Willamette Valley Wine Tour 2009
BMW CCA - Puget Sound Chapter
Friday Jul 10 - Sunday Jul 12
Willamette Valley Wine Tour 2009, Willamette Valley, OR
| Registration Closed: | Fri Jun 5, 2009 12:00A (Pacific time) |
Update: 4/26/09, 8:00 pm
This event is currently sold out and WAITLISTING.
If you place yourself on the waitlist and someone cancels you will be contacted in the order registered to the waitlist to complete registration payment.
BMW CCA PSR
Welcomes you to register for the
2009 Willamette Valley Wine Tour!!
Date
The Tour will be July 10-12, 2009, Friday thru Sunday.
Agenda
Fri, Jul 10 Drive from WA to Willamette Valley, Oregon
Sat, Jul 11 Enjoy wine tasting day with organized group events
Sun, Jul 12 A day to enjoy on your own or with a group of new friends
Registration for this tour is limited to 20 cars or 36 people, whichever comes first. If you want to attend, do not delay registering or you might miss out as our wine tours usually attract 40+ cars.
In our annual tradition of wine tours, this year takes us south to the Willamette Valley which is located 35 miles southwest of Portland. Oregon is the third largest wine producing state, behind California and Washington, and produces a high concentration of world class pinot noir, a finicky grape variety that thrives in the cooler temperatures and long growing seasons that the region offers. If you are not a pinot fan, there are plenty of other varietals to keep you entertained at the 80+ wineries in the area.
A number of major changes are occurring for this year’s wine tour. First is that we are expanding the length of the event to 3 days, Friday July 10th through Sunday July 12th. This will allow plenty of time on Saturday for a relaxing day of wine tasting in the valley, book-ended by the great drive down on Friday and a leisurely return on Sunday, including more wine tasting if you are so inclined.
Tour Agenda
Friday
The tour will begin on Friday with our fearless leader Scott Hieronymus gathering everyone in a parking lot, usually of the QFC variety, to lead us south from the Seattle area through the hills, valleys, forests, fields and mountains towards northwest Oregon. Scott always treats us to the best driving route that money can buy, highlighted by the fact that he pre-drives all the tour routes for the best experience possible. We travel safe and sane, with the joy of driving a BMW providing all the excitement you will need. We will stop mid-way on the drive down for a brown bag lunch, which of course you brought in a large cooler, right? Don’t forget this important tip as your cooler can be used for wine storage in your vehicle, safe from the heat of the day that would otherwise wreak havoc on the precious cargo you acquire in Oregon.
Saturday will be an organized wine tasting afternoon in Yamhill County, the heart of wine country in the Willamette Valley. The winery list and schedule have not been confirmed yet, so rest assured that as your wine snobby guide, we will visit some of the best wineries that the valley offers.
The second major change for this year’s tour is that we are going to have a group dinner on Saturday! Many attendees from previous wine tours had wished we could make this happen, so here’s your chance to dine together with BMW enthusiasts at a private dinner. The location is a premier Willamette Valley Restaurant serving French inspired Pacific Northwest cuisine. Further details are provided on the next page with the 4 course prix fixe menu options that highlight seasonal ingredients such as wild Alaskan king salmon, northwest organic meats, fresh Oregon produce, and a vegetarian choice. Great food doesn’t come cheap, and great restaurants don’t accept guesstimates for head count when we reserve the entire dining area, so your registration will be a $75 per person dinner fee. This includes all food with coffee/tea service and gratuity, but no other beverages, though they will open a bottle you purchased earlier in the day for a sensible corkage fee.
The three day weekend concludes on Sunday with a free day to give everyone, and every group of new friends, the option of getting back home in any fashion you like. Did you want to taste more wines? Stay in Oregon for the afternoon and hustle back home on I-5 before bed time. Did you not get enough of the roads on the way down? You can leave in the morning and spend the day driving the same route again, in reverse. Do you have friends living in the area you can visit to extend your stay? Go for it!
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