Willamette Valley Vineyards Wine Center Grand Opening

This weekend the new Willamette Valley Vineyards Wine Center opened in McMinnville. I was there to witness the excitement! Below I have included a few articles about the Wine Center Grand Opening. It has been amazing watching the transformation of the space, hiring and training of the staff and the reaction of the guests and media. Cheers to everyone who helped get the Wine Center up and running.

The Oregonian
Vineyards open new wine center Saturday in McMinnville
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/11/vineyards_open_new_wine_center.html


Business Wire
Leading Pinot Noir Producer Launches Willamette Valley Vineyards Wine Center
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/email/headlines/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&div=939633621&newsId=20091116006239


Willamette Valley Vineyards Blog
http://willamettevalleyvineyards.blogspot.com/


Oregon WinePress
Wine Center Opening in Mac
http://www.oregonwinepress.com/index.php?pr=1109_06_WVV

A Very "Hoppy" Weekend on the Coast

A little work and a little play makes the weekend fly away. I had a very "hoppy" weekend with Gavin in Cannon Beach. Friday and Saturday night I poured wine for guests of Tolavana Inn in Cannon Beach, Oregon. I love doing events! It is my opportunity to get people excited about wine and to educate them. I had the best time and it allowed me to become more familiar with WVV wines and how people respond to them.

The rest of the weekend I spent eating my first cup of Mo's famous clam chowder; drinking Duck Dive IPA and Rudy Red from Bill's Tavern & Brewhouse; hiking, playing rock and stick baseball and riding the make believe bull in Ecola State Park; late night strolls on the beach; enjoying delicious last minute Thai food that cost as much as the corkage was going to be at another local restaurant; another brewery visit and lunch in Pacific City at Pelican Pub and Brewery and ending the weekend with winetasting at Ponzi Wine Bar. Oh yeah and I almost forgot the part where I kicked Gavin's butt at cards.

After a lot of creative thinking, I have finally named my Xterra. It's full name is "Hoppy the White Rabbit" "Hops" for short (yes after beer making). Long story. But the name fits!

It's back to work tomorrow. Goodnight!

Risk Taker

Yep. That's me on a bridge, and no I am not going to jump. I am smiling. See that BIG grin on my face? I feel alive again. Thanks Jerry and Meg!

A few inspiring quotes I am living by right now:

Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.--Unknown Author

I don't want to come to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.--Diane Ackerman

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Thanks for coming out to visit me. It was great experiencing the carts in Portland with you, eating at my favorite restaurant Press in Dundee over a bottle of Oregon Sauvignon Blanc, hiking 6 miles at Silver Falls State Park and showing you where I work.

For some reason, it was really hard this time to say goodbye at the airport. I know how much you miss me, and I know you hope I meet a good Midwestern man and I move back home. Trust me, it is just as hard for me to live far away from my family and close friends. I miss birthdays, weddings, holidays and I miss seeing all my beautiful niece and nephews growing up.

I don't know what the future will bring or where I may end up next. You know me...always looking for something new and exciting. What I do know is that I love you. Thank you for always being there when the world crashes around me. One of these days, my luck will change and I know I will look back at all of this and thank my lucky stars. For now, I just take it one day at a time. I enjoy each day and look forward to what it brings, the good, the bad and the just okay.
As Jim said today, "We can only control one thing: our attitude." Wise words to live by.

Love your daughter,
Becky

Harvest then to harvest now

Last year at this time I had just finished harvest in Santa Rosa, California. It was my favorite harvest job to date. I miss the 18 hour days working in the vineyard and winery. There is something magical about harvest. It is hard work both physically and mentally, but it sure beats sitting in front of a computer all day! Sometimes I wondered why I did it. But now that I am not doing it, I know why.
The closest I have gotten to the vineyard this year was when I took the Retail Department out for a quick lesson on Brix. Here they all are in the vineyard. The fruit was picked this week.

Looking Forward to My Last First Kiss

I heard a country song this week and it hit home. The lyrics talk about looking forward to a last first kiss. I too am looking forward to my last first kiss. Makes me wonder when it will happen and with whom. My life is getting exciting again. Last night I had a great night out with a few co-workers. What was supposed to be a couple of drinks after work, turned into last call at the bar. It was worth it.

