Everything's Coming Up Rosé (and also White)

Now that my time in Oregon is coming to a close (for the summer at least) I thought I'd devote a post to some of the best wines I've discovered from Oregon Wine Country.  As you read through this post (as well as future posts), you might notice that the only types of wines I discuss are are white wines, with the occasional rosé wine thrown in.  The reason for this is that I'm actually quite allergic to red wines, and since I don't want to be driven to the emergency room every time I have a glass of vino, I just steer clear of it.  And believe me, you wouldn't be the first to tell me that I'm missing out on the wonderfulness that is every kind of red wine.  But if the choice is sticking to white wines or having my throat close up, I think I'll gladly stick to white wines.

I have to start with one of my all time favorite white wines...Muller Thurgau from Montinore Estate.

If I'm being totally honest, many times, when I pick up a bottle of wine that I'm not familiar with, it is because I think the label is pretty (come on, you know you do it too).  I'll be the first to admit that it's not the most sophisticated way to pick out a bottle of wine, but on a couple of occasions, it has worked out extremely well for me.  This is one of those cases.  I was in Portland with Michael a little over a year ago, and I wanted something to drink with dinner.  I was in the white wine section of the grocery store, and happened to see label above, and realized that I had never tried this particular type of wine.  I decided to try it, and am extremely happy that I did.  The flavor is somewhere between a Pinot Grigio and a Reisling, and it is excellent.  The problem is, I've only been able to find it in Oregon (I think because this particular grape is only produced in Oregon), so I only get to have it when I go down to visit Michael, or when I remember to ask him to bring a bottle with him when he comes to visit me.  So if you happen to be in Oregon any time soon, I highly recommend you pick up a bottle (or you can order it on the Montinore Estate website that I have linked above).

A great wine that I discovered on my summer outings with Michael is the Pinot Noir Blanc from the McMenamins Edgefield Winery.

Michael and I decided to have lunch one day at the Old St. Francis School, the McMenamins Hotel/Movie Theater/Restaurant/Bar located in Bend (there are six other McMenamins located throughout Oregon and one located in Centralia, WA).  These are amazing places because they take old, uninhabited, rundown buildings, and renovate them into these amazing places that are so much fun to go to, especially since they try to do what they can to restore the building to pretty much what it looked like in it's hay day.  If you have a chance to eat, stay at, or watch a flick at one of these places, I give them two thumbs way up.  For our very first date, Michael and I met at the McMenamins Olympic Club in Centralia for dinner, a game of pool, and a movie, and it must have been pretty good, because I agreed to keep dating him. ;)  Anyway...back to the lunch.  I wanted something to drink with my food, and so I immediately went to the wine list and saw this little beauty on the menu.  Now since this is a rosé, I had to be careful the first time I tried it, because it is possible for me to have a reaction to this type of wine.  But thankfully, I was perfectly fine and able to drink this wonderful, glorious nectar.  It has the crispness of a Pinot Gris, with just the slightest bit of sweetness at the finish.  AMAZING!  Unfortunately, you can only get bottles of it at either the gift shop at the Old St. Francis School in Bend, OR or at the Edgefield Hotel and Winery itself in Troutdale, OR (those lucky enough to live in Oregon, Washington and California can also order bottles online at the McMenamins website above).

Now, I ran an amazing half marathon this summer in Dundee, which is in the heart of Oregon Wine Country called the Fueled by Fine Wine Half Marathon (I promise a post all about it in the next couple days...but today is just about wine).  The best part of the race was that, at the finish line, each finisher received a complementary wine glass and a free pass into the wine tasting tents, where many of wineries from the area were sampling several of their wines.  I got to try many good wines that morning, but two of them stood out for me.  The first one I'm going to talk about is Evolution from the Sokol Blosser Winery.

The Evolution is a crisp, fruity wine, and is just really pleasant to drink.  Since I've just discovered this tasty treat, I'm not actually sure if you can find it in stores outside of Oregon or not, but you can for sure order it on the Sokol Blosser website.

The other wine I was truly impressed with at the tasting after the half marathon was the Pinot Blanc from Winter's Hill Winery.

I was so impressed with it, in fact, that I ordered half a case of it right there in the tents at the half marathon!  It is an amazingly crisp, fruity wine, but it also has the slightest bits of woody, nutty undertones that (I'm told) are usually only found in red wines.  Simply put, I don't purchase multiple bottles of just any old wine, so I would highly recommend it.  Again, since this is a recently discovered treasure, I have no idea if it is sold in stores outside of Oregon or not, but just like the others, you can order it online at the winery's website above.

Well, that's my take on just a few of the fabulous wines put out by the vineyards in Oregon Wine Country.  Now, I'm off to enjoy a wonderful glass of wine with Michael on my last night in Bend.  The hardest part will be deciding which type of wine to have! ;)

So...what's your favorite type of wine?