Now I am going back in time again to the summer of 2011 when I visited Oregon.

Oregon is, of course, known for the Willamette Valley and the great abundance of Pinot Noirs. I honestly don’t think I ever drank so many Pinot Noirs. I am not a huge fan of them, and for several months after returning home, I wouldn’t touch one. However, Oregon is so much more than the Willamette Valley. We visited the Mt. Hood region which also had some great wines and a lot more variety than Willamette.  I found some very good Barberas and Sangioveses there.  The area was also much more pleasing aesthetically.  Willamette Valley is the land of the strip mall and main drag loaded with winery after winery.  Of course, this all makes it very easy and convenient, but it really could be anywhere in the U.S. Mt. Hood was much more pastoral with rolling hills and wineries set apart. Even the town of Mt. Hood had a friendly small town feel.  The Mt. Hood area reminded me very much of many of the wine growing regions of Virginia. Wineries had outdoor picnic tables, small tasting rooms, and friendly staff.  In retrospect, I would probably spend much more time in the other areas of Oregon outside of Willamette to enjoy the “fruits” of the state.

Oregon is also known for some great beers. Standouts are Rogue and Widmer.  Unfortunately, I visited Oregon well before starting this blog so I never made it out to Rogue. I did sample several of their brews in the conveniently located airport bar.  I am a big fan of Rogue Dead Guy Ale and have been for years. I really wish I had made it out to the brewery.  I did make it to Widmer Brothers.  I think Widmer Hefeweizen was the first craft beer that I really enjoyed and was very easily available back in the mid 90s at bars and restaurants in the greater DC area (where I was living at the time).  I still enjoy their Hefeweizen on a hot summer day.  The Widmer brew pub is worth a visit but a bit hard to find.  We drove around for about 30 minutes before we finally figured out where it was actually located.  Your GPS will probably tell you that you are there when you get to a really big hospital. The road appears to dead end there. However, in reality, the road continues on the other side of the hospital for a short block or two. You have to drive a few blocks out of the way to go behind the hospital. The brewpub is located behind the hospital and right next to the river. The food was quite good and beers are available by the pint or by a sample.  My husband greatly enjoyed their KGB Russian Stout and go a big kick out of the name. I remember the selection of beers was quite large and there were several that must not be distributed in this market. I am always a big fan of Widmer and have been to several local tastings since my visit to the brewery that featured their brews. I don’t think I have ever had a Widmer Brothers brew that wasn’t above par!