Read my article - Keridwen Cornelius
Transcription
Read my article - Keridwen Cornelius
Willamette ❦ Valley Portland 8 219 47 99W 101 d tlan Por alem 5 219 22 ✪S 18 18 99E 219 99W 22 Salem Mendocino ❦ County 20 101 1 20 128 29 253 175 128 101 Napa ❦ 29 1 128 128 Santa Rosa 12 Oakville Yountville 29 Sonoma 121 Napa 116 101 s gele n A s Fairfield 40 80 37 Flagstaff Verde ❦ Valley Vallejo 89A taff lags Sedona F Lo Clarkdale Jerome go Die n a S 17 Cottonwood 89A ix ✪ 279 en Pho Camp Verde on s Tuc Tucson 89 10 83 S ❦ onoita 90 MAP BY BRIAN GODDARD San ✪ nto e m ra Sac o cisc Fran 19 82 136 JUNE 2010 Phoenix Magazine 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_136.pgs 04.27.2010 10:49 Grape Expectations Five Western wine regions yield different but equally wonderful wine country getaways for the summer. By Keridwen Cornelius Photography by Art Holeman & Nicole Roegner Phoenix Magazine JUNE 2010 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_137.pgs 04.27.2010 137 10:49 “W ine is sunlight held together by water,” said scientist and Chianti drinker Galileo Galilei. Wine country, too, is alchemical: a blend of sunshine, vines, rolling hills and charming towns that’s more than the sum of its parts. Perhaps that’s why it’s so seductive. Then again, it could be the fabulous restaurants, plush inns and conviviality that cluster around appellations like grapes on a vine. Or it could be the people it attracts: passionate mavericks, old-school aficionados, romantics, agriculturists and groups of good friends. Every wine country, like every wine, exudes a different personality. So whether you’re a luxury seeker, an outdoorsy type, an epicure or a cowboy, raise your glass to these five grape escapes. Wilhelm Family Vineyards, Sonoita Sonoita, Southern Arizona Best for: RED WINE LOVERS AND COWBOYS 138 National Forest. Finally, bird-watch at the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, picnicking with a bottle of your favorite Sonoita wine. Sonoita Resources Rancho Rossa Vineyards: 201 Cattle Ranch Lane, Elgin; 520455-0700, ranchorossa.com, Fr-Su 10:30-3:30 Callaghan Vineyards: 336 Elgin Road, Elgin; 520-455-5322, callaghanvineyards.com, Fr-Su 11-3 Canelo Hills: 342 Elgin Road, Elgin; 520-455-5499, canelohillswinery.com, Fr-Su 11-4 Wilhelm Family Vineyards: 21 Mountain Ranch Dr., Elgin; 520455-9291, wilhelmfamilyvineyards.com, Fr-Su 11-5 Dos Cabezas Wineworks: 3248 Hwy. 82, Sonoita; 520-841-1193, doscabezaswinery.com, Th-Su 10:30-4:30 Canela Bistro: 3252 Hwy. 82, Sonoita; 520-455-5873, canelabistro.com Duquesne House Bed and Breakfast: 357 Duquesne Ave., Patagonia; 520-394-2732, theduquesnehouse.com JUNE 2010 Phoenix Magazine 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_138.pgs 04.27.2010 10:49 PHOTOS BY NICOLE ROEGNER (2) Winemakers have a maxim, “ To produce great wine, the vines must suffer.” Sonoita vines have suffered hail, searing heat and hungry antelopes. Sonoita winemakers, too, have suffered: ridicule, crop loss, the taste of their own wine during the experimental years. But now we can taste the fruit of their suffering, and it tastes like... victory. Arizona’s only official appellation may have traded cattle for cabernet (earning awards in the process), but this Oklahoma-esque setting still says “Home on the Range.” Driving south from Sonoita onto Elgin Road, you’ll rattle down a dirt lane to Rancho Rossa Vineyards, where the tasting room looks like a trailer and the barrel room like a garage, complete with a Grateful Dead soundtrack. But some of the wines, all of which are produced from on-site grapes, could hold their own against Napa’s. The cabernets are fruit-forward and chocolaty, and the port style wine is as smooth as suede. Just down Elgin Road sits Callaghan Vineyards, established in 1990 by Kent Callaghan, one of the first winemakers in the state to make nationally award-winning wines. Sample the apricot-kissed white blend and the fruity, spicy red blends. Next door at Canelo Hills, refresh your palate with kiwi-tinged, silver medal-winning chardonnay and floral malvasia dessert wine. Skip Sonoita Vineyards and Village of Elgin Winery and head to Wilhelm Family Vineyards, where you’ll be introduced to the state’s only UC Davis-certified winemaker, Karyl Wilhelm, and perhaps the area’s most distinctive wines. The albariño, a rare Galician white, is assertively peachy, while Kevin’s Choice, the tempranillo-syrah blend, won a bronze medal for its unique vanilla-almond undertones. Back in Sonoita, visit Dos Cabezas Wineworks, whose wine has been served at the White House; try the all-local El Campo red blend. Dine on local produce and meats amid the warm, Southwestern ambience at Canela Bistro. Make a weekend of it by staying in Patagonia at the Duquesne House Bed and Breakfast. Savor the scenery on the slow route between Sonoita and Patagonia via State Route 83, which weaves through champagne-colored grassland, ghost towns and Coronado Canelo Hills, Elgin Phoenix Magazine JUNE 2010 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_139.pgs 04.27.2010 139 10:49 Verde Valley, Northern Arizona Best for: RED WINE LOVERS, HISTORY BUFFS AND ANYONE SEEKING A QUICK, COOL, CREEKSIDE GETAWAY The Verde Valley is the wild card of wine country. While most vineyards are blanketed over Impressionist landscapes, these vines eke out a living in rocky canyons once thronging with outlaws and miners. But water runs through this rugged frontier, transforming it into a surprisingly lush microclimate and itself into surprisingly luscious wines. Because Northern Arizona is a fledgling wine region, many of the area’s vines are not yet ready for production. So some wines are made from local grapes, some blended with southern Arizona Water to Wine Tour Kayak down the Verde River to riverside Alcantara Vineyards for a tasting with Sedona Adventure Tours. Info: sedonaadventuretours.com 140 grapes, and some made here with grapes from California. Proprietors can provide you with details on each wine. Driving from Phoenix, the first stop on the wine trail is Alcantara Vineyards, nestled by the Verde River in a semi-Tuscan setting sentinelled by bald eagles. Pull up a chair at proprietress Barbara Predmore’s tasting room – which happens to be her kitchen – and sample the NV Confluence, a spicy red blend made from estate grapes. As unlikely a wine country as Verde Valley is, it was put on the map by an even unlikelier character: rock star Maynard James Keenan. Trading a heavy-metal lifestyle in L . A . for sleepy Jerome, Keenan partnered with winemaker Eric Glomski, and between the two of them, they have three wineries in the area. The first is Arizona Stronghold, which opened its art-filled tasting room in historic downtown Cottonwood in March. Sample the vanilla-toned Mangus and the “shape-shifting” Chupacabra, a blend of 13 varietals. In nearby Jerome, explore more of Keenan’s wines at Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards, housed in a historic brick building with a pressed tin ceiling. Try the Primer Paso, blended with malvasia bianca, a floral varietal that insiders say may be Arizona’s new grape. Stroll the atmospheric former mining town, stopping for more vino at Jerome Winery and for fresh, full-flavored New Mexican food at 15.Quince Grill and Cantina. From Jerome, the road spools around the mountains and the scenery greens as you reach bucolic Page Springs. First up is Javelina Leap, where you can sample a scrumptious sangiovese and, every Saturday, get a free cellar tour with leading ornithologist-turned-oenologist Dr. Russ Balda. JUNE 2010 Phoenix