My mission is to promote the Umpqua Valley AVA. I have tried to encourage discussion of our wines on various forums to no avail. Seems that if you are excited about your own AVA then you are labeled as "self-promoting" which is a no-no.
But I can't be other than an unabashed "prophet crying in the wilderness" for the amazing wine makers of the Umpqua Valley AVA, so I will confine my enthusiasm to this blog. Apparently no one else is interested in talking about our wines.
My message is to wine lovers of the world to alert them to the fact that they have another Destination to add to their list. True wine enthusiasts travel the planet looking for the next great wine. This is a life long quest and I don't want people to stop their quest here either. Keep Exploring!
I believe one of the greatest attractions of the Umpqua Valley AVA is the fact that all our wineries are family owned. No mega corporations kowtowing to the shareholders, pumping out unremarkable wines to meet the bottom line. Here you're more likely to meet the wine maker behind the tasting bar.
That owner may be Terri or Jim Delfino. With the finishing touches being performed on their new tasting room, we wine lovers have another haven to beat a hasty retreat to. And what a spot! Seems each new tasting room adds another "can't be beat view" to the list. Delfino Vineyards has all the right stuff, starting with great wine! Duh!
So make plans to visit this new tasting room to sample the scrumptious reds on their list. A top of the heap Syrah, a beefy Tempranillo, a chewy Dolcetto, and a Zinfandel that's no slouch. Order a bottle of their Vin Gris de Zinfandel for a picnic overlooking the pond and vines!
Come for the wine, stay for the peaceful Umpqua Valley views. What a marvilous job the Delfino's have done. Give them a call at 673-7575.
Wine is an amazing thing. To some it is the very blood of Christ. To others it is forbidden. And to our friends it is the focus of their lives. We either make it o
r we are there to lap up the latest release. So it may come as no surprise when I recount the story of The Gopher Hole.
It was a typically beautiful Oregon night and about a dozen of us wino's had formed a ring around a little camp fire kettle. The conversation was squarly on the wine being heartily consumed. I sat across the fire from a local wine maker. Suddenly the expression of his face chanced dramatically.
That look of shock that comes from losing your grip on gravity had come over his face. He was going down. Down a gopher hole that is! The leg of his plastic lawn chair had slowly discovered one of many abandoned holes left by the little devils. Now it sank rapidly into the hole.
I am here to witness that his wine glass never lost its level aspect to the ground. All the while he was tousled backward and downward, landing on his back on the lawn, his wine glass gyrated in a perfect plane with the earth. He hadn't spilled a drop!
You can talk a big game but when it comes down to you or the wine, those of us that call ourselves wine enthusiasts know what is valuable on this good earth. Broken bones vs. spilled wine. Just bring me a bottle of wine when you visit me in the hospital!
Posts
