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Merlot2muscadine

"Elevating North Carolina Wine thru Hospitality, Education & Sommelier Consulting by Bridging Culinary Craft & Wine Education""

With our Willamette Valley wine trip now behind us I wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all the wineries and vineyards who graciously welcomed us during our trip 🙏🏽

@archerysummit
@argylewinery
@sokolblosser
@adelsheim
@domainedrouhinoregon
@whiteroseestate
@domainewillamette
@pennerashpinot
@stollerwine
@domaineserene
@soterwines
@kwcellars

Look carefully at the collage I created to commemorate our trip and hopefully you will see a label that you graciously provided me 🙏🏽 to every host, hostess and tasting manager that accommodated us our eternal gratitude and appreciation 🙏🏽 whether a bottle from you followed me home or not I look forward with great anticipation to my next visit to #willamettevalleywine country 👍🏽🍷 Cheers 🥂

#merl2musc #willamettevalley

One week ago today we concluded our Willamette Valley wine trip with a visit to @soterwines located in Carlton OR 👏🏽🍷 The weather this entire week was picture perfect and our visit to Soter Vineyards was the very first overcast cloudy day we encountered 😱 although gloomy and a bit chilly our host Sandi made us warm and comfortable and still able to enjoy the view 👍🏽🙏🏽

The wines @soterwines were delicious and skillfully crafted with precision 👍🏽🍷 we also enjoyed a delicious charcuterie board here and will always remember this visit and the bubbly effervescent personality of Sandi❤️

Our final visit of the trip to us to Carlton OR and the world renowned wines @kwcellars 👏🏽🍷 Thanks to my dear friend Bryant I was no stranger to the wine at Ken Wright Cellars and have been a huge fan for over a decade 🍷❤️ this was a visit that we had looked forward to and a fitting conclusion to our trip 👍🏽🍷

Our guide Lindsay was knowledgeable and personable ❤️ she took good care of us and made our stay extra special 🙏🏽 unlike many places we visited this week Ken Wright is located in a quaint building in the heart of downtown that once housed a railroad depot 🚂

I already knew before arriving that these are exceptional wines and thanks to Lindsay we were provided details on their various wines and their very unique terroirs 🙏🏽🍷 as you can see by the pictures I was intrigued by the unique artwork that is featured on their wine labels 🎨🍷

And thus our trip to Willamette Valley was over and it was time for the long trip home 🥲 it was melancholy and bittersweet because we had all enjoyed an amazing week of wine and spectacular views but alas all good things come to an end 🥲

Tomorrow I will share with you my final thoughts on this amazing odyssey 👍🏽🍷

#merl2musc #willamettevalley #willamettevalleywine

One week ago during our Willamette Valley wine odyssey we were privileged to visit 2 of the most visually stunning wineries of our entire trip 🤩🍷 this entire area situated between two mountain ranges is very picturesque 😍@

Our morning visit was to @stollerwine where exceptional wines and breathtaking views make them a must stop destination 👏🏽🍷one of our favorite wines there was a white Pinot Noir that followed me home 😱our server Neal was educational, informative and made our visit very special and enjoyable❤️🍷Neal had a personal connection to the staff at our next destination that day where his wife was on the staff @domaineserene 😱

Our last visit that day was @domaineserene and the Tuscan feeling of this winery reminded us our @raffaldini and @piccionevineyards ❤️🍷to say that this winery is beautiful is a gross understatement 🤩 it could easily double as a wedding venue or golf course clubhouse with ornate tasteful decor and ambiance 🙌🏽😱🤩 the wines were equally amazing and our server Jack will always be remembered for sending us a very special text message after our visit thanking us for our visit ❤️

At this point in our trip we were a bit melancholy because only one other day of wine excursions remained 🥲 where did we visit 🤔 full details tomorrow on our last day in Willamette Valley wine country ❤️🍷

#merl2musc #willamettevalley #willamettevalleywine

Exactly one week ago while visiting the renowned Willamette Valley wine country I stopped by 2 wineries that were very memorable 🍷❤️

