Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner

June 18, 2023 by 1 Comment

Fullerton Wine has a tasting room in the Slabtown area on NW Pettygrove, with a unique perspective of offering wine to highlight all the AVA (American Viticultural Area) of the Willamette Valley. To help this vision, winemaker Alex Fullerton and father Eric offers fine wine and they love pairing with food, offering dinners and dueling pairings with other winemakers. I’ve attended and loved a dinner previously, and recently attended another one with their new executive chef Andrew Thomas who recently started offering winemaker pairing dinner menu options for non-meat those reducing meat eaters.
Rosemary Focaccia Bruschetta Roasted Summer Vegetables, Gremolata, Toasted Spice Pepitas Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Wood Fired Grilled Steak, Whiskey Braised Cipollini Onions, Thyme Brown Butter, New Potatoes, Romesco Sauce

In a very inclusive move, the wine pairing dinners are offered so that diners can select from a Traditional (omnivore) menu, Pescatarian, or Vegan food pairing. So those with dietary restrictions are thoughtfully accounted for which is worth spotlighting, beyond their convenient location within Portland and great wines. It’s also fun to see how they efficiently create the twists in dishes to meet the restrictions. Here’s an example walkthrough of the Fullerton Pairing Dinner June 16 & 17, 2023 to see what an experience might be like.

We started with a welcome pour of 2021 Three Otters Rosé. This easy to drink and very affordable summer pleaser started as a competition between father and son on who can make the best Rosé (whole cluster pressed vs skin contact over 6 days) and both were blended together when Alex discovered the sum was better together. You’ll notice the family love of otters on the wine label as well as part of the family crest and if you look carefully, an otter calendar hanging inside the tasting room.
Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner welcome pour of 2021 Three Otters Rosé

First Course

Seasonal Vegetable Gazpacho, Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Peach, Croutons
This course was the same for both of us and was well balanced with the acidity and sweet of the fruit. It was paired with the bright 2022 Three Otters Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley AVA.
Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Seasonal Vegetable Gazpacho, Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Peach, Croutons Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Seasonal Vegetable Gazpacho, Cucumber, Tomato, Red Onion, Peach, Croutons

Second Course

Aleppo Seared Scallop with Israeli Cous Cous Salad Roasted Summer Squash, Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion, Basil Ladolemono Dressing
🌱Vegan: Israeli Couscous, Crispy Chickpeas, Roasted Seasonal Squash, Blisters Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion, Basil Ladolemono Dressing
Both were paired with 2018 Lichtenwalter Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge AVA which is one of my favorites from Fullerton, with a smooth blend of fruit with spice accent in the flavor profile that’s subtle but distinguishable.
Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Aleppo Seared Scallop with Israeli Cous Cous Salad Roasted Summer Squash, Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion, Basil Ladolemono Dressing Fullerton Wine Pairing Dinner Vegan course of Israeli Couscous, Crispy Chickpeas, Roasted Seasonal Squash, Blisters Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Scallion, Basil Ladolemono Dressing

Third Course

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Cheetah Stroll at Wildlife Safari

May 19, 2015 by 10 Comments

As a gift, F made reservations for us to go to Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon (Southern Oregon – not far from Umpqua Valley wine country) to take part in one of their animal experiences, a Cheetah Stroll. After our visit, we then went on various winery visits. I wanted to share this activity as something to do besides or as for us, on addition to winery visits in the area.

The description on the site explains that the Cheetah Stroll animal encounter is the following:

Take a stroll with one of our cheetah ambassadors. These strolls are the closest you will get to these magnificent cats inside the park. They will come within 5 to 6 feet of the animal, close enough to hear them purr and marvel at their lean athletic bodies. The keepers will share their knowledge of these cats during the stroll. This adventure includes one 8 x 10 photo with the cheetah for you to take home.

