden age of emerging wine regions,” said Michele Bloomquist, co-owner of Heisen House Vineyards in Battleground. “It’s a winemaker’s paradise.”
The area is still kind of “a best kept secret,” she said. And that means attention from the winemaker.
“At almost every place, the owner and winemaker will be behind the bar, serving wine. You can ask questions about the wine,” she said.
Bloomquist opened her winery in 2010.
“When I purchased the property it wasn’t with the intention to have a winery,” she said. “The apple trees were loaded with fruit so I made some hard apple cider. And I was hooked. Next year I made cider and wine and started helping out at wineries. They were encouraging me. They said, ‘You should have a winery too.’”
So, she did. The winery sold 700 cases last year.
“It’s a small mom-and-pop. We do everything from sweeping the floors to making the wine,” she said.
For more information about Heisen House and the Valentine’s Wine and Chocolate Tour, see www.heisenhousevineyards.com and www.clarkcountywine.com.
Go to www.winedirt.com for information on other Clark County wine tours.
AROUND THE STATE
Olympic Peninsula Wineries
The tour features sweet and savory combinations. Participants who visit all eight wineries will be entered into a drawing for a wine-themed gift basket. Feb. 9 and 10, and Feb. 16, 17 and 18. www.olympicpeninsulawineries.org.
Wenatchee Wine Country
A nominal tasting fee may be charged at some wineries on the Red Wine and Chocolate weekends. Tasting room hours vary. Feb. 8, 9 and 10, and Feb. 15, 16 and 17. Some wineries are open on Valentine’s Day. www.wenatcheewines.com.
Lake Chelan Wine Valley
The boutique wineries will open their tasting room doors and pair gourmet chocolate desserts with their favorite red wines. Feb. 9 and 10, and Feb. 16 and 17. www.lakechelanwinevalley.com.
Rattlesnake Hills Winemakers
Decadent and delectable confections are paired with premium red wine, setting the stage for a romantic weekend on the Rattlesnake Hills wine trail. There is no cost or ticket needed to attend this event, however some wineries do charge a tasting fee. Feb. 16, 17 and 18. www.rattlesnakehills.org.
Whidbey Island
Wineries are hosting separate and joint events.
Whidbey Island Vintners Associations’ Spoil Yourself event with four wineries is Feb. 9 and 10, and Feb. 16, 17 and 18. Tickets, $20 pre-purchased, include a souvenir glass, wine tastes and chocolates: www.brownpapertickets.com or www.whidbeyislandvintners.org.
In Langley, Whidbey Island Winery’s Sweet, Savory and Six Sexy Reds is Feb. 16, 17 and 18. Tickets $10. www.whidbeyislandwinery.com.
Tri-Cities Wineries
Wines from the Yakima and Columbia valleys, as well as Red Mountain. More than 50 wineries provide a variety of chocolate delicacies with their red wines. Premier Pass holders enjoy specialty wine and chocolate pairings, library tastings and tours that are unavailable to the public. Passes are $30 online or $35 at the door. Feb. 16 and 17. www.visittri-cities.com.
Woodinville Wine Country
Red wine and chocolate events will be held at wineries throughout February. For a list of places and events: www.woodinvillewinecountry.com.
For more information about Washington wineries:
•www.winetrailsnw.com; n www.winesnw.com
www.swwawine.com; n www.greatnorthwestwine.com/
Andrea Brown; 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com
Vineyard Limousine Offers Wine Tasting Tours
Only $35/person to visit four wineries.
Temecula, CA (PRWEB) December 30, 2012
Vineyard Limousine, a wine touring company located in Temecula, California, is now offering wine tours for only $35 per person. The tours visit four local wineries and offer as many as six tastings at each.
The wine country of Southern California, especially the Temecula region, is growing more and more popular and well-known. Many people would like to do Temecula wine tours, but the wineries are rather spread out and visiting more than one or two could involve a fair amount of driving.
Additionally, since wine tasting is a bit of a luxury experience, many people prefer to have someone else do the driving. This is also not a bad idea, if a person is planning to drink several glasses of wine—if a wine tour’s limo service is used, no one has to abstain.
A company spokesman for Vineyard Limousine says, “The $35/person offer saves people $20-25 per person, on average, and is very popular for that reason, especially for large parties.”
Vineyard Limousine offers wine tours throughout the region. Its fleet of luxury limousines also provides airport transportation, to and from regional airports, throughout Southern California. For wine tours, the limousine can be used as a personal “party bus” to go from winery to winery, or can be a vehicle for a night on the town. Vineyard Limousine’s vehicles and chauffeurs can also be hired for weddings or other special occasions.
About Vineyard Limousine
Based in Temecula, California, Vineyard Limousine provides luxury transportation to customers throughout the Southern California region. Its luxury limousines, professional and courteous drivers, and over 10 years’ experience in the industry provide memorable experiences with wine tours, limos for hire on special occasions, and luxury airport transportation. For further information please visit, http://www.vinelimos.com.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/12/prweb10259227.htm
Vineyard Limousine Offers Wine Tasting Tours – Virtual
Only $35/person to visit four wineries.
Temecula, CA (PRWEB) December 30, 2012
Vineyard Limousine, a wine touring company located in Temecula, California, is now offering wine tours for only $35 per person. The tours visit four local wineries and offer as many as six tastings at each.
The wine country of Southern California, especially the Temecula region, is growing more and more popular and well-known. Many people would like to do Temecula wine tours, but the wineries are rather spread out and visiting more than one or two could involve a fair amount of driving.
Additionally, since wine tasting is a bit of a luxury experience, many people prefer to have someone else do the driving. This is also not a bad idea, if a person is planning to drink several glasses of wine—if a wine tour’s limo service is used, no one has to abstain.
A company spokesman for Vineyard Limousine says, “The $35/person offer saves people $20-25 per person, on average, and is very popular for that reason, especially for large parties.”
Vineyard Limousine offers wine tours throughout the region. Its fleet of luxury limousines also provides airport transportation, to and from regional airports, throughout Southern California. For wine tours, the limousine can be used as a personal “party bus” to go from winery to winery, or can be a vehicle for a night on the town. Vineyard Limousine’s vehicles and chauffeurs can also be hired for weddings or other special occasions.
About Vineyard Limousine
Based in Temecula, California, Vineyard Limousine provides luxury transportation to customers throughout the Southern California region. Its luxury limousines, professional and courteous drivers, and over 10 years’ experience in the industry provide memorable experiences with wine tours, limos for hire on special occasions, and luxury airport transportation. For further information please visit, http://www.vinelimos.com.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2012/12/prweb10259227.htm