24th Anniversary of Wine Touring in Oregon's Willamette Valley
Three-day weekend features tastings at more than 100 wineries, artisan foods, live music, local artists and the pastoral beauty of the Willamette Valley’s wine region located an hour from downtown Portland.
(PRWEB) October 24, 2006 -- Winter wine tasting season in Oregon's Willamette Valley kicks off with the 24th annual Wine Country Thanksgiving from November 24-26, 2006 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This annual event held the weekend after Thanksgiving brings families together to explore the pastoral beauty of the Willamette Valley and taste a wide range of Oregon wine -- from Pinot Noir to Riesling, Syrah and Pinot Gris. Many small, family-owned wineries only open to the public during Thanksgiving and Memorial Day weekends allowing for opportunities to meet the winemaker and sample new releases. Each winery organizes their own events ranging from artisan food tastes of local cheeses and hand-dipped truffles to art displays and live music. For a complete listing of wineries open during Thanksgiving weekend, along with details about special events and individual tasting fees, visit http://www.willamettewines.com to request a touring map and guide.
Wine Country Thanksgiving Grows from Nine Wineries to 130
The Willamette Valley recently celebrated 40 years as a wine producing region, dating back to 1965 when David Lett, and his wife, Diana, planted 3,000 pinot noir vines in the Dundee Hills. But it wasn't until the early 1980s when a small group of vintners banded together to hold open houses at all the wineries in the Yamhill Valley. The original nine wineries were Adelsheim, Amity, Arterberry, Chateau Benoit, Elk Cove, Erath, Eyrie, Hidden Springs, and Sokol Blosser. "Wine Country Thanksgiving became our biggest retail weekend of the year," said Susan Sokol-Blosser in her new book, At Home in the Vineyard. "As the number of participating wineries grew, so did the number of visitors and the popularity of wine touring." Wine Country Thanksgiving is now celebrating 24 years of annual open houses with more than 130 member wineries welcoming visitors to the Willamette Valley.
About Willamette Valley Wineries Association
The WVWA is a non-profit industry association dedicated to achieving recognition for the Willamette Valley as a premier Pinot Noir producing region. Currently, the WVWA has 138 members representing wineries and tasting rooms throughout the Willamette Valley region – from Portland to Eugene. Memorial Weekend in Wine Country (May 26-28, 2007) and Wine Country Thanksgiving (November 24-26, 2006) are the two oldest wine touring events in Oregon. The Board of Directors includes: Paul Hart, president and owner of Rex Hill Vineyards; Josh Bergstrom, Bergstrom Winery; Bill Hatcher, Hatcher Wineworks; Harry Peterson-Nedry, Chehalem; Steve Vuylsteke, Erath Vineyards; Pat Dudley, Bethel Heights; and Annie Shull, Raptor Ridge. For more information or to request a wine touring map, please visit http://www.willamettewines.com or call 503-646-2985.
Related Articles
|
Oregon is bustling with activity all year long! This fall, grab the family and head to the country for one of the 65 fall festivals and events (not to mention Halloween events) happening all over Oregon. So whatever your interest, you’ll find it here in our handy event calen ... |
|
|
more than 50 Oregon wineries, and nearly 75 lodging establishments and 70 restaurants, will taste the harvest during the entire month of November.
Called Oregon Bounty, the promotion is a month-long celebration of the Oregon's wines, cheeses, hazelnuts and pears happening ... |
|
|
Love wine? So do the people of Oregon! Just a 20-minute drive west of Portland will take you to the site of more than a dozen wineries. If you make the trip you can even visit one of Oregon’s first Pinot noir producing wineries.
If you’re up to spending the day in town, ... |
|
|
This year, the Oregon State Fair, proved that a little redesign, renovation, and reinvention could go a long way, as official numbers show that daily attendance improved 10% from previous years. As state fairs across the nation are experiencing a struggle to stay relevant i ... |
|
|
The Oregon Culinary Tourism Association today announces the release of the first comprehensive culinary-themed travel guide ever published for a U.S. state. The 48 page, full color, digest size booklet welcomes visitors to "Come to your five senses...in Oregon," reminding re ... |
|
|
Amateur beer makers are encouraged to submit their homemade brews to the 2006 Oregon State Fair Beer Competition. The 27 entry categories include: ales, stouts, lagers and bocks, fruit, spice and smoke-flavored beer, as well as mead, cider and soft drinks.
The deadline f ... |
|
|
Summer’s not over yet! Here is a road trip idea that takes you from Milwaukie in the Portland Metro region, through Eugene and into Florence on the central Oregon coast for a weekend (or more) o’ family fun!
Start your adventure in Milwaukie at the North Clackamas Aquatic ... |
|
|
|