Price $80 per person (Pech note: sometimes there are Groupons or Living Social Deals – we used one ourselves)

Minimum Age Requirement: 13 years

We made our reservations for our walk to be early in the day – in fact the first walk of the day. This is because we have found that generally animals are active early on when everyone first comes in because it’s a bunch of activity (also not as hot so more likely to not be napping in shade), and then the only other times you can count on are when they get fed and for many animals, at night (many are nocturnal).

The two trainers had our cheetah friend Cayenne on a leash, with each person holding a leash.
On the Cheetah Walk at Wildlife Safari. The two trainers had our cheetah friend on a leash, with each person holding a leash. We would follow behind a couple yards away On the Cheetah Walk at Wildlife Safari. The two trainers had our cheetah friend on a leash, with each person holding a leash. We would follow behind a couple yards away

Then, F and I walked behind them a few yards. As we walked, a trainer would sometimes plop a small piece of meat in front of the ambassador cheetah to reward him for his good behavior and probably keep him walking since he wanted to flop down and relax even though it was 9 am.
On the Cheetah Walk at Wildlife Safari. Our Ambassador Cheetah was a bit tired/lazy and often did a Cheetah flop!

Then, every time he found the piece of meat, he got into this low crouch like this… so it was often a constant up and down because of how he wanted to lie down flat and eat instead of stand and eat.
On the Cheetah Walk at Wildlife Safari. One of the trainers would sometimes throw out a piece of meat, and each time he would crouch down like this to eat, and then have to get back up to continue the walk. Cheetah crouch as he snacks on some meat

He also would often stop and stare out into the woods, listening – probably for deer the trainers explained, and there was even one time we saw a deer about 30 feet away.
On the Cheetah Walk at Wildlife Safari. Our Ambassador Cheetah is looking at a deer to the back left in the woods... On the Cheetah Walk at Wildlife Safari. Our Ambassador Cheetah is looking at a deer to the back left in the woods...

Pretty much all of us got into the habit of everytime he stopped to stare, we would be staring too, to see if we could spot if he was looking at another deer, or bird, or what… What! What’s out there!?
"On

Our walk occurred along a trail in the woods and because it was early, it was very quiet and peaceful. We just heard the wind through the trees and our cheetah purring, if the trainers were not giving us information (most of the information came early on, and then based on questions we had, they are very knowledgeable). We loved watching him walk as he is very slinky (if you have a cat, you know exactly what this is like – F kept comparing him with his/our own cat Lobo) and the cheetah’s tail was constantly twitching back and forth with curiosity.
On the Cheetah Walk at Wildlife Safari. Our Ambassador Cheetah tail is twitching with curiosity and interest

One of the fun things we learned is how he and his sister are very close, and how when they call to each other they sound like chirps!

In fact, here’s a video of the brother and sister waiting to be reunited- and one of the trainers explaining how they get anxious and jealous when one gets to go out, but how they always take turns (in the video, the ambassador cheetah brother is the one waiting for his sister’s return).

Recently the Wildlife Safari got a friend for a cheetah cub they have (the cheetah’s name is Pancake…) – a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named Dayo. So if you and your kids (or just you, no kids) want to see real life unlikely animal friends, consider visiting Wildlife Safari soon to catch the latest ambassador duo in their cubhood/puppyhood. You can find out more about this couple and the very successful cheetah breeding program at Wildlife Safari that they have had since the 1970s at their Web page on cheetahs.

