“The best birthday of my adult life” my husband called the surprise overnight getaway to Oregon Wine Country I put together for him this week. With a Zipcar and a change of clothes, we were off to Dundee, Dayton, Newberg, and St Paul to explore a few wineries, eat good food, and most of all, just enjoy the peace and quiet of the beautiful vineyard-filled countryside…

Oregon grapes in all their lusciousness…

view of the vineyards in Dundee

roses growing along the side of the road

One of the resident chooks at the B&B

Checking out the grapes in Dayton

sampling olive oils and vinegars at Red Ridge Farms – the balsamic was amazing!!

French oak barrels at Lady Hill Winery

Wine tasting at Torii Mor, the most peaceful of our stops (and a gorgeous syrah port!)

ahhh….

rose hips

Happy winos 🙂

The lovely view from Dundee Manor, the B&B we stayed at. The owners were very nice but the walls were paper thin, the bed was uncomfortable, and we quickly realized in the morning that we aren’t B&B folks (nothing like awkward silences to put me into recruiter-conversation mode over shared meals).

View from Red Ridge…one can dream, right?

Love the patterns in wine country landscapes…

Dan’s highlight? Getting a private tour from the wine consultant at Lady Hill, a five-generation winery, from tasting the grapes to seeing where they get fermented to the barrels they go into, and a trip to the tiny awesome tasting room. 3 more bottles? Yessirree!