Saturday was the first Barrel Tour of the year and as always it appeared a good time was had by all. The weather was just right. Started out a bit cool in the morning but by the afternoon the sun came out and it was beautiful, adding real sunshine to the liquid sunshine that flowed throughout the day. All of this made for a truly festive day!
For those of you who have never experienced the Barrel Tour it is a wine tour put on twice each spring by the Umpqua Valley Wine Growers Association. All of the Umpqua Valley wineries participate and the area is split up into three tour routes, each route including wineries based on geographical location. Each tour, the north, central and the south encompasses 6 or 7 wineries and school buses are rented for the day with professional bus drivers responsible for getting everyone safely from each winery to the next. Each winery visit is about 45 minutes allowing for just the right amount of time to taste the various food and wine pairings lovingly prepared and offered at each winery.
This time the central tour sold out but the south and the north tours were not as full. I had the pleasure of pouring for Becker Vineyard included in the central tour and the seven buses with 50 people per bus, beginning at 9:30 am and ending at around 5:00 pm, made for a very full day! Chatting with the folks about the various wines and unique food pairings they were experiencing along the way it was obvious everyone was feeling well taken care of and enjoying themselves immensely. I spoke to a number of people from outside of our area. Many came from Eugene, Portland, Bend and the coast and it was really good to see so many visiting from other parts of our state. Our high quality wine and natural beauty was not lost on these visitors and many talked of the obvious magic of our area. I have to say it made me proud to hear such kind, appreciative words spoken about my community.
Putting on this event takes tremendous planning from the winery association and from every winery. There is a substantial time, energy and monetary commitment each winery must make to secure the desired outcome of so many happy visitors. The wineries receive almost no compensation for their contribution and participation in the event. The $50 fee charged to those touring goes to cover the operating costs of the event and for future events and is not paid to the wineries. When all is said and done with the cost of food, wine and hiring the necessary help to put it all together, it is an investment they make for the opportunity to share and promote their wines.
The next Barrel Tour is scheduled for May 22nd. And there is still space available and still time to sign up to tour. If you go, have fun and remember to pace yourself. It is a unique experience to be able to sample a wine before you purchase so when you find a wine you like, support your local family owned winery and take a bottle or two home. The wineries will appreciate it and so will you when you serve it! Summer is just around the corner and is the very best time for enjoying outdoor dining with friends & family and wine just makes it all that much more enjoyable...Cheers!
/Diane Clerihue-Smith and her husband H. Bruce Smith run "Oregon Wine Country Tours" based in the Umpqua Valley. OWCT.us or 866-WINEVAN/
For those of you who have never experienced the Barrel Tour it is a wine tour put on twice each spring by the Umpqua Valley Wine Growers Association. All of the Umpqua Valley wineries participate and the area is split up into three tour routes, each route including wineries based on geographical location. Each tour, the north, central and the south encompasses 6 or 7 wineries and school buses are rented for the day with professional bus drivers responsible for getting everyone safely from each winery to the next. Each winery visit is about 45 minutes allowing for just the right amount of time to taste the various food and wine pairings lovingly prepared and offered at each winery.
This time the central tour sold out but the south and the north tours were not as full. I had the pleasure of pouring for Becker Vineyard included in the central tour and the seven buses with 50 people per bus, beginning at 9:30 am and ending at around 5:00 pm, made for a very full day! Chatting with the folks about the various wines and unique food pairings they were experiencing along the way it was obvious everyone was feeling well taken care of and enjoying themselves immensely. I spoke to a number of people from outside of our area. Many came from Eugene, Portland, Bend and the coast and it was really good to see so many visiting from other parts of our state. Our high quality wine and natural beauty was not lost on these visitors and many talked of the obvious magic of our area. I have to say it made me proud to hear such kind, appreciative words spoken about my community.
Putting on this event takes tremendous planning from the winery association and from every winery. There is a substantial time, energy and monetary commitment each winery must make to secure the desired outcome of so many happy visitors. The wineries receive almost no compensation for their contribution and participation in the event. The $50 fee charged to those touring goes to cover the operating costs of the event and for future events and is not paid to the wineries. When all is said and done with the cost of food, wine and hiring the necessary help to put it all together, it is an investment they make for the opportunity to share and promote their wines.
The next Barrel Tour is scheduled for May 22nd. And there is still space available and still time to sign up to tour. If you go, have fun and remember to pace yourself. It is a unique experience to be able to sample a wine before you purchase so when you find a wine you like, support your local family owned winery and take a bottle or two home. The wineries will appreciate it and so will you when you serve it! Summer is just around the corner and is the very best time for enjoying outdoor dining with friends & family and wine just makes it all that much more enjoyable...Cheers!
/Diane Clerihue-Smith and her husband H. Bruce Smith run "Oregon Wine Country Tours" based in the Umpqua Valley. OWCT.us or 866-WINEVAN/
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