Half-off Deal to Wine Tasting Class

I've seen this deal pop up on a few of the online coupon sites before, but I haven't purchased one myself. 

This might be a fun activity with friends, or for a date night.  If you're a frequent Wine & Diner or you've been out tasting at the vineyards, I'm not sure you'll learn anything new.  But it could still be fun.  :-) 

WineUP! Wine Shop

 $20 - Improve Your Palate at the WineUp! Wine Shop Tasting Class ($40 value) 

Wine & Dine: Cruise Edition

Some of the members of our Wine & Dine club were lucky enough to be able to go on an Alaskan Cruise recently!  We missed those other members that couldn't join us, so I'm bringing the wines we had at dinner, and during out wine tastings to them!  All the wines we ordered with dinners were within the $25-$30 range on the ship, so I'm guessing these could be found in stores for between $10 and $15.

 Bryann and I enjoyed this Rosemount Shiraz from Australia during one of the nights where we both ordered a beef-centered dinner.  It paired well with our meals - it was bold enough to stand out against the beef, but not too abrasive. 

We also ordered this Bolla Valpolicella from Italy with dinner during Italian Night.  Our waiters and waitresses dressed in adorable stripped shirts with handkerchiefs tied around their necks and the dinner was completely Italian themed.  The Valpolicella was mild and light and accompanied my Fettuccine Alfredo quite nicely!

The Sylvester "Kiara" Cabernet Sauvignon from California was dry, yet flavorful.  It wasn't quite as good as the Santa Carolina Cabernet from Chile we'd had a few nights prior, but it was a tasty alternative.  I'm a cab girl though, so I'm a bit biased towards them to begin with.  

We also did a Maître d' Wine Club on the first day-at-sea.  I don't remember all of what we tasted -- looking back, I'm kicking myself for not keeping the tasting menu and my notes -- but the wines that stand out are the wines I think Princess is most famous for serving.  

The Opus One was the most talked about, and most expensive wine on our list.  Opus One, which has a rather interesting story on it's rather fancy website (found here), makes only one wine from its vintage, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.  We tasted the most recent 2008 vintage, and I gotta admit...  It was pretty scrumptious.  I've seen rumors amidst the internets that you can find Opus One at Costco from time to time... you know, just in case you want to grab a bottle and then invite me over for dinner!

Bryann and I also really liked the Sylvester "Nikiara" Meritage.  This was a blend, much like Opus One, of Cabernet, Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot.  It was incredibly well balanced, fruity and spicy and chocolatey all at the same time, and very, very, melt-in-your-mouth drinkable. 

Dundee Wine Tasting

{The view from Lange Estate Vineyard}

The weekend of March 2nd my mother came in to visit from Texas. Knowing her love for good wine, I thought it would be a fun experience to take her wine tasting. There are so many great places to go in our area, but I landed on Dundee for this trip.

Dundee offered the best of both worlds for us: there were vineyards with sweeping views so my mother could get the real Oregon vineyard experience, but there was also one large street of tasting rooms that made getting around town really simple. To add to its appeal, Dundee is only about 20 miles from our home.

We started at Lange Estate. It was a bit of a trek up the hill to get there but well worth it. The views were incredible.  We stayed on the hill for our next tasting and swung by Torii Mor. Personally, I thought Torii Mor completely outshone Lange with their offerings- especially their house-distilled port. This is definitely a vineyard we need to go back to in the summer with a picnic basket.

For our next stop we came down off the hill and visited Four Graces- which was my favorite tasting of the day. Everyone was very knowledgeable and welcoming. We felt so comfortable spending time in this tasting room.

Next we hit up Argyle which was along the strip of tasting rooms I mentioned above- which made walking around town very easy.  Argyle has a great reputation for their sparking wines and they did not disappoint. My mom loved sampling all the different bubblies.

 {At the Argyle Tasting Room}

Our last stop for the day was Ponzi. While my mom fell in love with their Chardonnay, it should also be noted that they served the most delicious Italian sandwiches. A nice little break in the day and an easy way to snack and sip.

While we really were happy with a majority of the wines we tasted, there were a select few that were our favorites of the day.

• Torii Mor Syrah Port (Rian's favorite of the day)        
• Ponzi 2008 Chardonnay Reserve (Mom's favorite of the day)
• Four Graces Doe Ridge Estate Pinot Noir (This was my second favorite here. My first was a blend that was only sold at the tasting room. It's current on our bar waiting for our one year anniversary!)

 Next time you're in the area, definitely give Dundee a shot. We had a wonderful time and tasted some seriously good vino :)