What a beautiful Saturday we had in the Northwest. It was that great luck you hope for when a friend plans a birthday outing in wine country. As we left Beaverton at 11am I knew the goal of five wineries was not likely and I think that when you go wine tasting you should relax and not be stuck to a plan. If you have to shuttle away from one tasting room to get to the next you are likely to miss the relaxing day it should be at these gorgeous places.
We stopped at Ponzi first in Dundee. It is a gorgeous building sharing space with The Dundee Bistro and The Dapper Frog. We had a large group so I didn’t do any tastings so we didn’t overwhelm the rooms when we showed up with thirteen. I think four of us didn’t drink so it helped keep it manageable.
After that we stopped for lunch at Farm To Fork. It is a gorgeous place with some fantastic food. If our party wasn’t so large I would have enjoyed the outdoor seating; instead we took up three tables. The food was a hit but unfortunately we got a server that forgot we existed.
After about 15 minutes, and the other two tables had their orders taken, we asked a server walking by if she would take our order. She said she wasn’t our server but she would. The other two tables were served and then our food finally came. I think it was the first time “our” server came by the table. A mistake happened where the order from another table was to be split with another table. Our server finally realized it and said it wasn’t her fault because the other server took the order. She blamed the other server a couple of times and said, “I’m your server.” I really wanted to ask why she didn’t take my order.
I won’t let this one server completely cloud my opinion of Farm To Fork. I have heard many praises about them and will probably be back again sometime; especially for their cookies. I waited to0 long to grab a cookie that I sampled earlier and was left wanting.
Then we headed to Sokol Blosser which seems to be a hit with everyone. I trailed behind as our large group walked up. I saw what may have been some fear in a worker’s face as we walked up. Thomas stepped up and took us to a members only area where I had the best education in wine ever at a tasting room. Normally you don’t have such focused attention when doing a tasting; here Thomas gave us a run down on several wines explaining how they make them, labeling, making their ice wine, and so much more. It was one of the best experiences I have had at a tasting room. Thank you Thomas!
Time was running out and Duck Pond was the last stop. It was Wine Club day where people could pick up the new stuff and we had a few members in the group. They have a gorgeous setting just off Highway 99. Their shop and tasting room is nice but has more of a tourist shop feel for me. I did get to go in the back where wine members were doing their pick and saw barrels and barrels of wine. A nice site indeed.
Wineries will start hitting their stride soon. Most have new releases out and the weather should start to dry out on a regular basis. Head out with a plan but take it as a suggestion. If you love the place and the wine, stick around and enjoy it. Leave your watch in the car and relax.