Other photos of some  animal friends at Wildlife Safari Village, which is FREE to visit. The fees are for the animal encounter experiences they offer (for instance feeding giraffes or bathing an elephant) or their main experience, the drive thru Safari (drive in your own car, can drive through twice, there is an area to kennel your dogs as no pets allowed) and the feeding areas (available in the village or an area on the Safari drive).
Other animal friends at the Wildlife Safari Village Other animal friends at the Wildlife Safari Village, like Flamingos Other animal friends at the Wildlife Safari Village Other animal friends at the Wildlife Safari Village, like a silly goat Other animal friends at the Wildlife Safari Village, like this lemur Other animal friends at the Wildlife Safari Village, like this lemur Other animal friends at the Wildlife Safari Village, like this lemur Other animal friends at the Wildlife Safari Village

To finish off this Travel Tuesday post, I’ll show you the other sights we saw on our trip back from Winston up to Roseburg, which is where we were staying for the night in this Umpqua Valley region. As a side note, I love the reds from this area – our visits included Becker Vineyards, Abacela Vineyards and Winery, Girardet Vineyards & Winery, Hillcrest Vineyard, TeSóAria Vineyard & Winery, Glaser Estate Winery and Distillery and Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards. You can grab an Umpqua Valley wine tour map (or print one out here) to map your path, and if you visit 5 and get stamped, you can wine a little gift and entry to win a prize!

If you don’t have any plans for Memorial Day weekend this weekend, this holiday is always a great time to visit the wineries as many are doing special events in their tasting room (including more food and perhaps live music) and open houses.
Umpqua Valley visit, View of Becker Vineyards Umpqua Valley visit, View of Becker Vineyards Umpqua Valley visit, Abacela Winery was peaceful Abacela Winery, view from the deck of the tasting room Girardet Winery. Excellent tasting room. Hillcrest Winery Tesoaria Winery Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyards Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyards

Have you ever visited the Umpqua Valley area that includes Winston and Roseburg? Have you heard of Wildlife Safari and their cheetah ambassador program, or about Pancake? What are your plans for Memorial Day Weekend?

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Hood River Wineries Tour

June 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

As part of a Living Social deal, I went with a group on a deal with G-Limos on a 5 hour tour of 3 wineries that included all the wine tasting fees and also a plate of cheese meat and cracker tray for snacking. Our vehicle, a stretch limo, was promised to also be stocked with water bottles.

As it would turn out, the limo had a strange air system where on one half of the main cabin (thankfully, on the half with the bar area, not the seats) the vents were blowing out warm air, while on the other side would be blowing out the cool air we all desperately needed as we sat inside with the sun rays beaming to warm us up. The water bottles were teeny half pints. And the screens/radio didn’t work- at one point one of the passengers used their phone for some background music. The cheese/meat platter I could have recreated better for $10.

Thankfully, there was good company, and a pleasant winery visit schedule:

Pick Up our our group  (a total of 8 of us) at 11:00: Gresham Fred Meyer

12:00: The Pines Vineyards, one of the oldest heritage vineyards in the Northwest as some of their Zinfandel vines were planted back in the late 1800s, and this winery supplies grapes to Sineann. This winery had the best atmosphere, with the young man taking the time to describe the wines as he poured to each half of the group, and always coming over with a new taste as soon as he saw our glasses were empty.

Here, we tried a refreshing and clean 09 Pinot Gris, a smooth toasty 09 Viognier, 09 Merlot, 09 Big Red jack of all trades red blend that could go with anything and please anyone, an 09 dark fruit with hint of leather Cabernet, and berry 10 Old Vine Zin (from the heritage vines). This tasting room’s location downtown makes it a nice respite after walking around the town, and is also is an art gallery and has room for a small stage for musical acts or other entertainment. It definitely had the most comfortable space and all it’s wines are crowd pleasers.

1:00: Pheasant Valley known for their certified organic grown grapes and wines, particularly their pear wine, and you can take yourself on a self-guided wine tour using QR codes (though we never were told or saw this- I only saw it on the website later). We were given six tastes of our choice from the twelve available. There were two ladies pouring cheerfully, and this was where I tasted my favorite wine of the tour. Here, the 2006 McDuffee Celilo and Larsen vineyards contributed Chardonnay with its hint of vanilla coconut peaked my palate’s interest. They also have a lovely relaxing area outside to sit at various picnic tables and gaze at their gardens and vines

