Pack Your Bags: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Our first trip to Oregon has us aching to return! We were fortunate to discover the Maresh Vineyard Retreat in Dundee, an amazing timber frame home held together by wooden pegs. While the structure was gorgeous, we couldn't keep our eyes off of the view! We sat glued to the picture window every morning to watch Mount Hood emerge out of the fog, and the rest of the time, we took in the beauty of the vineyards surrounding the house. Many kudos to our gracious hosts, the Maresh family for providing the perfect home base for our trip! The family, got into wine quite by accident, and we were fortunate enough to hear the story first hand from the patriarch, Jim Maresh. Guests at the Maresh Vineyard Retreat have the pleasure of conversing with the owners and Sam Bauman, the tasting room manager, plus, complimentary tastings at the Red Barn.

For those of you who have visited Napa and Sonoma, this is decisively a different experience! I liken it to what California must have been like in the early days before it became established as a wine mecca. The friendliness of Oregonians is overwhelming, and we were often poured by the wine maker. Note that many wineries are not open daily, so you'll want to make reservations for places you definitely want to visit. The valley hosts special celebrations on Memorial Day Weekend and Thanksgiving Weekend.

After enjoying Argyle Pinot and sparkling wines for many years, it was fabulous to visit the place where it's made—an old hazelnut processing plant. And of course, we hit little-known gems recommended by the staff of the wineries. In a time of globalization and mass distribution, there's a special feeling associated with experiencing a wine that you can only get directly from the winery. And here's a tip: Any time you are on a wine trip, make sure you ask the pourer to share his/her personal favorites. Sarah Kelley at Beaux Freres recommended Bergstrom. Patty at Bergstrom recommended Penner Ash, and we immensely enjoyed both. We were privileged to connect with a former military paratrooper who accompanied us to a few of the wineries. His sunny disposition brightened the dreary rainy day. Hats off to Kirk Grant of New England for his brave service to our country!

Martha Maresh, our hostess at the Vineyard Retreat, recommended Jay MacDonald's wine which is aptly named EIEIO. His wine is served at the Carlton Wine Tasting Room, a gem of tasting room in an old bank. We really enjoyed his wine! If you know someone in Oregon, have them get you a bottle! In addition, you'll want to hit the Carlton Wine Tasting Studio, as well as the Bellevue Market and Oregon Wine Tasting Room where they first established our palette preferences, they opened a few bottles off the shelf for us to sample-now that's service!

Domaine Serene was breathtaking, as were the views from Archery Summit and Lange Vineyards. All in all, there were more great wineries than we could visit during our week-long trip.

Martha Maresh, her husband and father, Jim, greet Melissa and Alexander

Sipping some great vino at the beautiful Penner Ash winery

One noteworthy element of the Willamette Valley region is how several wineries use grapes from the same vineyard. For example, the Shea Vineyard appears on several labels including wines from Bergstrom and Beaux Freres, co-owned by the famous wine critic Robert Parker. And the Maresh's Red Hills Vineyard, where we stayed, grows grapes used in wines made by Rex Hill and Archery Summit. We actually bought the last of their inventory of a 1999 Rex Hills Maresh Vineyard reserve wine which Wine Spectator rated 92 points. A great find! Now many of the wines are not widely distributed…or you have to belong to the club to get them.

And now onto the second most important aspect of any wine trip…the food! We were not disappointed! Twice we had lunch at the Dundee Bistro and thoroughly enjoyed it. We also had a great lunch at Tina's, but the service was a bit slow that day. While the food at both was great, there's a special place in our hearts for Bistro Maison featuring classic, country French cuisine. We enjoyed pate and mussels (who can eat just one course at a French restaurant? I don't care if it is lunch!) while taking in the garden view from the open door leading to the side porch. The French chef's wife was our gracious server and she made us feel right at home.

The best meal, which was not an easy ranking to achieve, was dinner at The Painted Lady. A charming, intimate restaurant in a beautifully restored Victorian in Newburg. The service was impeccable-they didn't even wince when they saw us carry in a baby (who slept like an angel through the entire meal). We opted for the chef's tasting menu complete with wine pairings for each course. It was superb! Definitely a great way to end a fabulous vacation.

return to top

We've been tasting some great wines! We recommend trying to locate a bottle of Oregon Pinot from the wineries recommended in our Pack Your Bags article. In addition, we recommend the following wines for your holiday celebrations and for cellaring.