I am starting to get control on my work/life balance again. Last week I started hitting the gym and taking new challenging classes along with my runs, I am making time to spend with friends and I am even having days off. I unpacked the rest of my stuff and organized my apartment and am beginning to adjust to my new life in Oregon. Although my original plans of moving here have changed slightly, I am sure there is a rhyme and a reason for me to be here. I look forward to finding out why.

Take A Quick Look Below

Do you get it? I cannot tell you how many times I have had friends (yes you Nathan and Leah) and even strangers pull up behind me and chuckle or coworkers (Randy) laugh because they think my license plate says "300 MEN"!

Ha! All I can say is that I cannot wait until I get my Oregon plates. The good news is that I finally own my XTERRA. I don't own many things. I am a simple person. What I do own and cannot be taken away from me is all the fond memories and experiences I have had in my travels and adventures. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world, even a couch or a microwave (Yeah. That's right Jonas.)

Homework Night 1: 2007 Pinot Noir

School ended early tonight. I was disappointed so I decided to come home and do some homework. Extra credit.

Homework Assignment #1: Comparative side-by-side tasting of two 2007 Pinot Noirs from Oregon.

Oregon 2007 Founders' Reserve Pinot Noir Willamette Valley AVA from Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner, Oregon

Our mission in growing cool-climate varietals is to create elegant, classic Oregon wines from the Willamette Valley Appellation. As native Oregonians, we treasure our environment and use sustainable practices in growing and vinifying our winegrapes.” - Jim Bernau, Founder/President

Founder, Jim Bernau, purchased the Estate site in 1983 and cleared away the old pioneer plum orchard hidden in scotch broom and blackberry vines. He planted Pinot Noir (Pommard and Wadenswil clones), Chardonnay (Dijon and Espiguette) and Pinot Gris. In the beginning he hand watered the vines with thousands of feet of hose. To find out more about WVV go to their website: http://www.wvv.com/

Tasting Notes Willamette Valley Vineyards:

Price: $30
Alcohol: 13%
Color: lighter brick red
Nose: anise, raspberry and cherry aromas
Taste: medium bodied, slightly spicy with rounded tannins and nice finish
Overall: Willamette Valley Vineyards uses Not my favorite Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot but a great steal at $30.

Oregon 2007 Trisae Pinot Noir AVA Willamette Valley from Trisaetum Vineyards in Newberg, Oregon

Fate and Good Fortune. Most good stories have a little of both, and this story is no exception. It actually began fifty-five million years ago when Trisaetum’s estate vineyard was on the floor of the Pacific near an extensive line of submarine volcanoes and fate chose that one such volcano would erupt in that very location, spewing lava through the ocean floor, scattering glassy basalt nodules across the seascape, and leaving a unique mixture of volcanic and sedimentary soil that just so happens to be perfect for grapes. Unfortunately for grapes, the soil was at the bottom of ocean. To find out more go to their website: http://www.trisaetum.com/

Tasting Notes Trisaetum:

Price: $36

Alcohol: 13.4%

Color: deep crimson red
Nose: vanilla, oaky, spice with red fruit
Taste: this wine is smooth and full of delicate layers of flavor
Overall: Fantastic wine! Winery staff is delightful, great art gallery and very small production. This is a newer winery and one to watch.

It's Willamette Dammit!

Another great weekend spent with a great friend. My Chicago friend, Mary, came to visit me this past weekend. Our weekend kicked off with a concert at Doug Fir. If you haven't been, it is a must do in Portland. We saw the Works Progress Administration which is a band formed with members of Stevie Miller Band, Nickel Creek and Toad the Wet Sprocket. What a great show! Thanks Nick!

The entire weekend was filled with delicious food, wonderful wine, Argyle sparkling and Deschutes beer. We even managed to get some exercise in: coin toss and 12 ounce curls to work the arms at Deschutes Brewery on Friday, a modified gym workout in my living room on Saturday and a nice 6 mile hike on Sunday in Leif Erickson Park.

More pictures and stories to come!

Mr. Construction Worker

This is a good one. My commute in California was 2 miles. I left my house in Capitola each morning and made one stop at Peet's Coffee for a small double shot soy latte and a pumpkin scone. There was a shortcut only the locals knew about. This is the street I chose to take each morning. I avoided a few stoplights by doing so.

