A few years ago (about 3), fresh off of our first go with parenthood, John and I took a small weekend trip to Portland, OR for a quick getaway. Having Luca, our son, was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. It was also a very stressful time filled with maternal medical issues and ongoing feeding challenges. I had gone back to work after completing a 3 month maternity leave with little hope of receiving support as a working parent at my job. John had just started his business and we were grateful to my mother and father in law for their support for watching Luca while we were away. All things considered I am grateful for my son, but this country needs to do more for parental leave and in support working parents once they return to the workplace. But, I digress…
Portland, OR had peaked our interest as a fun place to visit based on its newer contributions of Pinot Noir to the wine industry. More specifically, the Willamette Valley within OR is home to some of the most delicious and unique Pinot Noir wines on the West Coast. Most people think of vineyards in Napa Valley, California (even Temecula) as having superior wine, but in our experience the best Pinot Noir comes from Willamette Valley.
On a complete whim, we decided to purchase wine stock from Willamette Valley Vineyards a year prior to our trip. This meant that each year we were (and still are) able to receive new wines in lieu of a dividend, which has proven to be a fantastic investment. I’m not exactly sure this is what the financial planner meant when discussing “liquid assets” but I think it’s a perfect substitute. We almost never have to purchase wine for the holidays and they are all very reasonably priced bottles. On the whole, we actually aren’t big drinkers. But what we do drink needs to deliver superior taste and quality for what we are willing to spend. To date, our favorite pinots coming out of this winery are the: Full Cluster Pinot Noir, Bearnau Block Pinot Noir, Quinta Reserva Port and the Griffin Creek Cab Franc. When hosting holiday dinners, our family members rave about these wines and so do we.
Upon our arrival to the vineyard, were very impressed at the full extent of the facilities. We were able to both stay on site at the vineyard, meet the owner, and learn about the fully sustainable practices at the vineyard. To date, based on my understanding, Willamette Valley Vineyards operates fully on solar and wind energy which has kept down costs and allowed for expansion & delivery of amazing wine. That is IMPRESSIVE.
Touring OR in the fall was an absolute treat. The seasons are clicking and the temperatures have just started to decline. As a tip, if you plan on traveling in the fall, I highly recommend taking a winter coat. Most days are bright, but it can be rainy and damp if you are use to warmer weather. Getting to our accommodations provided a full tour of the lush and dense OR forest. We rented a car and drove to Willamette Valley (it’s will-am-ette, damn it!) through the Enchanted Forest. Not surprisingly, the Enchanted Forest is very green, lush and animated with wildlife…some might even call it …Enchanting. Upon our arrival at Willamette Valley Vineyards we were able to take a tour and enjoy some complimentary wine.
After a few days, we decided to take a tour down the beautiful OR coast and pair our amazing wine with some delightful cheese. We sprinted toward the Tillamook diary & creamery just as soon as we could speed away in our car rental. Truth be told, the OR countryside is just beautiful in the fall. The natural forests are lush and green and the color of seasonal leaves are yellow, orange and hazelnut. The farm and fields were also filled with.green grass and white diary cows. The amount of milk fat in the facility itself is truly breathtaking. Cheese, milk and ice cream samples were among some of the tasty delights at the facility. We loved it so much, we will most likely take our kids with us next time. FYI, you don’t need tickets to self tour the creamery and it is essentially a museum. There’s of fun things to do and see!
Whether or not you plan to visit a winery or dairy farm, I would highly recommend visiting Portland, OR and it’s surrounding area. It’s a great quick trip if you live on the West coast and also worth a longer visit if you are from East or further out. I actually considered bringing my kids out to visit for this upcoming summer to get out of the Phoenix heat. A direct plane ride from AZ is OR is only about 3 hours (or the same as a visit MN). My hope is that when we do go back, these places and surrounding small businesses have continued to grow despite the pandemic. And that each place we visited remains as lively as it was during out weekend getaway.
