Wine Tasting for our Rogue River Trips
Southern Oregon's Rogue River Valley is quickly becoming a hot spot in the wine making industry. With over 40 wineries in the Bear Creek, Applegate, and Illinois river valleys, the task of narrowing down which wineries to feature on our Rogue trips this year seemed daunting. We began talking to a few of the local wineries just to talk prices and quantities, since we were hoping to return home with thirty plus cases of delicious wines. Having a couple definite stops in mind, we hoped fate would lead us in the right direction of other stops along the way. Our first stop though was the charming, historic town of Jacksonville, OR for a night of music with Ray LaMontagne at the annual summer Britt Fest concerts.
ECHO Guides Billy and Jeni Hard at Work Testing Wines
Upon arriving at the Britt Fest too late to obtain very good seats, we began wandering around the grounds in search a better view. We quickly found ourselves in the empty "reserved" bench rows. I began talking to the man next to me, Pat, who works at a nearby winery just outside of Cave Junction. I tell him of the mission we have been sent on for the next day, and he hands us two bottles of wine he just so happens to have with him. Two hours later, and with a belly full wine, we have made arrangements to meet him tomorrow at the winery and purchase some wine for our trips. Could this be fate?
Our first stop the next day was Valley View Winery where we met one of the owners Mark who poured our tasters. Valley View was originally established by Peter Britt in the 1850’s, but the name was restored in 1972 by the Wisnovsky family for their vineyard and winery in the beautiful Applegate Valley. We purchased Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay.
Next stop, Bridgeview Vineyard and Winery. The Kerivan family started Bridgeview in 1986 with a 75-acre field in the Illinois Valley. Between this and the 80-acre vineyard located in the Applegate Valley, they grow almost all of the grapes used for their wines. Here we met Drew, and he helped us to quickly fill our car with cases of Merlot, Reisling, and Cab/Merlot Blend.
Our third stop was to meet our new friend Pat, at Foris Vineyards Winery. Their first vines were planted in1974, and in 1986, they began producing their own wines at the family owned estate in the Illinois River Valley. Here we purchased and filled to the car to the brim with Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and their Red Blend called the Flyover Red. Whew, what a day. Thirty-eight cases of wine later we were headed back home. Not only did we have an amazing day and make new friends, but we also have delicious, local wines to bring on our river trips this summer.
So come join us on a Rogue River trip this summer and try out our hand picked wines! Its just one of the many components that come together to make ECHO River Trips the best choice for a trip down the Wild and Scenic Rogue River of Southern Oregon.