2:00: Phelps Creek Vineyard, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay focused winery on a golf course. The wines here were priced slightly higher than the other two, and the tasting room size about 1/8 the size. They had available to taste just a handful of wines (literally), although she offered as a bonus a taste of their dessert wine Pinot Gris at least when another couple looking around noticed they were offering bottles of it, which is how we made it to 5 tastings. At $24, this sweet wine may be frozen artificially instead of via natural artic winds but the flavor is pretty decent (not cloyingly sweet) and the price tag is much more affordable than ice wine, which can be 2x or 4x as much (they do have an ice wine as well for $52 created as when frost hit in Dec 09, but with no tastes available because of such low production).

4:00: dropoff at Fred Meyer Gresham. As you can see there was no lunch time, but we had been warned beforehand by our confirmation a few days before the tour so it seemed everyone had purchased some alcohol absorbing food at the Fred Meyer that was eaten in the limo. I’m not sure I would recommend G-Limos, as it seems you would get a better experience if you can get a good group and rent a transport that is included with an actual tour instead to get information and not just a driver. Maybe it won’t cover all the tasting fees, but you will probably end up buying wine anyway since the tour should already be bringing you to good wineries where you will want to buy- so your tasting fee will end up waved.

But I did like the Pines and Pheasant Valley and would visit again. It actually would make a super sweet long weekend stay-cation in Portland to stay and a bed and breakfast for an evening and maybe tour around on bicycles. There are 30 wineries here, and the views while traveling of the Gorge and perhaps glimpses of Mt Adams and Mt Hood are a great escape from the city. You can pretty much get the feel for this area from their Chamber of Commerce site with their listings of wineries and more though you can also try to cross the border to visit Washington wineries as well that are still in this Gorge area.

And, in case you want a break from wine, there are also several breweries in the area (Full Sail, Double Mountain, Big Horse Brewpub)- more than you can say in most wine country areas!

 

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Umpqua Valley Barrel Tour: The Tour Itself

June 12, 2010 by 1 Comment

So at 9am, we were on a bus with these menus in hand! How awesome is it to have all these wineries only a few hours away from Portland… and a tour in which they take care of the transportation for you.

 

Menu1
Menu1

 

Menu2
Menu2

 

 

Menu3
Menu3

First stop was River’s Edge. Their Pinot Noir needed a little more time because of the confusing legs on it, but it was in the barrel so duh… the Pinot Noir Black Oak Vineyards barrel tasting was paired with one of my favorite food pairings of the entire day, the grilled chicken-apple sausage with triple cream brie and their pinot noir jam combining the smokey savory and creamy with the fruity and then dark red wine with a bit of tannin to finish it off. I even purchased a jar of their very liquidy jam to enjoy at home. Their winery is indeed located by the edge of a river, presenting a lovely view of vines and river and bridge and rolling hill and sky.  Yes, you can indeed enjoy wine at 9:30 in the morning!


 
Next stop was Bradley Vineyard, where we shivered as we enjoyed delicious wines and snacks outside. Who would expect that it would still be in the 50s in mid May? The view was incredible from their deck, despite the fact it was a rainy day, so worth a little shivering. This quote cheered us up as we entered the very small tasting room and were blown away by their delicious reds.


They also had really cool pourers at Bradley that measured their tasting portion in little mini-flasks. Their Pinot Noirs (they had several years to try) were paired with castillian chicken tapenade spread on baguettes, which were ok- the food couldn’t quite stand up to the great punch of the wine because the bread was too dry and hard and almost cracker-like, though the tapenade was rich from stewing in its slow cooked crockpot: having a spoonful of that on its own with the pinot from a cup might have been a better match.The hit with us was the Greek Cheese Pie (which they had catered by a local restaurant- maybe next time we should stop and eat there hmm) which warmed us up while enjoying their chilled off dry riesling outside in the cold air, and also the blue cheese spread (which you spread yourself on bread or veggies) paired with their Umpqua Rose. They also conveniently packaged their various spreads as seasoned mixes to sell so we puchased the mix for that even before we picked out which pinot noir we each liked best. I am going to enjoy that blue cheese spread with guests this summer on our patio with wine, so yes I already have plans for that tasty mix!

