The Art of Wine Touring

By Shawna Burkholder
Fall is the perfect time to wine tour. You no longer have to travel an hour or more to find “wine country.” In Clark County alone there are now nine wineries available for tastings. I heartily encourage you to pick a weekend this fall to explore and taste the literal fruits of our talented vintners.

Linda pours wine for a tasting at East Fork Cellars

To get the most enjoyment out of your trip follow these quick tips…

1 – Designate a Driver. This should go without saying…drinking and driving don’t mix. I usually volunteer, as I’m a “lightweight” when it comes to alcohol. However, I also enjoy wine so I allow myself to sip a wine that is particularly good rather than tasting from a full flight. I am also the default “buyer” as I have the ability (sobriety) to make sure we stay within our budget.

2 – Go with Friends. There are a number of reasons to invite your friends to go with you. Mostly, it’s fun!  There is also a wider opinion on the taste of each wine. This may include consensus on wines that are fabulous vs. spit-worthy.

3 – Plan a Route. For a comfortable trip, plan to visit 4-5 wineries and allow an hour per winery. Although you may not stay a full hour at most of them, this allows for exploring the grounds, travel between wineries and/or stopping for a bit to eat.

4 – Pack a Picnic. I love to bring travel food to go.  A few vineyards have expansive tasting rooms and gift shops where you can buy food items, but most don’t. So be prepared and at the very least bring snack foods like cheese, salami and crackers. Finger food is convenient to eat in the car while traveling between wineries as long as you don’t mind the crumbs. Also, it’s good to keep food in your stomach throughout the day.

One of my favorite things is to pack a full spread of options, especially if touring during Thanksgiving weekend.  It’s a great way to use leftovers. Turkey finger sandwiches, French bread, brie cheese, olives, pickles, sliced pears and dark chocolate are usually my staples and I build from there.

5 – Take Your Camera. The vineyard grounds are gorgeous now with their autumn colors and you’ll want to capture memories of the experience. Snap shots of you and your friends tasting. Ask another patron or the pourer to take a picture of you as a group in front of the winery sign, the wine barrels or a distinguishing feature like a fountain.

6 – Meet the vintners. Over my 15 years of wine touring, the one thing I find invaluable is meeting the winery owners and/or vintners. Their passion, commitment and stories about their wines provide an additional layer of flavor that makes a bottle of wine extra enjoyable.

It can be years later when you open a bottle purchased while wine touring and inevitably the conversation will include, “Do you remember when…?” and the memories will center around the people with whom we shared a taste.

Visit these Clark County wineries. Be sure to check ahead for days and times they are open.

Bader Winery: 711 Grand Avenue, Vancouver. * 360-750-1551 or baderwinery.com.

Bethany Vineyard & Winery: 4115 N.E. 259th St., Ridgefield. * 360-887-3525 or bethanyvineyards.com.

Confluence Vineyard & Winery: 19111 N.W. 67th Ave., Ridgefield. * 360-887-2343 or confluencewinery.com.

East Fork Cellars Winery: 24415 N.E. 10th Ave., Suite 104, Ridgefield. * 360-727-3055 or eastforkcellars.com.

English Estate Winery: 17806 S.E. First St., Vancouver. * 360-772-5141 or englishestatewinery.com.

Gougér Cellars Winery: 1812 Washington St., Vancouver. * 360-909-4707.

Olequa Cellars: 24218 NE 14nd Avenue, Battle Ground. * 360-666-8012 or olequa.com.

Rusty Grape Vineyard: 16712 N.E. 219th St., Battle Ground. * 360-513-9338 or rustygrape.com.

Three Brothers Vineyard & Winery: 2411 N.E. 244th St., Ridgefield. * 360-887-2085 or threebrotherswinery.com.

Addition: Two more wineries are now available since the post was written – Benke Cellars, 1804 NW 119th Street, Vancouver, 360-907-9525 and Heisen House Vineyards, 28005 NE 172nd Ave, Battle Ground, 360-713-2359.