	2004 Beaux Freres Pinot Noir Belles Soeurs from Oregon Two Blondes' Two Cents: This gem won’t disappoint you! At $38 a bottle, it’s a bit more than what we normally recommend, but it is worth it. This wine will give you a great taste of the flavor of Willamette Valley Pinots.
	Argyle Sparkling Wine from Dundee, Oregon Two Blondes' Two Cents: Set the tone for a great celebration by greeting your holiday guests with a glass of vintage sparkling wine. Argyle in Willamette Valley produces several wonderful bottles of bubbly, and we haven't tasted one we didn't like, so put forth the extra effort to locate a bottle near you. Who are we kidding? One bottle of champagne is never enough! Prices range from $25-$50 depending on the vintage. The rosé is especially nice as the color is incredible.
	2005 Whitehall Lane Chairman's Selection Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa $14.99 only available in PA State Stores Two Blondes' Two Cents: This is an AMAZING buy! We tasted it to see if it was worthy for a reader's wine tasting and we can tell you that we will be buying a case of it. Two Blondes have visited Whitehall several times. It is a very well respected Napa winery known for their Cabs. They had a tremendous crop in 2005, and Whitehall agreed to use their extra grapes to produce a wine exclusively for the Pennsylvania Liquor Chairman. We've paid more than $45 a bottle for Whitehall wine, so it's truly a steal. It's not been rated by Wine Spectator or Wine Advocate, since it's exclusively available in PA. However, Whitehall cabs typically score at a minimum of 90 points in Wine Spectator. Since it is young, I would suggest decanting this wine for at least 1.5 hours before you drink it. It can be cellared for several years.
	Barnard Griffin Merlot from Columbia Valley, Washington $12.99 at PA State Stores, regularly $17 Two Blondes' Two Cents: This is the most enjoyable Merlot we've had all year, and it's priced so you can enjoy it often! Melissa bought six bottles and has already depleted her stash! Wine Spectator gave it 89 points. Again, this is a bit young, so decant it awhile before serving and at this price we recommend stashing a few bottles away to enjoy down the road.

What do we love to pair with Pinot? Well, turkey! Yes, it's an amazing pairing and a nice alternative for a white wine. In fact, each year we serve both a red and white with our Thanksgiving dinner to give guests a choice as well as a side-by-side comparison to determine which they prefer with the holiday meal. So pick up one of our recommended Oregon wines for a special treat to enjoy on Thanksgiving! In addition to turkey, we recommend pairing Pinot with duck, veal chop, salmon and pork chops. Proof that the rule of thumb of matching white wines with white meat and reds with red meat can be flexible and even less than ideal. In honor of our trip to Oregon where we enjoyed fresh Sockeye Salmon with a bottle of Rex Hill Maresh Vineyards, we're pleased to share this recipe, as well as a family recipe for amazing turkey stuffing.

Smoked Salmon Appetizers

• One loaf of pumpernickel cocktail bread
• One package smoked salmon
• Two lemons
• Quarter round of brie cheese
• Dill or capers for garnishment if desired
  

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange the cocktail bread in a single layer on cookie sheets. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the bread is toasted. Remove and cool to room temperature.

Spread each slice of toasted bread with brie.

Arrange a nice amount of salmon on top of the cheese.

Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the salmon…not too much, or you'll have soggy toast.

Garnish with dill or capers if desired.

Traditional Turkey Dressing

I recommend buying bakery bread to take this side dish over the top. This recipe can be doubled for large gatherings. It will serve six to eight, but don't expect any leftovers!

• 1.5 loaves bakery fresh bread (I prefer sourdough or croissants)
• 5 sticks of butter (no one said this was low fat!)
• 12 oz sliced mushrooms (feel free to mix up your selection for a unique taste)
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3 beaten eggs
• Chopped fresh sage to taste or 1.5 teaspoons dried sage
• Garlic powder to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Cut bread into cubes and leave out overnight to dry.

In large pot melt the butter.

Add mushrooms, celery and onions.

Cook until celery is soft. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Fold in bread, beaten eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder and sage. Combine with hands until bread is completely moist.

Stuff turkey just before cooking or put stuffing into baking dish and cover with aluminum foil and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking until golden brown (at least 15 additional minutes). Bon appetit!

return to top

Past issues of Two Blondes are available for your reading pleasure.

Autumn 2004
How it all began/the inaugural issue
Ordering wine in a restaurant
Whitehall Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2002
Little Neck Clams in Spicy Broth Recipe

Holiday Issue 2004
Hosting a holiday dinner
Argyle 2003 Pinot Noir
Chandon Blanc de Noirs NV
Roasted leg of lamb recipe

Spring 2005
Understanding wine ratings
Kim Crawford 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Sebastiani 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
Goat cheese Florentine appetizer recipe
Bacon wrapped dates recipe

Summer 2005
Pack your bags: Alsace
Dopff and Irion Les Murailles Riesling
Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc
Miner Sauvignon Blanc
Ferrari Carano Fumé Blanc 2004
Spicy shrimp skewers recipe
Tantalizing tuna tartar recipe

November 2005

return to top