Pick a Peck of Beck....er grapes!

Ah, Sunday morning. Time to read the paper and languish over your coffee. Right?

Not when there's grapes to be picked! Diane and I showed up at 8:30AM at the Becker Vineyards to help bring in the first fruit of the harvest, their Müller-Thurgau; A variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882.

Charlie and Peggy Becker where like expectant parents as the crop started to come in. Charlie was dusting off his winemaker cap and was a bit nervous as the first clusters where squeezed in the bladder press. But like any good athlete the moves came back as the juice began to flow.

What an honor for us, as "outsiders", to be a part of the very first harvest of their three year old Müller-Thurgau. The grapes where 24 Brix and sweet to the taste. Let's hope that Charlie remenbers all the right moves, as we have seen from all his wines, and you the public can enjoy the fruits of all of our labor this Sunday!

Thank you, Dionysus

As September draws to a close, Diane and I can look back over the past 4 months of offering wine tours here in the Umpqua Valley and say: "Wow!"

Like any new business we weren't sure how we would be recieved. Two weeks into our touring season and we had purchased our own van! We've had the good fortune to fill that van with all types of wine lovers but the one thing they all shared was just how much fun it was to take our wine tour.

The reason is that both Diane and I bring a ton of enthusiasm and wine knowledge to our tours. We always feel that we've had as much fun as the group. That's the secret of our success. Making Wine Friends!

You're Invited

Look it, I'm from Minnesota. The wine universe does not revolve around Duluth! So, I moved West and that has been all the difference. Now I like those dry valley wines, with the sunshine exploding in every glass. And I'm sure pleased to have arrived in Oregon. A smidgen wilder than the cushy Sonoma and Mendocino Counties in CA. I was getting used to. With Oregon, I had saved the best for last!

My wine mantra these days is: Get yourself to the Umpqua Valley. Make a pilgrimage out of it. Not quite Mecca but you'll be praising the wines here, none the less. It's one of those little wine surprises that keep on popping up. That's the Magic of Wine.

Pack it up and head to Oregon, we'd love to share our bounty with you. If you would like to just come and relax, then take a wine tour with my wife and I. We love nothing more than to brag about our wines and show you a good time exploring our American Viticultural Area.