On our last Friday off before the beginning of the new school year, we decided to take the short one hour drive to Roseburg to visit a couple of wineries that friends had recommended. It was a beautiful day so we knew we couldn’t go wrong heading to the Umpqua Valley.

Becker Vineyard, