Jon and I prefer vacations with variety, and who doesn’t love a little shopping? I have to admit, I don’t shop for clothes very often, but I was able to start out our August long weekend with a little shopping at Oregon’s Woodburn Premium Outlet Mall.
Jon and I got a jump start on our vacation by driving down to Woodburn after work on Thursday evening. Our final destination was Grants Pass, Oregon, so driving to Woodburn allowed us to get more than halfway there. We stayed at the La Quinta nearby, which is frequently our home base when we go wine tasting in the area. After getting some breakfast with Jon’s parents (they ended up at the La Quinta too!), we made our way to the Outlet Mall.
The Loft was having a clearance sale and I spent awhile there, exploring the clearance rack and trying on several things. I made out like a bandit, getting two dresses, several pairs of shorts and tops, and two sweaters. I topped off my shopping with a new pair of Naturalizer wedge sandals with cork soles, and a cozy Columbia fleece. Jon found a couple of things for himself as well; a jacket, a long sleeved running shirt, and a new watch.
After the outlet mall, we had a quick lunch at Subway, and then continued on towards Grant’s Pass. We wanted to stop along the way at a few wineries that we had never tried before, ones that were reasonably close to the freeway. I found one that was right off the freeway in my Oregon winery book, Sienna Ridge Estate. The Sienna Ridge tasting room is located in a historic home built in 1906. Sienna Ridge’s vineyards are also unique, as one of the only individual vineyards to be designated as its own AVA, Red Hill Vineyard. We made the short detour, only to find it… closed for an event. Foiled!
Sienna Ridge Estate – Closed!
We got back on the freeway for a few more exits while I consulted my book again and decided we would try out Palotai Vineyard and Winery. Neither of us had ever heard of it before, so we weren’t sure what we would find. The winery is a tiny little place tucked down at the end of a long gravel driveway with four acres of vineyards on either side. The tasting area is the front of the wine production facility and warehouse, with a small covered area in the front with barrel tables.
Palotai Vineyard and Winery
The server ran us through a tasting of four wines. I didn’t take notes, but they were all good. The winery was owned by a Hungarian gentleman who had fled Communist Hungary in the 1980s. He started out training horses in Sacramento, and then eventually began making wine using European methods. He made small batches of wine that are drinkable right after bottling.
I had their white blend, the Bianca, the 2012 Pinot Noir, the 2012 Dolcetto and the Bull’s Blood – named after a traditional Hungarian wine, it is their most popular wine. Curiously, the Bull’s Blood was my least favorite, but still pretty decent. In speaking with the server, we learned that the owner of the winery had decided to pursue other goals, and had recently sold the vineyard. The plan was for the owner to make one more vintage of wine in fall 2014 for the new owner and the new winery name. We purchased 4 bottles of Palotai wine, knowing there won’t be more…
We stopped for some groceries and then found our rental for the weekend and got settled in. The house was huge, with a hot tub and a pool. We enjoyed a steak and salad dinner on the front patio overlooking the river, and watched the Canada geese flying back home from their daily feeding grounds. And we got to check out the jet boats on the river! It was a great end to a wonderful first day of vacation!
Canada Geese Hanging Out on the Rogue River
Wine and History Visited 