 |
|||||||||||||||||
Contact
Info
Reservation
Information
What's
Included |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Ken Wright Tour & Luncheon
Are you ready? Hold on to your wine glasses! We are embarking on one of the most comprehensive
Pinot Noir events ever hosted in Oregon.
We will visit the most spectacular wineries in the Willamette
Valley, dine on the wine-inspired creations from Oregon’s top chefs,
and taste the most sought-after Pinot Noir in the New World.
We will visit and taste with Oregon’s top winemaking stars, including
Ken Wright, Mike Etzel of Beaux Frères, and Patty Green of Patricia
Green Cellars. Our meals will be events to remember—spectacular lunches
and dinners executed by Oregon’s top culinary wizards, designed to complement
Oregon Pinot Noir. And, of course, we will taste wine, both the
best bottlings from Oregon’s most famous producers, and exquisite offerings
from microproducers that are on the cutting edge. It is a world-class program that will give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes
look at Oregon’s very best Pinot Noir wines and personalities.
Are you ready?
Welcome You will be met at Portland International Airport, where an air-conditioned motorcoach will take you to the luxurious Heathman Hotel. During the drive our host, Bob Wolfe, will provide information about the activities planned for the rest of the day. After a short break to freshen up, we will regroup for a tantalizing buffet and, of course, some Pinot Noir! During this introductory gathering, Bob will cover the entire schedule for tour and will provide a short “Pinot Noir 101” seminar. Your night is free to explore Portland, pursue a more formal dinner, or join Bob for an excursion to local wine bars.
Ken Wright •
McKinlay • Sineann
After the vineyard tour we will return to the Ken Wright Cellars winery for extensive tasting. Although normally closed to the public, Ken has graciously agreed to welcome the Côtes du Coeur Society. You can expect to try older vintages as well as the newest wines, and we may also persuade Ken to let us barrel taste the excellent ’03s. An elegant, multi-course luncheon will be served, accompanied by plenty of Ken’s superb wines.
We’ll head back to the hotel in mid-afternoon for some rest and relaxation. This is a great time to nap, freshen up, or walk around downtown Portland. We’ll regroup this evening for a short bus hop to Portland’s famed Wildwood Restaurant, where James Beard Award nominee Cory Schrieber and his staff will dazzle us with their culinary magic. On hand for the meal will be Matt Kinne of McKinlay Vineyards and David O’Reilly of Sineann, two of Oregon’s finest microproducers (who produced six 90+ point Pinots between them last year alone!). After dinner there are still several opportunities for those who are not yet ready for bed! But make sure to get your sleep, because tomorrow is another big day.
Domaine Serene
• Brick House
After the tour we will retire to the Domaine Serene dining room to enjoy a meal prepared by Jack Czarnecki, a world-renowned wild-mushroom expert. Of course, nothing goes better with mushrooms than Pinot Noir! We will also enjoy a thorough tasting of Domaine Serene bottlings, both white and red.
Dinner tonight is at Paley’s Place in trendy Northwest Portland. A small, intimate dining room and bar will be all ours as Vitaly Paley prepares a feast to accompany the wines of Brick House Vineyards. Owner, winemaker, and former CBS war correspondent Doug Tunnel will be on hand to explain how he developed the most significant organic vineyard in the Pacific Northwest, and how he makes some of the most exquisite Pinot Noir around. A veteran reporter of more than two dozen wars, coups and insurrections, Doug brings a certain sophistication to the traditional grape-farmer’s toil.
Beaux Frères
• Patricia Green We’ll take things just a bit easier today, spending much of our day in the comfort of The Heathman Hotel, recently named as one of the Top 100 Hotels in America by Travel & Leisure magazine.
Beginning in mid-morning, we will be visited by a series of speakers who will orient us on Oregon’s history, geography, and climate. We’ll discuss clones, barrels, soil types, winemaking techniques, and much more. Questions are always welcome, and the discussion will be accompanied by selected pours of top Oregon Pinot Noir.
At midday, we will head down to The Heathman dining room for a wine luncheon. After a short break, we will regroup in the afternoon for the Grand Comparative Tasting (see sidebar).
After our afternoon sojourn, it’s time to gear up for dinner. We will be heading out to the finest restaurant in wine country, Tina’s in Dundee. We will be joined there by Mike Etzel of the famed Beaux Frères Vineyards, and also by Patty Green of the hugely popular Patricia Green Cellars. This promises to be a rowdy event as we take over the restaurant and engage in lively discussion with two of the most prominent wine personalities in Oregon. Sampling of multiple vintages will be required!
Winemakers Studio • Chehalem • Cristom
For lunch we will head for the Dundee Bistro operated by the Ponzi family. We will be joined by Harry Nedry of Chehalem Winery and his lineup of seductive wines, including the Rion Reserve Pinot Noir, developed with the help of famed Burgundian vigneron Patrice Rion of Domaine Daniel Rion.
We’ll rest during the later part of the afternoon and save up our energy for our Grand Finale, a private Winemaker Dinner that will feature the highly acclaimed wines of Cristom Vineyards, presented by winemaker Steve Doerner and owner Paul Gerrie. The meal will be a complete blowout, prepared by James Beard Award-winner Chef Philippe Boulot, who will pull out all the stops for a sumptuous, sophisticated meal that will certainly be the culinary highlight of your trip.
In the morning, we head back to the airport in the motorcoach.
You may be leaving Oregon behind,
but the memories—and the flavors of the wine—will last forever.
|
||||||||||||||||
We
will again head for wine country today. Our destination is Domaine Serene,
