1/30/09

Since nobody was injured on the Multnomah hiking trip, we earned a trip to another wine region. This time, it was the Willamette (rhymes with "damn it") region chock full of pinot noir grapes. Pinot is a great, safe wine and I drink it often. We had a few places in mind to visit, but before I get to that, I have to share something that's been weighing heavy on my mind for a couple weeks. 

What ever happened to merlot? Merlot is a good grape...could even be considered a GREAT grape.  I used to drink it frequently. Frankly, everyone I knew used to drink it. It was always a wine you had on hand to serve or would grab to bring to a party. Since the 2004 movie "Sideways", merlot has been given a dirty name. Nowadays, bartenders are offended if you order a merlot. If you brought it as a hostess gift you certainly wouldn't put your name on the gift bag! And that's all because of  Hollywood. Why did we allow that? What does Hollywood know about wine anyway? In my opinion, Hollywood should leave the wine harvesting to experts and concentrate on harvesting the careers of overlooked talents such as Pauly Shore, Tyra Banks and Keanu Reeves.  And as far as merlot goes, well, things are about to change.  I have lodged a campaign to bring it back and I'm telling everyone. I started talking about it at the first sip I took in Sonoma and have only continued spreading my message throughout the Pacific Northwest...BRING BACK MERLOT ("BBM").  I am going to drink merlot like it's my job in 2009. And, the way the economy is going, it may be my ONLY job in 2009. Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to give up the other reds you've been drinking, I just want you to put merlot in the rotation.  If you're struggling with how to get involved in this worthwhile campaign, I can help. Invite me over, open a bottle and I'll drink it.  Or, come over to my house, bring a bottle and I'll drink that, too. Merlot is coming back people...and you read it here first. 

Back to the Willamette Valley. We hit a few vineyards and at the suggestion of one of the wine hostesses, we went up to Vista Hills and parked ourselves for the afternoon. We had the place to ourselves, they built us a fire, opened up a bottle of pinot and let us use their WiFi for the day. They have the best view of the valley so it was an easy way to blow an afternoon. 

We stayed the night in McMinnville which is a quirky little town between a few of the wine valleys. Our hotel was a mix between a hostile and hotel that offered singles, doubles shared and private baths. We took the private bath option. If I were 20 years younger and backpacking, I might be more inclined to risk getting athlete's foot or some other communicable disease from a shared bath. But I'm not 20 years younger and get irritable when I have a cold so that really wasn't an option.

We picked a french bistro for dinner that looked cute. But, before entering, we peaked across the street and saw the Blue Moon Restaurant. The big flashing bulbs on the marquee were calling our name. As we walked inside, we just knew this is where we were eating. Leather bar stools, big horseshoe booths and an ornery bartender. Yep, we were home. And the price was right as you can see on the picture. It's as if they knew the HOs were in town. 

To top off our visit, we had a nice walk the next day and wandered into a wonderful cafe for breakfast. Great decor, good food and really nice staff. As we were eating, a guy around our age came in to eat. He was carrying a book and I almost could not believe my eyes. I whispered to Lisa that he had THE BOOK and decided we had to talk to him when we left. He was engrossed in his reading so I approached him with a warning that I didn't want to spook him but had to tell him something. I told him we've been listening to that very book on tape being read by the author herself. He howled (perhaps a nervous laughter) when we told him and I presume he felt some relief that there were other people out there like him. Oh yes, this 40-something married man was holed up in this quaint little cafe reading the Marcia Brady story. He may have been hiding this passion from his wife but he was no longer alone in his quest to know the truth of what really happened to Marcia.  And I believe that now brings the total gross sales of her book to $40.