There are so many amazing things that exist beyond the city limits. Portland is a wonderful and beautiful city, but when you leave Portland it just gets better and better. We are surrounded mountains and rivers, trees and fields, forests and farms. When I drive outside of the city, I’m always struck by all the green. As I drive through the fields and forests of Oregon, I see shades of green that I didn’t even know existed. It’s kind of unreal.
With that said, I implore you to drive out of the city. Just take a day and get out of town. I escaped to wine country this past weekend, and it was nothing short of magical. I still can’t believe that wine country exists, just 30 miles outside of Portland.
I drove out after work on a Friday and stayed at my friend Mari’s farmhouse. (Yes, one of my best friends in the whole world lives in a giant farmhouse on a vineyard. It’s pretty fantastic.) If you don’t happen to have a friend with a farmhouse in wine country, I recommend the lodging at McMenamins Hotel Oregon in McMinnville. It’s affordable and has a lovely rooftop bar with a great view!
The next morning, I woke up to the sunshine pouring through the farmhouse windows. (If you are from the Pacific Northwest, you know how important this factoid is: Sunshine in February!!!) I spent the morning lazing about in the quiet of the farmhouse, curled up next to the fire with a cup of coffee and a book. I took my time and soaked in the quiet of the day.
Later on in the day, I met up with a group of Portland Food Bloggers for an afternoon of wine tasting. We stopped by three of my favorite Oregon wineries – Erath Vineyards, Anne Amie, and Soter – and we sampled a lot of wonderful Oregon wine. There was, of course, a lot of Oregon Pinot Noir (which is always amazing). But we also tried quite a few other varietals and blends, such as: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Rosé, Muller Thurgau, and Cabernet.
It was the perfect day.
Thanks to all of the wineries who so graciously hosted us, you were all so fabulous. I came home with a deeper love and appreciation for Oregon wine (I also came home with a lot of bottles of Oregon wine. It happens.).
With that said, I’ll leave you with a few photos from the day.
