Chris and Shawn and Annie and Ken and I set out this morning for a day of adventure: a bike ride around some of the Willamette Valley wineries. We drove first to Anne Amie Vineyards in Carlton, OR. The approach to the winery was a daunting long steep uphill climb. We decided that we'd have to walk our bikes up that drive when we returned to the truck.
One benefit of visiting wineries is that they are typically located on hills in beautiful countryside. The view from Anne Amie was spectacular. We sat on the patio and ate our picnic lunch before starting our wine tasting. (Peanut butter and jelly just don't seem to pair well with wine!). The tasting included a white followed by three reds and finally a sweet dessert wine. Shawn had brought some interesting imported cheeses and crackers to share (yummy). We agreed that the wines were good, but not so good that we felt inspired to buy any of them.
After talking with the tasting hosts about the possibility of parking in their parking lot, we decided to try to find a parking spot close by on our route--but not up on the hill. We did find a pull off at the intersection of Hendricks and Mineral Springs, which cut five miles off our expected route.
Then we set off for Solena Cellars in Yamhill, OR, about four miles away. We found that part of the route was gravel roads, not our favorite riding surface, but we made this first leg of the journey okay. Solena didn't have much that appealed to either Shawn or Ken. Both of them prefer white wines, and pinot noirs dominate the Willamette Valley wine scene.
Our next leg was about 2.5 miles, to Lenne, also in Yamhill. The gentleman pouring at Lenne was an older man evidently doing his job because he loves it. He seemed quite knowledgeable about the wines. The winery was named in honor of Len (a relative of one of the founders who provided some of the funding), from which the Lenne name comes. It's a play on words, since "Le Nez" means "the nose" in French. The logo of the winery is a profile with a prominent nose, appropriate because the nose is so important in the enjoyment of wine. Only the first wine, a Rose Pinot, appealed to Shawn and Ken.
Our final winery, Cana's Feast, was a 5.5 mile bike ride away. One section on Withycombe Road was a steep gravel downhill. Well, if you're going to ride on gravel, having a gentle downhill is definitely preferable, but this steep section challenged our abilities to control the bikes. I was anxious because despite my efforts, I was going faster than I liked. Chris was behind me, followed by Shawn, then Annie, and finally Ken.
Suddenly we heard screams of pain. Annie had fallen and ripped open the right knee of her pants, scraping her knee open across a broad area. Ouch! I hurried back with the first aid kit, and we cleaned the wound, put on some povidone gel, and bandaged the knee as best we could. Annie was very upset and felt that she couldn't put weight on her leg, but Chris encouraged her to stand up.
About that time a neighbor arrived in her car, carrying a water bottle and a towel. She had heard the screams and came to see if she could help. Her kindness did a lot to calm Annie. She poured water over Annie's hands and suggested she might want to put some on her face. She talked about a similar accident she had had and counseled that the best thing for the knee would be to keep moving it. Chris helped Annie was around a bit and then try to ride the bike.
The bike was still rideable, although the front brake was not workable. Annie struggled a bit, but she was able to complete the ride. We went on to Cana's Feast and then biked the remaining couple of miles to the truck. We were all glad to put the bikes up on the truck and head for home.
The ride had been fun and the scenery lovely. Except for Annie's accident, we had all had a good time, though it would have been better if more of the wines had appealed to everyone--and if there had been at least some soft drinks available for Annie. We were surprised at the limited gift shops and the lack of even crackers and in some cases even water to clear the palate between tastings. By the end of the day, we were having trouble distinguishing all the wines we had tasted--it was all a blur. Chris had bought one bottle of wine, and that was it.
As we drove toward home, we all agreed that we didn't want to cook dinner. Chris called an ordered pizza and salads from the Sizzle Pie. They were ready just as we arrived to pick them up and quite enjoyable. We ordered one "Slaughter of the Soil" (spinach, tomato, and artichoke hearts) and one Francesca (fresh jalapenos, pineapple, and smoked mozzarella). Excellent pizza and surprisingly good salad too.
Later we watched "The Guard," an Irish black comedy. Brendan Gleeson, as Sergeant Gerry Boyle, was hilarious.
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