Bradley is where I started on my box o wine bottles to take back home- everyone who purchased wine had to put in cases underneath the bus with our name on it.

Brandborg Vineyard was next, tapping their barrel into a pitcher as they told us stories about how the couple met, finding this location for their winery, ferris wheels and love puppets. They did two smart particularly inspired pairings; their barrel tasting of Pinot Noir was paired at with a rich duck stew with mushrooms and olives over rosemary polenta and they also paired their Gewurztraminer with a Thai curry shrimp and rice with a couple pineapple chunks sot hat the light and bright Gewurtz balanced the spice brilliantly. I really liked their port-style syrah as it wasn’t overly sweet or thick (though their pairing this port-style syrah with a nut/cheese/dried fruit medley was more like trail mix and not a fit). They had a full portfolio of different wines to offer, showing a lot of diversity.
Next was Sienna Ridge. The best thing there was their honey buns. Sorry. Their profile of flavors for their wine was just not to my palette.
At Marshanne Landing, they had to deal with unfortunately a busload of people who had now visited 4 wineries and had tastings but no lunch. They were really generous with their spread of food, offering not only tastings but also cheeses and veggies and breads with olive tapenades, for which I hope they know a busload of people are very grateful (I know I certainly am). MarshAnne Landing included a pairing of their Merlot with an owner made tortellini carbonara instead of the originally planned spanakopita but his updated pairing was much better. Maybe I had more then one tasting here of this particular item (although I found out later this was being done by other bus peers at every winery where they essentially finished off any trays laid out of snacks! We were a busload of greedy guests which I am both apologetic for and what kind of tour for 7 hours doesn’t include a meal and puts the onus on the wineries being visited?).Marshanne also had paired a tri-tip with their syrah and their Red Planet mixed varietal wine with meatballs and raspberry sauce, the sauce at least tried to help what tasted like frozen appetizer selections from Costco. The tortellini carbonara was what stood out for me, though I was getting to the end of my wining and dining limit. As one more note, Marshanne had a great back patio with a contemplative view of a rainy day in the Umpqua Valley, and showcased local artists in their tasting room.



Last stop at Reustle took place in their packaging area supervised by Jean Luc. A little tree with little flowers watches the bus full of people messily devour ribs with the Reustle Syrah (the last pairing).
Reustle replaced the small chicken flautas we had the day before with the Gruner with a smoked salmon crostini with goat cheese and pesto- the flautas were a better complement. They still served their Pinot Noir with phyllo cups of Rogue Smokey blue cheese- it was a clever way, just like the day before, to package the blue cheese, but phyllo cups are a eat all of it in one bite or it’s messy because it falls apart sort of deal: how Brandborg toothpicked their triple cream brie was more user-friendly.
If I had to rank my favorites of the day in terms of wine and food pairing offerings, it would be Reustle, Bradley, Brandborg, tie between Marshanne Landing and River’s Edge, and then Sienna Ridge. It was definitely fun to spend two days exploring wineries and not being responsible for directions or staying sober enough to drive. But, I think before I go back to the Umpqua Valley, I should give the closer Willamette Valley wineries a try.

From Umpqua Valley Barrel Tour- North

 

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Umpqua Valley Barrel Tour: The Day Before

June 12, 2010 by Leave a Comment

In between my travel weeks of Texas and DC last month I went on a quick 2 day getaway to the Umpqua Valley for their Barrel Tours. We boarded school buses which took us to six wineries, and at each winery we enjoyed tastings they had prepared to match with their wines and were able to try tastings the other wines they offered as well. We were signed up for the North Tour, which offered stops at Bradley Vineyards, Brandborg Vineyard and Winery, MarshAnne Landing, Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards, River's Edge, and Sienna Ridge Estate.

