Part of the business of working for a winery is that we have to love wine! So we asked our employees about some of their favorite wineries from all over the place, and this is what they said:
Dianne - PDX Wine Associate
My husband Gary and I had the opportunity to travel to Spain in October of 2015, and wineries, of course, were included in our planning!
The first winery we went to was
Real Cortijo Winery in Madrid.
This winery was started in 1782 under the decree of King Charles III of Spain. It is the only subterranean winery of its kind, as it was built under the royal estate of San Isidro. It was very fascinating to explore the winery and its history beneath the ground. Needless to say, the wine was amazing!
Another winery we explored in Madrid was
Bodegas Peral Winery. It was neat to see this working winery and the history they had to offer. One of the ways that they used to transport the wine from the clay pots was a goat that they had turned inside out and tarred on both sides.
Solera Winery was the last winery we visited in Madrid. It was quite a homey experience to see a winery on a smaller scale. We got to see the workers pulling the grape skins and seeds from the clay pots that store the wine.
All three wineries in Madrid offered us excellent wines to taste and enjoy!
We also got to experience a wine tour in Barcelona. We took a tour of
Oller del Mas. Among their acres of vines, they were able to find some vines that survived the disease that destroyed many vines all over Europe. They are slowly grafting many of those vines to newer vines.
They were able to share their history and show some new technology they are incorporating into their wine-making process. We got to enjoy tasting the wines using their older method compared to their new method, which was a very fun and interesting experience!
Jenny - PDX Associate
One of my favorite wineries I've visited is
Wild Women Winery in Denver, CO. This winery was pretty unique. Customers could create and design their own batch of wine alongside a winemaker to create something completely custom. They also had custom wine labels where you could send them any photo, and they would print it out on site and place it on whatever bottle you'd like. It's a great idea and an awesome personal touch! The employees were so friendly!
Another really fun winery I went to was
Pompous Ass Winery in Seneca Lake, NY. In keeping with its name, Pompous Ass had such a fun atmosphere! It is part of the Seneca Lake wine trail near Watkins Glen, NY. The location is beautiful, and the wine trail itself is a must-do. Not only are their wine names fun, but the wine was delicious- there wasn't one I didn't like!
John - PDX Manager & Susan - PDX Tasting Room Associate
Susan and I visited the
Willamette Valley in Oregon last fall. It's located about an hour southwest of Portland, which sits on the majestic Columbia River. Willamette Valley is renowned for its Pinot Noir, which is why we went there. Domaine Drouhin is in Dundee Hills, one of the AVAs there with unique "red" soil. It sits on the hillside with sweeping views of the beautiful vineyards and valley. The tasting we did included only pinots- six of them! The 2013 Dundee Hills pinot was really special... I can still taste it! When we went, it was during harvest, so we saw bins full of pinot grapes and even got to walk through the tank room. By the way, the tasting glass holds a whole bottle of wine!
While we were in Oregon, we visited 14 different wineries. It was a totally awesome experience, and I highly recommend it. I'd be happy to provide any more information if anyone's interested in going!
Cassie - PDX Lead Associate & Wine Club Manager
Since starting at PDX three years ago, we've visited about 75 other vineyards across eight states! (This picture is from Paraduxx in Napa)
The first that I want to talk about is Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville, VA. Blenheim is owned by Dave Matthews, my favorite musician. I've visited Blenheim four or five times and always have an excellent customer experience. Their Painted Red & Painted White wine series is excellent!
Callaghan Vineyards in Elgin, AZ is another of my favorites! Did you even know there are wineries in Arizona?! I didn't, but luckily my awesome family who live in Phoenix took me down to Arizona wine country when I last visited. Callaghan makes some very tasty wines in an unexpected yet beautiful setting!
This one has a similar name to our own: Paraduxx Vineyard in Napa, CA! When my friend and I visited Napa during New Year's 2014, I knew we had to stop at Paraduxx just for the name. When I told them where I worked, they said, "Ah, yes, we know you guys! We'll take care of you." We were treated to a wonderful tasting spread while looking at the amazing beauty of Napa!
So where have you been? Tell us in the comments!