Magazine 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_140.pgs 04.27.2010 10:50 PHOTOS BY NICOLE ROEGNER, LEFT; ART HOLEMAN, RIGHT Javelina Leap, Cornville wine country getaways Caduceus Cellars, Jerome Phoenix Magazine JUNE 2010 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_141.pgs 05.04.2010 141 09:05 Arizona Stronghold, Cottonwood Verde Valley Resources Alcantara Vineyards: 3445 S. Grapevine Way, Verde Valley; 928-649-8463, alcantaravineyard.com, daily 11-5 Arizona Stronghold: 1023 Main St., Cottonwood; arizonastrongholdvineyards.com, daily from noon Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards: 158 Main St., Jerome; 928-639-9463, caduceus.org, Su-Th 11-6, Fr-Sa 11-8 Jerome Winery: 403 Clark St., Jerome; 928-639-9067, jeromewinery.com, M-Th 12-5, Fr 12-6, Sa 11-6, Su 12-5 15.Quince Grill and Cantina: 363 Main St., Jerome; 928-6347087, 15quincejerome.com Javelina Leap: 1565 Page Springs Road, Cornville; 928-649-2681, javelinaleapwinery.com, daily 11-5 Page Springs Cellars: 1500 N. Page Springs Road, Cornville; 928-639-3004, pagespringscellars.com, daily 11-6 142 Napa, California Best for: CHARDONNAY AND CABERNET LOVERS, LUXURY-SEEKERS, GOURMANDS Napa, like a fine wine, has improved with age, slowly sophisticating yet developing nuances that appeal to every traveler. The fact that it’s established means the guesswork is gone – all the wine tastings, luxury, gourmet restaurants and outdoor activities you could want are at your fingertips. Wine beginners need not be intimidated: For every celebrity winery there’s a cast of character vintners quietly turning out equally stellar vino minus the pretense. Savvy travelers pass the utilitarian town of Napa in favor of Yountville, a one-street town with a constellation of Michelinstarred restaurants – more per capita than anywhere on the planet. The place to stay is Villagio Inn & Spa, which feels like your own Coronado Vineyards Grape Stomp Stomp grapes barefoot at this fourth-annual festival in Southern Arizona, held this year on August 28. Info: coronadovineyards.com JUNE 2010 Phoenix Magazine 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_142.pgs 04.27.2010 10:50 PHOTOS BY ART HOLEMAN (4) Skip Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery and visit winemaker Eric Glomski’s deservedly popular Page Springs Cellars. Taste a constantly changing cadre of award-winning wines while overlooking a vineyard corralled by rocky hills and cottonwoods. Buy a bottle and a cheese plate (they’ll provide the picnic basket and blanket) and picnic at tables on the banks of Oak Creek as it flows through the property. On weekends, listen to live music and indulge in a creekside massage. wine country getaways Assistant winemaker Joe Bechard (left) and employee Colleen Rambo (right) at Arizona Stronghold, Cottonwood pied-à-terre in a Tuscan village, with homey fireplaces, oversized tubs, and desktop photographs in the cushy, wine-stocked, cream-colored rooms. Here, you’ll get your first clue that Napa is the most European of America’s wine countries, and the most luxuriously convenient. Your days fall into a happy routine: Champagne breakfast buffet at the Villagio, amble or bike the vineyards, stroll to a Michelin-starred lunch, walk (or drive a mile) to a few wineries, get a fireside grape extract facial at Villagio Spa, mosey to a Michelin-starred dinner, shuffle back to the room, fall asleep fireside, repeat. In Yountville, visit stylish Girard Winery, where every cabernet is better than the last. At art-filled Hope & Grace Wines, chemistry buffs will enjoy speaking with winemaker Charles Hendricks about the science of wine – and tasting the caramelly chardonnay. Watch a dramatic Champagne sabering at V Wine Cellar. Drive a short Phoenix Magazine JUNE 2010 