Thursday, October 27, 2011

Where We Dined Like Kings

Imagine: a cool autumn afternoon, you are sitting at a patio that is perched high on a hill, overlooking a valley of lush green grape vines; you are sipping fine wine and dining on fresh regional cuisine; and a faint smell of lavender fills the air as you enjoy conversation with loved ones.  Sounds dreamy doesn't it?  Well ... it really was!


Over the weekend I had the pleasure of going to King Estate Winery with my mom and sister.  It is located a short drive from downtown Eugene, but its beauty makes it seem worlds away.  1,033 acres of land includes orchards, vegetable gardens, flowers, and of course 430 acres of organic vineyards! 


The drive up was so pretty.  I admit that I was pretending to be in the French countryside.

A lovely pic of my mom, sister and I near the patio where we dined, overlooking the vineyard.


The panoramic view from the winery is really something to behold with neat rows of vines go as far as the eye can see.  We took a tour of the facility which led us through the process of getting wine from the vine to the glass, then at the restaurant we got to taste their product.  I went home with a bottle of their Acrobat Oregon Pinot Noir 2010, which I plan to bring out for a special occasion some time.


 The barrel rooms had beautiful arched ceilings and smelled strongly of, what else, oak.

 I felt very blessed to have the opportunity to jump out of the car and snap some shots of the grapes on the vine.  These bunches will soon be harvested.

Good wine, good food, good company and good laughs all made this a very memorable adventure.

Even though I still long to go to the wine country of France, it's a comfort to know that a similar experience is never too far away from me.

3 comments:

Lindsay said...

I think they make you their personal photographer. Lovely pictures, Kel!

Anna said...

These photos are outstanding, Kelly. Truly outstanding.

Erica said...

Sounds like a blast!
Good to see you at church on Sunday.