Wine Country!

My old j-school buddy, Elizabeth, made it to town this past weekend. We spent a couple days hitting the typical coast tourist traps (Sea Lion Caves? Check. Sand Dunes? Scenic 101 Drive? Check, Check.). And then beat it up to Oregon wine country.

Rather than sign her talents away to a foundering newspaper/magazine (these days, they're all foundering), Elizabeth did what our profs commonly referred to as "joining the dark side." She found a job at a food & travel PR firm.

Elizabeth tossed around her business card and we got the tasting fees waived at every vineyard. Everywhere we went, people pushed pinots on us and told me I should detect blueberry, oak, vanilla and anise when I quaffed.

After visiting several wineries, I'm pretty sure there's a club somewhere for people who write tasting cards and every year there's a prize for convincing the most people they can taste "citrus fruits" and "soft earthy tones" in a glass of punched-up grape juice. Wine tastes like wine.

We stayed at the ritzy new Newberg hotel, The Allison, in a room with a fire place. For dinner I had a butternut squash ravioli appetizer and pork loin wrapped in pork belly on a bed of lentils for my entree, plus more wine. And thanks to Elizabeth (The Allison is her client), it was all free, free, free!

I quite enjoyed the truffles and turn-down service.