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_143.pgs 05.04.2010 143 09:05 Keever Vineyards, Napa Napa Valley Balloons Drift above tawny hills corduroyed with vineyards in a hot air balloon, then toast with a champagne breakfast. Info: napavalleyballoons.com 144 Napa Resources Villagio Inn & Spa: 6481 Washington St., Yountville; 800-351-1133, villagio.com Girard Winery: 6795 Washington St., Yountville; 707-968-9297, girardwinery.com Hope & Grace Wines: 6540 Washington St., Yountville; 707944-2500, hopeandgracewines.com V Wine Cellar: 6525 Washington St., Yountville; 707-531-7053, vwinecellar.com Keever Vineyards: 26 Vineyard View Dr., Yountville; 707-944-0910, keevervineyards.com, by appointment only Rudd Winery: 500 Oakville Crossroad, Oakville; 707-944-8577, ruddwines.com Napa Valley Bike Tours: 6795 Washington St., Yountville; 707944-2953, napavalleybiketours.com Saddleback Cellars: 7802 Money Road, Oakville, 707-944-1305, saddlebackcellars.com Hopper Creek Vineyard and Winery: 6204 Washington St., Yountville; 707-944-2139, hoppercreek.com Bottega: 6525 Washington St., Yountville; 707-945-1050, botteganapavalley.com Redd: 6480 Washington St., Yountville; 707-944-2222, reddnapavalley.com Hurley’s: 6518 Washington St., Yountville; 707-944-2345; hurleysrestaurant.com Bistro Jeanty: 6510 Washington St., Yountville; 707-944-0103; bistrojeanty.com The French Laundry: 6640 Washington St., Yountville; 707944-2380, frenchlaundry.com Oakville Grocery: 7856 St. Helena Hwy., Oakville; 707-944-8802, oakvillegrocery.com Dean & DeLuca: 607 S. St. Helena Hwy., St. Helena; 707-967-9980, deandeluca.com JUNE 2010 Phoenix Magazine 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_144.pgs 04.28.2010 13:04 PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEEVER VINEYARDS, LEFT; NAPA VALLEY BIKE TOURS, RIGHT distance through Spanish moss-draped oaks to Keever Vineyards to drink in valley views and exceptional cabernets, plus tour the winery and its cave cellar with charming owner Olga Keever. Schedule a private, personalized tour of the gorgeous grounds and state-of-the-art cave cellars at Rudd Winery in Oakville. You’ll taste rare, artisanal cabernets and get your most pressing questions about enology and food pairing answered. To truly experience Napa’s terroir, mountain bike amid the vines or road bike between vineyards with Napa Valley Bike Tours. You’ll picnic by the grapes and pedal riverside backroads to mom-and-pop wineries such as the John Wayne-themed Saddleback Cellars and casual, agrarian Hopper Creek Vineyard and Winery. But what is wine without its soul mate, food? In Yountville, bustling and friendly Bottega will have you at “caviar-topped tuna sashimi served on a 200-million-year-old block of Himalayan salt” and leave you swooning by “muscat-soaked deconstructed carrot cake.” Soothing, minimalist Redd has a Michelin star and a menu that shines. Local winemakers dine at easygoing Hurley’s. Francophiles adore the Parisian classics at Bistro Jeanty and the unforgettable fare at triple-Michelin-starred The French Laundry. Make a Michelin-worthy picnic at Oakville Grocery, which has been peddling top-shelf take-out, pastries and local specialty foods since 1881. During Prohibition, some Napa vintners turned to cheesemaking, and the culture still thrives today. At Dean & DeLuca, choose from an array of local cheeses, 1,400 California wines, and farm-fresh produce, then savor them among the vines. wine country getaways Napa Valley Bike Tours to visit America’s first organic brewpub, Ukiah Brewing Co. Next, cruise into Anderson Valley to Boonville, an isolated hamlet where locals still speak Boontling, a dialect developed in the 1800s. There, you’ll find aplenty bahl steinber (very good beer) at Mendocino County, Northern California Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Base