Consider Taste. Learn. Celebrate! as spring training for wine enthusiasts on Saturday, April 28 – before Oregon Wine month begins in May.
Hosted by Cascade Foothills Winegrowers, the third annual Taste. Learn. Celebrate! is a chance to taste wine crafted by 15 winemakers and learn about winemaking and vineyard management.
“With our wineries stretching from Oregon City to Sublimity, Taste. Learn. Celebrate! is an occasion for wine lovers to visit all 15 wineries in one day and learn about the varietals and award-winning wines being crafted by family-owned and operated winemakers,” Whiskey Hill winemaker and vineyard manager Chris Helbling said.
Along with food for purchase from local restaurants, there will be displays of winemaking and vineyard management tools and machines. An additional feature this year will be hourly talks by winemakers and grape-growers, sharing insights on how wine is made in the Willamette Valley.
“When guests visit any of our tasting rooms, their wine will most likely be poured by the winemaker or one of their family members,” Carl McKnight of St. Josef’s and Pheasant Run wineries said. “Because the pace is a little slower and quieter in the Cascade Foothills, it’s a unique opportunity for wine enthusiasts to visit with the winemakers and often get to see the process of making wine or harvesting grapes, depending on what time of year they are visiting.”
While there are fewer wineries in the Willamette Valley’s eastern side, more than 1,500 acres of vineyards provide grapes to many of Oregon’s well-known and prestigious wineries. And wine grapes have been growing here for more than 50 years.
“As winemakers, we have a long history of working together, whether it’s to promote an event, discuss what’s happening in our vineyards or share something we learned at the Oregon Wine Symposium,” Sean Driggers of Pudding River said. “We understand the best way to sell our wines, and tell our stories, is by working together. And Taste. Learn. Celebrate! is a great example of our small, family wineries coming together for an afternoon of fun and wine.”
