Wine Hiking Oregon

Here is a book review I wrote for Oregon Wine Press. HERE is the online version at their website.

For many people, hiking and wine would be found on a short list of what’s great about Oregon. And now there’s a book combining the two passions, just in time for fall hiking season.

“Wine Hiking Oregon” pairs 30 hikes with adjacent wineries in short, graphic-driven chapters. Each begins with an overview grid that details the facts about the hike: distance, duration, fees, difficulty, dog-friendliness, etc. A map, an elevation graph and a wine to try at the destination winery complete this initial overview. In the pages that follow, author Jack Costa supplies more details about the hike, the winery and the recommended wine. It is all packaged in a sturdy 5x9-inch volume that will travel well from trail to tasting room.

The 30 adventures span all of Oregon’s wine destinations: Southern Oregon, Willamette Valley and the Coast, The Columbia Gorge and Eastern Oregon, and Central Oregon. “If you shot a shotgun at the map, pretty much that's what it would look like,” said Costa, describing the overview map included in the book. “I wanted to try to diversify the options, to showcase the diversity of Oregon's wine-growing regions,” he said. Contributing to the geographic variety is the inclusion of familiar hiking sites (Multnomah Falls and Silver Falls, for example) alongside lesser-known discoveries.

Costa hiked each hike and chose the wineries based on their proximity to the trailheads and the quality of their wine, hospitality and overall experience. “Going to each winery was totally unique, totally different. And that's what made it exciting,” he said. He noted that not all the wineries he visited made the cut.

The book is published by Helvetiq, a Swiss publisher that has produced a series of books about beer hiking in regions around the world. Seeking to expand the concept, the company contacted Costa, proposing that he adapt the format to Oregon wine. The firm’s “Beer Hiking Pacific Northwest” is the most popular in that series, so returning to the region made sense.

Costa, 25, was delighted for the opportunity to write his first book which he says is intended for “an outdoorsy individual who likes to go wine tasting.” The Roseburg resident is a communications staffer for an Oregon winery, podcasts about wine, and his writing appears on the acclaimed Wine Folly website. That site’s visual and colorful approach to wine education led to Helvetiq’s pitch for him to create “Wine Hiking Oregon.” He completed the project in five months and the book hit shelves over the summer.

The book’s strength is in its wealth of practical information. This is due to the extensive legwork done by Costa as he documented hiking statistics and visited tasting rooms, often incognito. “Websites are great,” he said, “but when you can hear the story from the owner or from the founder, it really provides a whole new look at the place you're writing about.”

ROAD TEST: TWO HIKES

With a copy of “Wine Hiking Oregon” in hand, it was time for a road test. I chose the two hikes in the book that are actually on vineyard land: Yamhill Valley Vineyards, south of McMinnville, and Left Coast Cellars, nearby in Rickreall. Their proximity allows one to take in both hikes - and tasting rooms - in one day, which is what my hiking mate and I decided to do. It seemed, at first, that the two experiences would be similar. But that proved to be a faulty assumption.

Yamhill Valley Vineyards

This hike offers a chance to get up close to Yamhill’s 150 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Riesling. Two loops encircle much of the vineyard. One is fairly flat and quite easy and the other requires a bit of climbing, which is rewarded by expansive views of the lower vineyards, hazelnut groves and the surrounding farmland. You can choose to hike one or both – it took about an hour for us to complete the two. The tasting room/winery building was the starting point where we were asked to sign a liability waiver. We also received a helpful map showing the two loops and identifying the grape varietals found in the blocks we passed on the hike. In the tasting room, General Manager Jenny Burger and her team, led by Monica Macias, provide gracious and informed hospitality indoors or out on the shaded deck.

hiking among the vines at yamhill Valley winery

Left Coast Cellars

Similar to Yamhill, there are 162 acres of vineyards at Left Coast. But the property comprises nearly 500 acres. What is in all that extra space? Native oak savanna. According to their website, the winery has partnered with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to restore the old-growth oak forest at the center of their property. This is where the hiking trail is located. The old oaks provided shade and a towering canopy under which we walked amid native grasses. As we approached a rise, the vineyard came into view. The combination is striking. The hike starts in the tasting room, where we were again asked to sign a liability waiver. From there the signage and markers on the trail guided us on a loop that we easily completed in less than an hour. Upon our return, we enjoyed a wood-fired pizza along with a tasting flight.

a view of the oaks at left coast CELLARS :: photo by greg norton