The first one was @domainewillamette located in Dayton OR 🍷I have several memories to share here ❤️ first, Scott who took great care of us 👏🏽next, this is the only winery I brought home a desert style wine from 😱 I was also intrigued that Domaime Willamette is publicly owned and offers investors the opportunity to buy stock publicly traded on major exchanges 😱 thanks to my friend and wine mentor Dave @vino_sphere for introducing me to sabrage check out this black champagne saber that followed me home 🗡️🍾 my only regret here was the day we visited brisk winds prevented us from being seated outside and enjoying the amazing view 🥲

From there we travelled to a winery I had anticipated visiting for nearly 2 years because two years ago I met Kate Ayres the winemaker @pennerashpinot 🍷she was part of a series of women in wine hosted @wine100nc ❤️ as a result I was very familiar with their wines and have even featured them with local chefs 👍🏽 our host Joseph was very knowledgeable and even more entertaining and the wines were works of art 🍷

Finally this was a rare evening that we dined out and located very near was @trellisdundee where we savored a delicious meal my only regret being they were out of blistered shishito peppers 🌶️ 🥲

Our hump day last week was one that we will remember for a long time ❤️ where did we visit next 🤔 come back tomorrow to find out 👍🏽🍷

#merl2musc #willamettevalley #willamettevalleywine

During my trip to Willamette Valley wine country one week ago today we were fortunate to visit 2 outstanding wineries but each with their own distinct style 🍷 Our first destination of the day was @domainedrouhinoregon where we were guided through our tasting by Jerry who was as personable as he was knowledgeable ❤️👏🏽🍷 this winery had it all from outstanding wines to personable service not to mention an amazing view 😱

But several things set this venue apart from the rest.

First of all, the personalized menu welcoming us to the tasting was a simple but elegant touch 🙏🏽 I learned the effectiveness of this while maître d’ @second_empire_restaurant ❤️ second, they had a delicious Chardonnay named “Arthur” 😱 and lastly as fate would have it while there we met another couple from Raleigh 😱❤️ all things considered this was my personal favorite venue we visited during the trip ❤️🙏🏽

Our tasting @whiteroseestate in Dundee was equally amazing but in different ways, first of all the view was nothing less than spectacular from their winery, here we were under the watchful eye of Dago whose reputation preceded him, just read the reviews and they will all mention his name and “high pours”. 👍🏽🍷

Here the wines were not only amazing but Dago provided details of the wine making process that were like no other winery we visited 😱🍷👍🏽 we began our tasting with a refreshing palate cleanser of lemon, honey and turmeric that actually may be available to the public in the near future 🍋🍯

The wine labels were equally as intriguing 😱 created by an abstract artist see if you can locate 4 people enjoying wine, books and 2 people enjoying wine 😱🤔🍷

As unique as our tasting @whiteroseestate began, it had an equally memorable conclusion, a cup of espresso with a Mexican cookie similar to a Reese’s cup ❤️😋😍

These two establishments were both very highly rated and now that I have visited them both I am a witness to their superlative experiences 👍🏽🙏🏽🍷❤️

Be sure and come back tomorrow when I will introduce you to yet more Willamette Valley vineyards and wineries I visited 👍🏽🙌🏽🍷❤️

#merl2musc #willamettevalley

One week ago today while in #WillametteValley 🍷 we started the day off with a visit @sokolblosser located in Dayton, OR 👍🏽🍷🍇 since their wines were readily available at local retailers I was very familiar with their portfolio and anxious to try them out at their point of origin 🍷

They did not disappoint 👏🏽Our server Victoria was entertaining and informative and the wines were amazing 🙌🏽🍷 the view from our table was breathtaking and the tasting room manager also made our visit special ❤️🙏🏽

Next we visited @adelsheim located in neighboring Newberg OR where we were also privy to exceptional wines and outstanding service from our server ❤️ their 2023 Pinot Noir was outstanding and it followed me home 😉🍷

Thanks to my wife the day was not over and she drove us to Lincoln City on the Pacific Coast where we ate @ilovemoschowder where I had the BEST New England style clam chowder I have ever had in my life and we watched the sunset over the Pacific Ocean 😱❤️👏🏽🙌🏽.

Looking over the entire week in retrospect this was by far our longest day but also the most memorable ❤️👏🏽🙌🏽 where did we visit next day 🤔 stay tuned for more info on tomorrow 👍🏽🙏🏽

#merl2musc #willamettevalleywine

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Welcome to

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