We headed there starting early the day before though, so we ended up stopping at 5 wineries the previous day too. Our first stop in the Umpqua Valley was Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards, of which my friend was a member, even though it would be on the tour the next day. Since we were able to arrive without the bus though, we were able to enjoy tastings in peace and absorb the beautiful atmosphere in their custom built cave which includes scripture engraved on the floor, angels on the walls, and a reacreation of part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

 

The snacks that came with our wine pairings: a Gruner Veltliner, a Pinot Noir, a Tempranilo, a Syrah, all of which were great. I really liked the fruity brightness of the Gruner- most of the wines in the Umpqua are of the pinot variety, and even though this was my first stop, my visits later over these two days reinforced that this Gruner is unique and a highlight. I thought all their wines were great here, complex in flavor and well rounded, and was only held back by budget. Everyone here seemed very intelligent and knowledgable about both wine and food and more well traveled in terms of experience and viewpoint.

 

  

From Umpqua Valley Barrel Tour- North

We also stopped at Becker, Juliana, Delfino, and Melrose. Becker Vineyards was a misadventure as we were lost between Reustle and Becker and drove past the right road probably twice unknowingly. When we arrived though, it was worth it: their pinots are very syrah-like because of how they have a hint of smokey or spicy parallel to their juicy fruity body, and ironically they didn't have any syrahs to offer yet but I can believe that they are known for them (Becker was recommended by Reustle). Becker also had a gorgeous Lab/St Bernard mix which resulted in a gigantic lab-looking dog but at the size of a Bernard at even only a year old. He was like the size of a minature horse! The wife of the winemaker had her hands full preparing tastings for the barrel tour the next day, but was very welcoming to spend time with us anyway and share doggy stories.

Julianna Vineyards is a new winery to the region: the two lovely ladies I was having this wine adventure with go every year to this area and they had never been here. Julianna partners with a winery in Germany and so their style is very different in terms of taste profile from what you would expect from wineries in the region. I only liked their muscat- it was very light, a good summer drinking wine, and the muscat varietal is a bit sweeter grape which balanced the acidity underlying their wines. A lot of their wines also were thinner in body and sweeter, like cousins of Rieslings. When you follow the map and then see the large sign to Julianna, don't be fooled that the winery is where the sign is: that's actual a stable, and despite the number of cars parked there that seem like it's your stopping point, it's not. You have to continue down the road a bit until you see another sign and then vines and a little house where the actual tasting room is located. We almost fell for this mistake but decided to keep driving while another couple looking for them apparently gave up because they never joined us in the tasting room. The woman who served the tastings was surprisingly defensive about this, even though she admitted she had made that same mistake… so who knows if they'll fix this.

Next stop was Delfino, and then finished at Melrose because they closed the latest of all the vineyards. Melrose's acid legs were not to my taste, so I won't go into detail on them here. At Delfino when we pulled in and were greeted by a very excited pack of dogs- literally half a dozen dogs barking and running around the car as soon as we pulled in as we nervously tried to keep moving so we could park. In a silly moment, the owner Jim almost accidentally offered us doggy treats to go with our tastings instead of the crackers! Delfino has been growing the grapes that go into Abacela's Tempranillo but they have been putting together their own wines recently and they have a great berry fruit-forward syrah and even offer syrah-chocolates (which was an amazing pairing with the liquid mother syrah and would work just as well if you age and enjoy it with the tempranillo). Delfino also has a bed and breakfast on premise and if I was coming here for a weekend that would be a lovely temptation to stay here! I mean, look at a member of their staff checking me closely and learning on my leg to see if his owner gave me the doggy treats or crackers… how darling is he? He and and his doggy pals and the owners were a very warm, friendly tasting room. 

 

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