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Between Rounds
A taste for success
Northwest now known for its wineries, adding opportunities to round out a golf trip
By Jim Gullo, For PNGA Media
Crushers were crushing. Grape juice was sluicing through clear hoses to tall, stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation was in its full, bubbling glory, and the wine-makers were smiling.
"We crushed 12 tons of grapes today," said Dave Butler of Walnut City Wineworks, one of Oregon's top producers of outstanding pinot noirs. "It will be another good year for Oregon wines."
Butler might as well have been referring to the wines being produced not only in Oregon, but across the Northwest, from Oregon's lush Willamette Valley to central and eastern Washington, the Woodinville region of western Washington, and on up into British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, where long, twisting Lake Okanagan has created a microclimate that is spectacular for growing wine grapes.
Dozens of wineries have sprung up in each region, making the Northwest one of the world's top producers of fine wines. The Northwest also is an important destination for any wine enthusiast who wants to go straight to the source to taste first-rate pinot noirs, chardonnays and merlots that are giving the old-guard California producers a run for their money.
Want to talk production and variety?
Hogue Cellars of Prosser, Wash., in the Yakima Valley, bottled 570,000 cases of wine in 2004, with nearly three dozen different wines marketed under the Genesis and Hogue labels. The farm began to grow grapes in 1974, adding to its established orchards of apples, mint and hops.
Want to talk rankings and scores?
The 2001 vintage of Quilceda Creek's cabernet sauvignon scored a 98+ from Wine Advocate, putting the Woodinville producer at the top of the cab lists. Production is miniscule, and these bottles are like trophies.
If you can't score a cab, try the delicious merlots or a 2001 red wine that is 62 percent cab, 27 percent merlot and 11 percent cab franc.
Want to talk price and perceived value?
Another Woodinville producer, Delille Cellars, produces a Bordeaux-style blend that out-Bordeauxs many of the great wines of France. A bottle of its 2002 Chaleur Estate once sold for $17,000 at auction.
But don't let those extremes scare you off. Northwest wines are for the most part affordable, unpretentious, ready to drink, and encompassing a variety of wines that will find matches for any palate, from delicate, white pinot gris and Rieslings to full-bodied cabs, pinots and merlots. The best thing about them might very well be that they lie in our own backyards in some of the prettiest places in the Northwest, making for spectacular day or weekend trips in the country to visit wineries and sample their offerings.
And for the golfer there is a hidden bonus: Nearly all of the wineries are within easy reach of a good golf course, which creates the delicious opportunity of driving for show, putting for dough, and wine-tasting for the sheer pleasure of it, all on the same day.
My pal Butler's Walnut City Wineworks is a good example of the kind of winery that is making a splash across the region. With a group of investors, he purchased a former walnut processing plant in the heart of McMinnville, Ore., a pleasant town in the middle of the Willamette Valley's great vineyards, and converted it into a full-scale wine-making operation.
With 60 acres of his own grapes, and hundreds of acres of vineyards managed for other owners, Butler and his wine-making team are able to produce blends from a number of Willamette sources, or target a specific vineyard for a premium bottle. Purchased directly from the source in the handsome, restored walnut works, his wines sell for anywhere from $15 to $40 a bottle.
The hills get steeper and terraced with long lines of grape vines tied to wires just up the valley from McMinnville. Here you'll find several producers of Oregon's best wines, including Domaine Drouhin Oregon, or DDO, a French producer that staked its claim in the Willamette Valley and produces superb pinots and chardonnays. The view from the tasting rooms is not to be missed, with the valley spread out below and the sights of growing grapes and wine-making surrounding you. A modest tasting fee (usually $5) allows you to try several vintages.
British Columbia lists 93 wineries throughout the province, most of which are located in the fertile hills surrounding Lake Okanagan. A don't-miss winery is Mission Hill, an enormous operation that, with its pale stonewalls and courtyards, looks like it was plucked directly from the Tuscan countryside. It produces several varietals of wine, and its restaurant is great for an afternoon meal.
Following a developing trend in adding lodging and food to the wine-tasting experience, the nearby Burrowing Owl Estate Winery is adding an upscale restaurant to its operation.
The bottom line? The Pacific Northwest has become a vibrant center of wine-making, the industry is growing, and that is good news for all of us who like to tip a glass.
Alderbrook Resort & Spa
Spa offers relaxing break
After two years of intensive and elaborate renovations, Alderbrook Resort and Spa reopened in 2004 fit to impress and pamper.
Inspired by the natural surroundings, designers subtly brought the outside in by using palettes of lush greens, warm browns and splashes of sunset oranges in their suites and cottages throughout its facilities.
Golf at nearby Gold Mountain Golf Complex one day, Alderbrook Golf and Yacht Club the next. And in between rounds indulge in a hot stone massage, one of the many spa treatments offered at the resort.
Afterward, relax and take in the exceptional view of Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains in the comfort of your tastefully appointed room. Most rooms feature a cozy, cushioned window box from which to enjoy the view or catch up on reading.
From this vantage point, even your worst round doesn't seem so bad.
ALDERBROOK RESORT AND SPA
Union, Wash. ~ www.alderbrookresort.com ~ 800.622.9370
Less than two hours west of Seattle
SPA
Alderbrook offers an array of treatments including massage, body scrub, facial, pedicure and manicure.
ROOMS
Choices range from guest rooms with either a king or two queen beds, to cottages. Ask about packages.
GOLF
Alderbrook Golf and Yacht Club ~ www.alderbrookgolf.com
Gold Mountain Golf Complex ~ www.goldmt.com
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