While we were away this winter, escaping the Oregon Drizzle, our friends at Ponzi opened a new tasting facility in nearby Sherwood, Oregon. Holy Moley - is this place gorgeous!
It's very modern, sleek and industrial-chic.
If you recall (if not, I will remind you), we served Ponzi wines at Lisa' & Lenny's wedding last October. The Ponzi family is known for being one of the first to plant pinot noir grapes in our area.
The views are outstanding from every corner of the property - we could see the Coast Range and the Cascade Mountains.
We enjoyed a taste of their sparkling rose - this photo enhanced for fun with Photoshop. Perfect day for an icy rose. Mother Nature woke up yesterday, checked her calendar and noticed she had forgotten to turn-up the furnace in Oregon. It was 90 degrees today! Yes!
Looks as if My Driver made a little purchase to take home!
Though the new tasting room can't be more than six or seven miles from the original tasting room (still open as well), I urge you to take the beautiful drive out to Ponzi Sherwood if you are ever in the Portland area.Keeping with the wedding theme, we also visited Red Ridge Farms Oregon Olive Mill. Their olive oil was served with the bread during the wedding feast.
More beautiful views of beautiful Oregon wine country. Just a perfect day to visit local agricultural wonders.
Oregon Olive Mill offer olive oil tasting and have a great gift shop and nursery/garden shop.
Not to mention, acres of fragrant lavender! Another building on the property is devoted to wine tasting (of course).It was time for a late lunch, so we continued to Dundee, Oregon and had lunch at theDundee Bistro - also owned by the Ponzi family. One of our favorite restaurants in Oregon, we never fail to find something interesting on the menu - and we love their wines.
We shared a salad of heirloom yellow cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, basil and croutons. The lavender-colored garnish was an edible sweet pea flower. Different.Then we came home and took a nap.
Until my next update, I remain, your "shop local" correspondent.