Thursday, July 28, 2011
Biking the Boutique Bear Creek Wineries
by Janet Eastman
I was inspired by my bathroom scale to step up the aerobic side of my frequent wine drinking. So in early July, I hopped on two wheels and pedaled to a few Rogue Valley tasting rooms.
I was on a borrowed bike and squeezed into padded Spinning shorts I wore once in 1994. My new helmet, the price tag still dangling from the built-in visor, seemed to sit on top of my head like a plastic black-and-white beetle (what miniscule part of my brain was it protecting?).
Sure, I looked dopey. No matter. I was determined.
After mapping out my muscle tone and the region, I decided I was fit enough to conquer the flatish Bear Creek Valley wineries. I left my house near Emigrant Lake, flowed downhill into Ashland, jutted over to the Bear Creek Greenway and slid my way to Lynn Newbry Park off Exit 21 in Talent.
At 11 a.m., I met my friends Merry, Mike and Martin, who drove their bikes over in a van. From here, we traveled 14 miles to five of the eight Bear Creek Boutique Wineries.
It was a breeze. Really. Until … well, you’ll see. We headed northwest on Bear Creek Greenway toward Suncrest Road to get to Paschal/Tenuta Winery (1.2 miles). I had only visited this tasting room in the evening for wine paired with live music. Unfortunately, we arrived before it opened and were separated from the vineyard and wines by a very sturdy gate.
Martin, who claimed to be parched even though he had been riding for only eight minutes, whined: “I’m disappointed. I wanted to taste some wine.” We soothed him with promises of this valley’s variety of varietals.
We backtracked to the Bear Creek bike path and wiggled our way on Colver and Camp Baker roads to Pebblestone Cellars (4.2 miles).
We enjoyed refreshing tastes of Pinot Gris and Viognier, followed by a flavorful Merlot. We then ate our backpacked bread and cheese with a bottle of Cab Franc in the shade of trees and the century-old, ivy-covered building that serves as the tasting room.
After two hours of slacking, we pulled ourselves out of the patio chairs and were given the green light by Pebblestone owners Dick and Pat Ellis to shortcut it through their vineyard to reach Pioneer Road (you can take Hilsinger Road).
At Pioneer Road, we swung by StoneRiver Vineyard (1.1 miles) and open-by-appointment Aurora Vines (0.5 miles).
Feeling powerful, we headed toward Trium Wines, which maps out to be 4.4 miles away, mostly flat land on Colver, Walden, Foss, Wagner Creek, Schoolhouse and 2nd streets.
Until this point, Merry had been cheerfully calling our trip “Tour de Talent,” in honor of the Tour de France. Then we hit Rapp Lane off Rapp Road. This half-mile stretch has been since been dubbed, between curses, “Alps de Trium.”
After monstrous pedaling, we earned a spot on this scenic site, overlooking those *%&@^ #! hills. While Mike and Martin tasted Cab Sauvignon and Viognier, Merry and I sat on the patio with Trium owner Laura Lotspeich and learned about her sustainable vineyard and her getaways to Costa Rica.
At 4 p.m., surprisingly not sore, not sunburned and still not objecting to the feel of the bike seat under our butts, we headed home.
Throughout the day, there were jokes about not being able to cart home cases, gags about hiring a trouble truck to lug them and a few other silly notions that would only be funny if you were there.
And you should have been.
By bike, car or lama, it doesn’t matter. The newly formed collective of Bear Creek Boutique Wineries, with veterans like Weisinger’s of Ashland and Grizzly Peak Winery, and newbies like Ledger David Cellars, is still off the tourist radar, leaving plenty of country road and tasting room space for those of us in the know.
There is geographic map of the wineries on the website www.bearcreekwineries.com.
Here are the wineries, listed in order, heading to the southernmost part of the Rogue Valley AVA:
Pebblestone Cellars
1642 Camp Baker Rd. Medford
(541) 512-1704 | www.PebblestoneCellars.com
Pebblestone Cellars is a 26-acre property on an ancient riverbed of sandy, rocky soil. Estate-grown wines are Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. Hours: May through October, Thursday to Monday from noon to 5 p.m.
StoneRiver Vineyard
2178 Pioneer Rd. Talent
(541) 535-4661 | www.StoneRiverVineyard.com
On historic Brookbank Farms, one of Oregon’s earliest registered farms, StoneRiver is open Thursday to Monday from noon to 5 p.m.
Aurora Vines
2275 Pioneer Rd. Talent
(541) 535-5287 | vickinickerson@gmail.com Located on an 87-acre mountain estate, the tasting room, open by appointment made one day in advance, offers Bordeaux-style Merlots.
Paschal/Tenuta Winery
1122 Sun Crest Rd. Talent
(541) 535-7957 | www.PaschalWinery.com
The Tuscan-like winery mades small-lot blends and Estate Pinot Noir. Open May through October daily from noon to 7 p.m.
Trium Wines
7112 Rapp Ln. Talent
(541) 535-4015 | www.TriumWines.com
The inviting patio and respected Bordeaux Growers Cuvee, Cab and Viognier are open to the public April through October daily from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Ledger David Cellars
925 Anderson Creek Rd. Talent
(541) 512-1808 | www.LedgerDavid.com
This winery, in a century-old orchard, offers 11 varietals of estate wines. The tasting room opens in the summer of 2012 but can be previewed with an advance call and during special events.
Grizzly Peak Winery
1600 E. Nevada St. Ashland
(541) 482-5700 | www.GrizzlyPeakWinery.com
Wines crafted with Old World finesse in a hillside setting are offered Thursday to Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Weisinger's of Ashland
3150 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland
(541) 488-5989 | www.Weisingers.com
Wine, hospitality and views have kept visitors returning year after year to this tasting room with a large deck, open May through October from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.