Page 78 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2018

FEATURE | wine part I

We’d like to share some of the “new”—tasting rooms, vineyards
and wineries. We’ll peek at history, old vines and old wineries.
We’ll talk about trends and let you know things you can do at a
winery besides sip and relax. As if that isn’t enough!

Like any state-of-the-union address, however, we hit only a few
highlights, allowing you the pleasure of your own discoveries. Ashley
Cates, consultant, says it all in her formula for success: Passion,
Positivity and Persistence. That’s what has and continues to make the
Southern Oregon wine industry a success. (Not a bad formula for life
in general!)

MORE THAN WINE

A winery tasting room offers more than tasting and sipping—it’s
the perfect setting to enjoy time with friends, to simply unwind and
just “be” at the end of the day. A good share of the region’s wineries
offer music, mostly in the summer, although some offer year-round
entertainment. Local musicians of many genres play various venues,
so check websites for when and where. If you favor a certain musi-
cian, check his/her personal website or Facebook page, as many are
part of more than one band. A recent unique element—over twelve
months, artist Cammy Davis made videos of her splashing, swooshing
and painting large, vibrant abstracts while local musicians played.

Many wineries host weddings, reunions, celebrations and business
meetings in the winery, or in or close to the vineyard. Either offers a
memorable setting.

DANCIN Vineyards puts on a winemakers’ dinner with ballet for its
wine club members in early June—seven courses, seven wine pairings.
They also host a ballet/winemaker’s dinner for Valentine’s Day for the
public, and may add a similar event in the fall.

South Stage Cellars in Jacksonville hosts a Wednesday Wine & Dine
and music, and live music on Friday and Saturday nights in their wine
garden when the weather is agreeable and in the newly remodeled
tasting room when the weather cools.

Brenda Walden Pine, Tasting Room Manager and Event’s Coordinator
at RoxyAnn for 14 years, has been offering music at the tasting room
basically from the start. They offer music year-round, Friday evenings
and Sunday afternoons. Both have food options from their in-house
caterer, Truffle Pig Craft Kitchen, or if they aren’t available, food
trucks. For those who like their music more mellow, Sunday afternoon
is your time. Nibbles are available anytime.

In the Umpqua region, you can sleep in Cooper Ridge Vineyard’s guest-
house. Sitting above the Umpqua River, they brag that their tasting
room, guesthouse and winery offer “extraordinary panoramic vistas.”

Schmidt Family Vineyards in the Applegate has music and food, plus
a Holiday Open house where you can shop for wine and items from
their Mercantile, plus enjoy a glass of wine or a tasting and music.
Belle Fiore, too, offers music and food, and is a great place for events.
If you’re a bride who dreams of a wedding in a chateau, descending a

The newly renovated tasting
76 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | fall 2018
room at Rellik Winery.