Well, then construction started. At first I was annoyed. I continued to take this route because it was what I was used to. Then I noticed him. He was driving a yellow tractor. Each morning I couldn't wait to drive by and wave hello. This went on for months. I told everyone at work about the cute construction worker who drove the yellow tractor. I even showed them as we drove by.

One day I was driving to work and noticed him standing on the street. He was directing traffic. He stopped my truck and walked up to the window. I rolled my window down and thought he was going to yell at me for driving too fast or something. He pulled a piece of paper out of his back jeans pocket and said he had seen me driving by the past few months. He told me his name and said I should give him a call sometime. Traffic was backing up and I was pretty embarrassed. I took the piece of paper and said I would call him. All of his work mates watched me as I drove by. I gave them my daily wave and went to work. I realized that in the short time we had spoken, I hadn't even told him my name. Now what? If I called him, I had to say this is the girl who drives the yellow Xterra. It took me two days to get up the courage to call him. But it was worth it.

Mr. Construction Worker is a very sweet guy and now I have a great story to share. It is memories like this that make me smile. You have one life. The decisions you make on a day-to-day basis will change the direction of your life's path. To me, it is worth taking chances like this. If you constantly play it safe you will never truly live life.

I am looking for someone who isn't afraid to take a chance. Enjoy life and live it to its fullest.

Next up...Mr. NHL.

Going Back to School

I am going back to school. This time Chemeketa Community College for wine education classes. That means I will be enrolled as a student in two states: Iowa and Oregon. Taking Pacific Wines of the Northwest in Oregon and Cold Climate Wine classes in Iowa. Cool beans! I plan to be a student for life.

Here's a list of all the schools I have attended:

Viterbo University: Bachelor's of Business Administration with Marketing
UW-LaCrosse: German classes
University Nevada Las Vegas: German study abroad program in Luenberg, Germany
Philadelphia University: Fashion Design (one semester)
Napa Valley College: (Enology and Viticulture classes)
Cabrillo College: (Spanish and Enology classes)
Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC): (Cold Climate Enology and Viticulture classes)
Chemeketa Community College: (Enology and Viticulture classes)

As Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Watch out.

Grape Stomp Day #1

Oh boy. What a day. Today I put my gumboots back on. I know what you're thinking...are you doing another harvest? Nope. Not this time. It's Grape Stomp at Willamette Valley Vineyards. It is a day to celebrate the harvest and have a good time. Our guests have three minutes to stomp the grapes and the team with the most juice proceeds to the final heat at the end of the day. The winner from Saturday competes against the winner from Sunday. The team who wins gets an all expense paid trip to Napa Valley to compete in the world championship grape stomp competition. Lucky!!!

After a slow start due to rain, traffic jams caused by Ducks and Beavers (college football fans that is on the way to the games) and a car accident on I-5 temporarily shutting it down, Day #1 of Grape Stomp at Willamette Valley Vineyards was a smashing success. There were lots of great costumes (pictures coming soon). The weather cleared up and it was just about as perfect as a day as one could wish for. My final task of the evening was hosing down and cleaning up the crush pad to prepare for tomorrow's stomp. It brought me back to the days of working harvest in Tasmania and California. Gosh...I miss the cellar.

The juice flows at 19th annual grape stomp

Statesman Journal September 19, 2009

Check out this article written by Justin Much about the Willamette Valley Vineyards Grape Stomp 2009

Thanks Justin for coming out!

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090919/UPDATE/90919015/The-juice-flows-at-19th-annual-grape-stomp&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

To Date or Not to Date...That is the Question

Single life is interesting. I am definitely more aware of my surroundings...that is the cute men. It has been a long time since I have even looked. What I have realized in a short time is not to judge a book or a guy by its/his cover. Sometimes a cute guy opens his mouth and he isn't cute anymore and sometimes the geeky, semi-cute guy ends up looking cuter after a long-depth conversation and a good laugh.

I haven't quite figured out whether or not I am ready to date again. I am kind of happy being single. I don't have to plan things for anyone but myself. Where will I meet my next boyfriend? I don't know. Let's take a look back at how I have met guys in the past.

