Mother's Day Wineries Tour - Oregon Wine Tours

Dayton, OR:
Last weekend, for an early Mother's Day celebration, Patrick treated his mom, Ruth, and I to a wine tasting tour of four wineries. His dad Martin also joined in. This was a big gift from Patrick as he volunteered to be the designated driver. It was the perfect day for a drive through the country-side, warm and sunny. Little did we know what absolutely beautiful scenery we would see. A big huge thank you to Ron Burke at Oregon Wine Tours! He put this amazing itinerary together for us. We enjoyed every moment!

Starting the tour at Stoller Vineyards:

Pinot Noir Rose, just right for summer refreshment.

First of all, the property is wonderful. There is a large grassy area with tables and chairs for picnics and across a field, a beautiful oak tree with a tire swing. For about 10 seconds I wished we had brought the kids.

This swing was in constant use.

Cheese and crackers, a must for an extended wine tasting trip!

Secondly, the wine was fabulous. We took home several bottles from here, including their yummy 2014 Dundee Hills Chardonnay.

Finally, it's as environmentally friendly as wine making gets. In 2006, Stoller Vineyards became the first vineyard in the United States to receive LEEDS certification, achieving the rare gold level certification. A big CHEERS to the Stoller Family for their efforts in sustainability!

The next stop on our tour was Domain Drouhin, which starts impressing you the moment you drive onto the property.

On the drive into Domain Drouhin.

"French Soul. Oregon Soil."

The view from the deck behind Domain Drouhin is breathtaking. You can see mountains in the distance over rolling hills filled with vineyards and wildflowers. Also breathtaking, the 2013 Dundee Hills red blend alone is worth the trip.

If you visit, make sure to take a trip to the restroom, which leads right through wine barrels and processing room.

Martin, Ruth and Liz on the deck at Domain Drouhin.

Next up on our tour was Winters Hill Estate Winery. At Winters Hill we had the opportunity to talk to Russel Gladhart (winemaker) and Emily Gladhart, who founded the winery along with Peter Gladhart in 1990. She planted the first fields of vines. It was such a treat to get to talk to these knowledgeable people. The wine was some of our groups favorite of the trip.

A little help from Olympic Provisions (salami) and New Seasons (seasoned hazelnuts and almonds) to make it a truly Oregon experience.

Designated driver, getting a kick out of the conversation.

Durant Vineyards made up our last wine tasting of the day and included an olive oil tasting as well at the neighboring Red Ridge Farms. We were lucky to find some chairs open in the shade of a grand old tree.

Durant Vineyards.

A beautiful seating area on the property. Just down these stairs are rows of lavender, not flowering yet, but definitely worth a drive to see later in the year.

We topped off the afternoon with dinner at Subterra in Newberg.

Unfortunately we didn't put their wine cellar to the test because we were quite sated at that point, but the food was delectable. I'm still thinking about the pork and leeks meal I had.

Oh My.

A couple more pictures from the day:

Martin and Patrick in the Stoller Vineyards tasting room.

Patrick, Martin and Ruth at Durant Vineyards, with Red Ridge Farms in the background.

Jackson Bottom Wetlands

Hillsboro, OR:

It's been a while since we visited the wetlands and we were pleasantly surprised by how much work has been done on it. The grounds near the educational center are gorgeous, overflowing with native flowers and trees. The air is filled with birds and we saw many interesting critters on our walk through part of the property.

One of my favorites, a Great Blue Heron, hunting in the pond.

California Poppies

Along the Kingfisher Marsh loop we saw numerous white silken tents, home of the Western Tent Caterpillar larvae. (Thank you Mona Rentz for your help identifying these!) As you can see, many of the caterpillars have grown big enough to leave the tent and forage on their own.

Western Tent Caterpillar Tent

We weren't able to hike all the way around the pond because there is an Osprey nest on the south shore. You can see it from the far shore and it has several Osprey eggs. Osprey sometimes abandon their nest if disturbed so the trail is closed about half-way around the pond.

Pintail Pond Hike

Flowers near Education Center

Just behind the Center there are several birdhouses, a small pond, a seating area surrounded by wildflowers and behives for native bees.

Small pond

Seating area behind Education Center

Wild Roses along Pintail Pond

There is a small room full of educational wildlife exhibits that is open from 10 - 4pm, as well as a small gift shop. The star of the show is a huge eagle nest that was transported in from the wild. The kids enjoyed the exhibits, although it only took about 15-20 minutes to give it a good look.

An animal tracks exhibit unlike any other we've seen.

Osprey Nest