yourself amid pastoral solitude in the simple cottages at Best for: WINE AND BEER LOVERS, OUTDOORSY TYPES Other Place. Dine at Table 128 in the Boonville Hotel, where the She likes wine, he likes beer. What is a couple to do except hop on the first plane to San Francisco and head north to Mendocino County, where several microbreweries, wineries, redwood forests, beaches and paddle-ready rivers beckon low-key travelers. Driving north on SR 101 from the Bay Area, you’ll reach two breweries before you get to Mendocino County. But, heck, beer knows no borders. Stop in Santa Rosa at Russian River Brewing Co. to taste why their Pliny the Elder IPA inspires religious fervor, and in Healdsburg to sample gold medal-winning ales at Bear Re- public Brewing Co. Once in Mendocino County, visit Mendocino Brewing Co.’s Hopland Brewery, home of Red Tail Ale. Then jaunt up to Ukiah menu is small, set and superb. Go for granola at hippie-shabby-chic Mosswood Market & Café, and pick up honor-system jams at Apple Farm. Then hike in redwood groves at Hendy Woods State Park until it’s time for tasting. The unpretentiousness of still-untapped Anderson Valley belies the excellence of its wines. Artist Toby Hill makes artful pinot noirs at Phillips Hill Estates. Sip chenin blanc at grape-trellised picnic tables in Navarro Vineyards and buttery chardonnay with cheese at Standish Wine Co., where the picturesque wooden tasting room was once used to dry apples. The owners of farm-like Lazy Creek Vineyards are happy to talk about their award-winning, sustainably farmed, affordable vino. Pony up to the 19th century barn-turned-tasting room at Husch Vineyards, then finish posh with sparkling wines at Phoenix Magazine JUNE 2010 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_145.pgs 05.04.2010 145 09:05 Husch Vineyards, Mendocino County 707-895-2210, boonvillehotel.com Mosswood Market & Café: 14111 Hwy. 128, Boonville; 707-895-3635 Apple Farm: 18501 Greenwood Road, Philo; 707-8952333, philoapplefarm.com Phillips Hill Estates: 8627 Hwy. 128, Philo; 707-8952209, phillipshillestates.com Navarro Vineyards: 5601 Hwy. 128, Philo; 800537-9463, navarrowine.com Standish Wine Co.: 5101 Hwy. 128, Philo; 707-895-9213 Lazy Creek Vineyards: 4741 Hwy. 128, Philo; 888-529-9275, lazycreekvineyards.com Husch Vineyards: 4400 Hwy. 128, Philo; 800-5548724, huschvineyards.com Roederer Estate: 4501 Hwy. 128, Philo; 707-8952288, roedererestate.com Libby’s: 8651 Hwy. 128, Philo; 707-895-2646 Living Light Inn: 533 E. Fir St., Fort Bragg; 707- Roederer Estate. Hungry? Locals clamor for the carnitas at Libby’s, which pairs its fresh Mex fare with great wines. 964-1384, livinglightinn.com Next, it’s north to tiny Navarro, with its Tolkienesque setting in a redwood forest. Cruise up the coast to Fort Bragg, staying at ecofriendly Living Light Inn and touring North Coast Brewing Co., named one of the 10 best breweries in the world by the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago. Tired of tasting? Rent a handmade redwood outrigger canoe from Catch a Canoe to paddle Big River State Park, then stroll the beach at Caspar Headlands State Park. 964-2739, northcoastbrewing.com Catch a Canoe: 44850 Comptche-Ukiah Road, Mendocino; 707-937-0273, catchacanoe.com Russian River Brewing Co.: 725 Fourth St., Santa Rosa; 707545-2337, russianriverbrewing.com Bear Republic Brewing Co.: 345 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg; 707-433-2337, bearrepublic.com Mendocino Brewing Co.’s Hopland Brewery: 13351 S. Hwy. 101, Hopland; 707-744-1361, mendobrew.com Ukiah Brewing Co.: 102 S. State St., Ukiah; 707-468-5898, ukiahbrewingco.com Anderson Valley Brewing Co.: 17700 Hwy. 253, Boonville; 707-895-2337, avbc.com Other Place: Boonville, 707-895-3979, sheepdung.com