(Fade out and cut in to me sitting on the Red Line Train in Chicago)

Mr. Red Line
I was on my way to work at a wine shop in downtown Chicago. I sat down next to a guy wearing a Cub's shirt and who was proudly holding a baseball. We struck up a conversation about the Cub's and he told me the story of how he caught this ball. We had a good laugh and he told me he was from Des Moines and he worked for a company that was just featured in the top 500 companies. My stop came and I got up to leave and so did he. I could tell he wanted to ask for my number but he never did. We proceeded to walk up the stairs and then said goodbye and went our separate ways.

All day I was super mad at myself for not having the guts to ask for his number. With just a few known facts including city, fortune 500 and name (Mr. Red Line), I was able to find him with a little tool called Google. I sent him an email and he responded. He said he couldn't believe that he didn't ask me for my number. Well, luckily I am a Google expert...right Dawn? We are still in contact to this day.

It is amazing to think back of how I have met some great guys. Some have turned into forever friendships and other just a good story.

Stay tuned for Mr. Construction Worker, Mr. Batting Cage, Mr. Florida & Mr. NHL.

The World's Shortest River

The D River is a river in Lincoln City, Oregon. Proclaimed the "shortest river in the world" by the State of Oregon, it was listed in the Guinness World Records as the world's shortest river at 440 feet (130 m). This title was lost in 1989 when Guinness named the Roe River in Montana as the world's shortest. Attempting to reclaim the title, the people of Lincoln City submitted a new measurement to Guinness of about 120 feet (37 m) marked at "extreme high tide". Starting in 2006, the Guinness Book of World Records did not list a category for shortest river.

The river flows from Devils Lake, under U.S. Route 101, and into the Pacific Ocean, entirely within the city limits of Lincoln City. The river had been known by several names, including simply "the outlet", and earned its short name in a contest.

Getting Back to the Wine

I have been so busy at work that I have lost focus of what I truly love: wine. Today I am excited because I don't have to do anything. I have enjoyed sleeping in (10 whole hours of sleep), cleaned my apartment, went to the gym, got the oil changed in my truck, cooked and now I am going to read magazines and wine books. It is raining outside so I don't feel guilty about spending the day inside being lazy.

I have been living in Oregon for almost four months now. It is hard to believe how quickly time flies and the amount of changes that can occur during such a short period of time. I am still deciding if this is the right place for me. I need to give it some more time to see how everything unfolds. The hardest part is being away from my family and friends. Luckily I have a few visitors coming to visit over the next few weeks.

Harvest is about to start, and all the interns are arriving in the valley. I am jealous. I want to wear my gumboots again. I never imagined it would be so hard to let that lifestyle go. I thought I was ready to work a 9-5 job and dress up again, but there is a huge part of me that loves the excitement and hard work in the cellar. Not to mention it is a (H-E-double hockey sticks) of a lot less stressful.

Want to know how small of a world the wine industry is? Last weekend while winetasting at Domaine Drouhin I met an intern from New Zealand. H knew Gus. No last names needed. I worked with Gus at Oyster Bay. I will keep you up to date with harvest information. Right now we are just prepping the cellar so we are ready for fruit intake. The fruit is still ripening and has a little ways to go. Well, time to get back to enjoying a glass of wine while I read about wine. What a life!

HUG-A-THON Success

Thanks for all the HUGS!

Heaps of Fun

This week my friends, Leah and Nathan, who I worked with in New Zealand and Australia stopped on by for a visit. They have been traveling around the USA in their super sweet Chevy propane van for the past few months. Portland was one of their last stops before continuing onto Canada where they wil be working harvest before returning to Australia in November. It was nice to see them and spend some time at Somewhere Else Tavern, playing Photo Hunt (X Rated) and watching funny game show mishaps on You Tube.

Cheers to all my friends world wide. The wine industry is such a small world. For instance, today while winetasting, I met a guy from Australia who knew Gus from Oyster Bay. There were no last names needed because we knew it was the same Gus. I am excited for harvest to begin and am a little bit jealous I will not be wearing my gumboots this year.

Multnomah Falls

8/24/09
Multnomah Falls is a waterfall on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, located east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The falls drops in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet (165 m) and a lower falls of 69 feet (21 m), with a gradual 9 foot (3 m) drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet (189 m). Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in the State of Oregon.

My friend Steve took me here. What an amazing place!

Minn. competition showcases wines from frosty northern states, where the grapes sure do suffer -- latimes.com

Minn. competition showcases wines from frosty northern states, where the grapes sure do suffer -- latimes.com

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