Salem Weekly’s editorial staff recently headed west in search of wine. We went incognito as everyday wine fanatics of various knowledge levels. What follows is an evaluation of a day’s worth of fun in the Eola Hills.
We’ve broken the rankings into three categories: tasting, customer service, and beginner-friendliness. Tasting ranks the selection of wines available for tasting, based on the variations available for tasting and pricing versus value of each flight. Customer service is obviously an evaluation of the friendliness, attentiveness, and overall environment of the tasting room. And finally, we can’t all be wine snobs, so Beginner-Friendly ranks how accommodating staff and the winery is if you tend to confuse your swirls with your sniffs.
Cherry Hill Winery
As the name might suggest, Cherry Hill’s vineyard is planted on the site of a cherry orchard. It’s used this to its advantage by partnering with a chocolate company. The chocolate is available in the tasting room as well.
The tasting room server exhibited good presentation of each of the wines, including background on the winemakers and the family that owns the vineyard. Small tidbits added to the experience. There was a large group totaling about 10 people, and one server was able to skillfully handle everyone. And this was all in the last hour of tasting. One selection included a sample chocolate, mentioned above.
Current releases include Cherry Hill Pinot Noir, Papillon Pinot Noir, Sweeney Pinot Noir, Poverty Road Pinot Gris, and Vanda Pinot Noir Dry Rosé. Call ahead before visiting the tasting room.
Tasting – ****
Customer Service – ****
Beginner-Friendly – ****
Cherry Hill Winery
7867 Crowley Rd.
Rickreall, OR 97371
503-623-7867
M-F: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. (call first), Sa-Su: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Cubanisimo Vineyards
Cubanisimo Vineyards began growing grapes in 1991. In 2003 it began bottling, and three years later opened its beautiful tasting room. Despite the expansive views of the surrounding Eola Hills, you can feel the inspiration of Cuban heritage in the tasting room.
Despite this being her second weekend working, the tasting room server was knowledgeable and friendly. As we were leaving, a couple of wine connoisseurs were far more demanding than we were and were met with the same smile.
In addition to the wine, Cubanisimo also features live music, salsa dancing and lessons. For Memorial Day weekend, the salsa lessons start at 12:30 p.m. with Mz. Jitterbug on Saturday/Sunday. Los Rumberos del Caribe will follow lessons with salsa music at 1:30 p.m. On Memorial Day, powerpop rock with Phamous Phaces begins at 8 p.m.
Not so surprisingly, its biggest distribution area is in Florida. But fear not: you can get a bottle without a flight across the country (or a drive to the vineyard.) Bottles are available at the West Salem Roth’s, Santiam Wines and Fred Meyer on South Commercial. You can also enjoy a glass at Prudence Uncorked.
Tasting – ***
Customer Service – *****
Beginner-Friendly – *****
Cubanisimo Vineyards
1754 Best Rd. NW
Salem, OR 97304
503-588-1763
Tasting fee is $5, waived with purchase
Firesteed
Firesteed was once a ‘virtual’ winery, meaning that it purchased grapes and production facilities from other vineyards. In the summer of 2003, Firesteed purchased a partner vineyard in Rickreall and began producing its own wines.
The aesthetic of the tasting room is less welcoming than other wineries. There are basically two bars and no room to sit down and enjoy a glass after the flight. The saving grace of the room was tasting room manager Felix Jones and his employee John. The staff handled our group of three as well as another group of four with ease. They were also willing to open up a bottle of Riesling and included it in the tasting.
On Memorial Day, Firesteed will be pouring 2008 Pinot Gris, 2008 Pinot Noir Rosé, 2008 Riesling, 2005 Oregon Pinot Noir, 2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, and a 2005 Cayalla RTW – all dry wines.
Tasting – ***
Customer Service – ****
Beginner-Friendly – **
Firesteed Cellars
2200 N Pacific Hwy. W
Rickreall, OR 97371
503-623-8683
Tasting fee is $5, waived with purchase
Tasting room hours: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
Left Coast Cellars
Founded in 2003, Left Coast Cellars is making a name for itself for its eco-friendly operations. It’s one of only 14 wineries to complete Oregon Environmental Council’s Carbon Neutral Challenge. The Carbon Neutral Challenge is an effort by Oregon wineries and vineyards to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact. We were told by tasting room staff that 90 percent of the power for the vineyard is generated via solar power.
Left Coast Cellars wines are available at Roth’s and Costco. Bottles can also be purchased at their website.
The tasting room staff was friendly and knowledgeable about not only their own wines, but also other local wineries. The staff were obviously wine drinkers and shared the hours of other tasting rooms. Bonus points for the extra customer service.
The tasting consists of 2007 The Orchards Pinot Gris, 2008 Left Bank Pinot Blanc, 2006 Chardonnay, 2006 Call’s Cuvee Pinot Noir, 2006 Latitude 45 Pinot Noir, and a 2006 Pinot Gris.
Tasting – ***
Customer Service – *****
Beginner-Friendly – ***
Left Coast Cellars
4225 N Pacific Hwy.
Rickreall, OR 97371
888-831-4916
Tasting fee is $5, refundable with purchase
Tasting room hours: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. daily
Van Duzer Vineyards
Van Duzer Vineyards is the place you want to go midday. After tasting, grab a bottle of Pinot Gris and unload your picnic basket for a nice lunch on the terrace. The view is one of the best in this selection of wineries.
While a large order was being processed, we waited 15 minutes to be in acknowledged in the tasting room. Luckily the view helped to keep us occupied. Our feelings were turned around by the tasting room server, who was knowledgeable about the wines and the vineyard itself. Another brownie point was gained by offering a port in the tasting flight.
Tasting – *****
Customer Service – **
Beginner-Friendly – ***
Van Duzer Vineyards
11975 Smithfield Rd.
Dallas, Oregon 97338
800-884-1927
