Melville Winery

For the burgeoning oenophile, Melville Winery is a delight and education. While the winery boasts award winning Chardonnay, like most in this ideal appellation, it specializes in Pinot Noir.
For the burgeoning oenophile, Melville Winery is a delight and education. While the winery boasts award winning Chardonnay, like most in this ideal appellation, it specializes in Pinot Noir.
After a few days to recover from our wintery detour, we are ready to go exploring. Our first priority is to enjoy the Amador County wine region. Could we go wine tasting in Napa? Sure. But that is crowded and overexposed. There is plenty of fine wine to be discovered across California. And our hosts are well versed in their local wineries.
Sangria relies on some base of citrus and some other fruit mixed with a dry red wine and some liquor like brandy. This makes for a relatively simple formula that is easy to tweak for any occasion. Traditionally, the fruit is apple and orange, which I brought. I also brought raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries.
I'm not sure if Willamette Valley pinot just appeals to a different taste than mine or if the people of Oregon are getting ripped off. We've spent the last few days touring vineyards and tasting rooms across the Willamette Valley and expected more than what we experienced.