Tag Archives: travel

Oregon Wines, Portland, Travel, USA, Wines

Portland, Oregon – Beauty, Beer, Wine, & Weird

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One of my favorite U.S. cities to visit is Portland, Oregon.  The Pacific Northwest has an wealth of nature’s beauty, and the Portland area has no shortage of it.  From the stunning sights of the Columbia River Gorge and surrounding waterfalls,

Columbia River Gorge
Multnoma Falls (Upper Falls – 542 ft.; Lower Falls – 69 ft.)

to majestic Mt. Hood, rising on the outskirts of the city,

and the serene (and delicious) wineries of Willamette Valley just south of the city,

Portland has so much to offer.

“Keep Portland Weird” is the motto of the city.  This phrase really refers to the pride that the city takes in its unique local businesses, the sense of individuality you find there, and the variety of leisure activities and lifestyles that you can find there.  Portland is the home to some fantastic and unique local foods.  Voodoo Doughnuts, and Salt and Straw Ice Cream both originated here, and have become very popular.

Also, the nationwide fine seafood chain known as McCormick and Schmick’s originated in Portland in 1892, and you can still dine at the original  downtown location, Jake’s Famous Crawfish.  I’ve eaten here a few times, and it’s tough to beat the food, wines, and service!

The Willamette Valley has been making wines for 50 years, and is known for some of the best Pinot Noirs in the U.S. – possibly in the world – as well as Pinot Gris and Chardonnay wines.  The two words that best describe Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs would be that they have a prominence of cranberries and earth.  As you can imagine, there is no shortage of rain in the area, however there are some drastic year-to-year differences in Spring and Fall temperatures that can cause dramatic (but wonderful) differences in vintages.  The wineries are impacted by the abundance of morning fog, which impacts the south-facing vineyards the most.  With rolling hills throughout the valley and even within a winery, the Pinot Noirs can vary greatly, giving a wide variety of flavors based on location and exposure.  French oak barreling is widely used, giving wonderful clove and vanilla notes to the wines.

There are more than 400 wineries in this area, which stretches from Portland south to Eugene.  An interactive map of Willamette Valley can be found here: Willamette Valley Wineries.

I will talk more about some specific wineries in the area in later posts, but some of my favorites that I have visited (so far), include:

Autumn is a particularly beautiful time to visit the wineries, after the harvest, and when the vines turn a beautiful golden yellow color.

Portland and the surrounding area are also home to some fantastic brewing companies, whose beers have gotten quite popular around the country.  These include Rogue, Widmer Brothers, McMenamins, and my personal favorite (with a fantastic brewpub restaurant downtown) – Deschutes Brewery. Be sure to try the Brewery Pretzel!!!

But my favorite reason to visit Portland isn’t for the wines, the beers, the food, or the weirdness. Portland is also home to my daughter and son-in-law, and my first grandchild.  None of Portland’s other charms can compete with family!

Feel free to leave a comment below, and to subscribe on the left, so you get notified of new posts.

Also, feel free to email me privately at: stevestastingsandtravel@gmail.com.

Lastly… grab a glass of wine, and ENJOY!!!

Texas Wines, Travel, USA, Wines

One of my recent Texas wines…. from Kuhlman Cellars

Over the past few years, I have posted to my personal Facebook page a number of photos and thoughts about wines I have had that evening.  To get started, I’ll put a few of those on my first few posts.  This is truly a work in progress, so please bear with me!

I’ll start with a local Texas wine – from Texas Hill Country, about 1 hour west of Austin (from about Hye to Fredericksburg).  For those who have never tried Texas wines, I was absolutely amazed at the wines they have here.  Texas Hill Country has become the #2 region for winery visits in the U.S.  The Texas Hill Country has become an award winning wine region, and makes some of the best Tempranillo’s anywhere!

Texas Hill Country Wineries link

Texas Hill Country Wine Map

Kuhlman Cellars is one of the newer wineries, in the “town” of Stonewall, just west of Hye, just east of the LBJ Ranch, and features an excellent wine and appetizer pairing (by appointment).  Jeremy Wilson is one of their excellent sommeliers, and is an excellent host!