Table 128: Boonville Hotel, 14050 Hwy. 128, Boonville; Sonoma Grape Camp Pick grapes, blend your own wine and get insider secrets from winemakers at various vineyards at this three-day camp in Sonoma County, California. Info: sonomagrapecamp.com 146 Willamette Valley, Oregon Best for: PINOT NOIR LOVERS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS, LOCAVORES At his first state dinner, President Barack Obama served a Riesling from Willamette Valley, but it was misspelled on the menu – a sure sign that this region is getting buzz but still is relatively unknown. Pronounced Will-AM-ette, the valley takes its name from the eponymous river that unfurls south from Portland past Eugene. Eco-friendly vintners flourish in this doubly green landscape rife with organic farm stands, while moody, pensive pinot noir grapes develop character in the cool, damp climate. Cruising State Route 99W south from Portland for 25 miles, you’ll find a cluster of wineries in Newberg. But to really feel you’ve arrived, press on to the Dundee/Dayton area. A golden light suffuses this lush, wide-open wine country, and many tasting rooms afford views. To wit: Winderlea Winery & Vineyard, which overlooks biodynamically farmed vines. Taste the pinots at Erath Vineyards, and when you return to Arizona, compare them to the reds from winemaker Dick Erath’s newest venture, Cimarron Vineyards near Willcox. Drink in the views of Mount Jefferson as you sip premier cuvée pinot noir at JUNE 2010 Phoenix Magazine 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_146.pgs 04.27.2010 15:16 PHOTOS COURTESY OF HUSCH VINEYARDS, LEFT; SCOTT PAUL WINES, RIGHT Mendocino County Resources North Coast Brewing Co.: 455 N. Main St., Fort Bragg; 707- wine country getaways Scott Paul Wines, Willamette Valley Archery Summit Vineyards. And at Sokol Blosser, sample Inn at Red Hills: 1410 N. Hwy. 99W, Dundee; 503-538-7666, organic wines crafted with the help of solar panels and biodieselfueled tractors. In Dundee, stay at the Inn at Red Hills, savoring fresh produce at the on-site Farm to Fork restaurant or at homey winemaker favorite Tina’s. Next, detour west to tiny Carlton to stroll among around 20 wineries, eight of which are housed in Carlton Winemakers Studio. Nearby, Scott Paul Wines crafts highly acclaimed pinot noirs, including one named Audrey for its supposedly striking similarities to Ms. Hepburn. If you stay in Carlton, sleep in beautifully converted grain silos overlooking a farm at Abbey Road Farm B&B. In Cucina restaurant at Cana’s Feast Winery, it’s easy to imagine you’re in Tuscany, but why bother when you can savor the equally seductive alchemy of Western American wine country? innatredhills.com Tina’s: 760 Hwy. 99W, Dundee; 503-538-8880, tinasdundee.com Carlton Winemakers Studio: 801 N. Scott St., Carlton; 503-852-6100, winemakersstudio.com Scott Paul Wines: 128 S. Pine St., Carlton; 503-852-7300, scottpaul.com Abbey Road Farm B&B: 10501 N.E. Abbey Road, Carlton; 503-852-6278, abbeyroadfarm.com Cucina at Cana’s Feast Winery: 750 W. Lincoln St., Carlton; 503-852-0002, canasfeastwinery.com — Keridwen Cornelius can be reached at [email protected]. PM Willamette Valley Resources Winderlea Winery & Vineyard: 8905 N.E. Worden Hill Road, Dundee; 503-554-5900, winderlea.com Erath Vineyards: 9409 N.E. Worden Hill Road, Dundee; 503-538-3318, erath.com Archery Summit Vineyards: 18599 N.E. Archery Summit Road, Dayton; 503-864-4300, archerysummit.com Sokol Blosser: 5000 N.E. Sokol Blosser, Dayton; sokolblosser.com Bike Oregon Wine Country Every Sunday in August, join cyclist oenophiles for a 30- or 52-mile group ride from Eola Hills Wine Cellar in Rickreall to several vineyards. Info: eolahillswinery.com Phoenix Magazine JUNE 2010 136_147WineCountryGetawaysPHM0610_147.pgs 05.04.2010 147 09:07