Fun fact - those glasses can hold an entire bottle of wine. Try it! (We did!)

I’m no sommelier. Someone gifted me a $100 bottle of wine once and I enjoyed it, paired with a burrito. (I felt like it needed a contrast.) So, the prospect of traveling out of Portland, specifically to taste – and comment on – little bits of spendy wine, was intimidating. My long time friend Ivette of this and this, invited me to spend the day with her and take the plunge. It was amazingly fun – and not at all snooty. The tasting rooms were friendly and welcoming and good grief those wines were yummy. One tasted like summer vacation (The Four Graces). One tasted like a pillow in your mouth (Domaine Serene). And of course, I loved anything that read “Reserve” or “Private” *or unlabeled and not yet released(!). Those are the good ones. The dark, meaty, peaty, curl up with your ass next to a fire – wines. Take our mini tour by stopping here, here, and here!

A glass of Domaine Serene. The eagle has landed.

This is not an optical illusion. It was actually sunny on that January day in Oregon. The view from Domaine Serene.