Kuhlman Tasting & Pairing

http://www.kuhlmancellars.com        https://www.facebook.com/kuhlmancellars

Kuhlman Cellars has a lovely selection of wines, including Sauvignon Blanc (90% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Semillion); Calcaria (75% Trebbiano, 17% Roussanne & 8% Viognier); Roussanne; Viognier, Alluve (59% Carignan, 22% Grenache & 19%Petite Sirah); Baranca (82% Carignan, 9% Petite Sirah & 9% Grenache); and Kankar (43% Malbec, 38% Petite Sirah & 19% Sangiovese).

2012 Kuhlman Cellars Alluve

Last night’s wine – a 2012 Kuhlman Cellars “Alluve’ – Sonoma County” ($28).  A Texas Hill Country winery, using Sonoma County grapes for this blend of 59% Carignan, 22% Petite Syrah, and 19% Grenache.   The blend of primarily Petite Sirah and Carignan together creates a beautiful red-purple color.  The nose displays an amazing blend of aromas such as blackberry and plums, with a touch of black licorice.  The flavors that come out of the taste in the mouth are well balanced, and the use of Grenache lightens up the wine to keep it from being potentially heavy.   There are subtle hints of coffee and sweet plums, with a touch of leather.  As with many Texas wines, this is a wine that is very enjoyable now, and for the next 5-7 years.  It paired very well with lamb chops, but would also go well with steak, bison, or venison.  And Kuhlman Cellars recommends to pair Alluve’ with their own herbed almonds.

Kuhlman does some fantastic pairings with their wines. Another of the newer “must visits” on the 290 wine trail west of Austin!

Feel free to leave a comment below, and to subscribe on the left, so you get notified of new posts.

Also, feel free to email me privately at: stevestastingsandtravel@gmail.com.

Lastly… grab a glass of wine, and ENJOY!!!


General Posts, Travel, Wines

Welcome to my world of my travels and wines!

Paris_France
Seine River, Paris

 

And so it begins…

My intent with this blog is to provide a fairly practical guide to the world of wines and travel.  I’ve been fortunate through my work and vacations to see many beautiful places in this world, and I have a passion for planning trips.  I’ve also found myself immersed in the wonderful world of wines over the years, and love to share not only my wines, but also my experiences with both beaulieu-vineyard-friends I have, and with friends I have yet to meet.  I hope you all find this blog not only informative, but also worthy of sharing with your friends for them to enjoy, as well.

A little about myself.  My name is Steve Ruegg (pronounced like reeg).  I was born and raised in the small town of Walworth, in Southeastern Wisconsin – in the beautiful Lake Geneva (or Geneva Lake as it is officially called) area.  I’ve also lived in Minnesota (twice), Florida, Northern California, Missouri (both sides of the state), and I now live in Austin, Texas. I’m a die-hard Green Bay Packer fan (and owner), and also a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan.

So… what makes me “qualified” to write a travel and wine blog??? Well, I think I’ve got some great stories and experiences that I can share, that might help someone to decide where to go on that dream vacation, or to help you find some good new wines to try, and places to go wine tasting.  Throughout this blog, I’ll talk about places I’ve been to (U.S., Brazil, much of Europe, Japan, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, etc…) in my travels, and wineries I’ve visited, wine tours I’ve taken, and wines that I drink. IMG_0225 I hope to give travel tips, talk about types of travel (cruise, drive, trains, and flying), how to plan travel, how to pair wines with food, etc., in as practical a way as I can.  If I like a place or a wine, I’ll say that.  If I don’t like it, I’ll also say that.  I’ll never recommend something I don’t like, but that doesn’t mean that you might not like it.

I hope you’ll feel free to ask questions, suggest topics, (gently) criticize, and most importantly, be supportive.  I always welcome suggestions for new wineries and wines to try, and new places to visit.  Pass this on to your friends, to wineries, etc.

Hubbard Glacier, Alaska
Hubbard Glacier, Alaska

Feel free to leave a comment below, and to subscribe on the left, so you get notified of new posts.

Also, feel free to email me privately at: stevestastingsandtravel@gmail.com.

Lastly… grab a glass of wine, and ENJOY!!!