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Journeys: Many Roads Await the Cycling
Oenophile
Featuring Eola Hills Wine Cellar's
Bike Oregon Wineries Tours
By
Stefani Jackenthal
June 11, 2006
(Courtesy
NewYorkTimes.com)
For those who have already
spun and sipped their way through Bordeaux, Alsace and Napa, there are a
growing number of bike tours in other wine regions. Some touring companies
offer fully guided and supported multiday excursions arranging everything from
upscale hotels to luggage transport to private tastings at wineries and host
hotels. You can also hire local cycling guides to provide intimate glimpses of
their home turfs, or in most areas, follow winery maps for a straightforward
do-it-yourself exploration.
Here are five less-pedaled wine regions to please the
palates of cyclists and oenophiles of all levels. (Prices are per
person):
Oregon: Willamette Valley
Oregon pinot noir was put
on the map at the 1979 "Wine Olympics" in Paris, when a 1975 Eyrie Vineyards
Reserve pinot noir, from the Willamette Valley, took third place among the 600
entries, beating out pricier French Burgundies. The region has since taken off
and also makes notable pinot gris, riesling and chardonnay.
Home to
nearly two-thirds of Oregon's wineries, the V-shaped Willamette (pronounced
will-AM-ett) Valley, sits between the Cascade Mountain foothills and the Coast
Range, spanning south 110 miles from outside Portland to Eugene. Most wineries
are on or near rural Highway 99W and are marked with blue vineyard signs posted
roadside.
Scenic undulating roads zigzag past orchards, oak forests,
fields abloom with wildflowers and through covered "kissing bridges." In the
warm months, bustling farm stands sell locally grown gooseberries,
loganberries, boysenberries and red currants.
In the North Valley, the
biggest grape-growing area, the century-old town of Amity is a popular stop for
sipping, snacking and antiquing. Just six miles north, historic downtown
McMinnville is a popular lunch destination with a sprinkling of restaurants,
rows of quaint shops and a dozen wineries, including Panther Creek Cellars,
Walnut City Wineworks and the one that fanned the interest, Eyrie, making up
Wine Alley.
In the South Valley, between Salem and Eugene, Airlie
Winery, Croft Bailey Vineyards and Tyree Wine Cellars get nods for their pinot
noirs with notes of ripe raspberry and black cherry. The relatively new East
Valley area, on the other side of Interstate 5 from Oregon City to Stayton, has
Champoeg (pronounced shampoo-EE) Wine Cellars, St. Josef's Winery and Paradis
Vineyard.
Organized bike tours are scarce, so many cyclists follow
maps that are provided by the Oregon Department of Transportation
(503-986-3556; www.oregon.gov/odot). The Oregon Wine Center (503-228-8336;
www.oregonwine.org), has free brochures with maps, and a trip planner on the
Web site. Most wineries are open to the public and offer tastings free or for a
nominal fee.
Every Sunday morning in August, a large group of cyclists
gathers at Eola Hills Wine Cellars in Rickreall for a 45 or 52-mile
group ride. Tom Huggins, the winery's founder, and other guides, lead the rides
along back roads with stops at three to seven vineyards, depending on the day's
route. The ride costs $65, and includes a support vehicle, boxed lunch, hat or
shirt and post-ride barbecue and a glass or two. Reservations: call
800-291-6730 or see www.eolahillswinery.com.
(See
Bike Oregon Wine Tour details
here)
(See more
on other bike tour regions in the full artcle
at
NewYorkTimes.com)
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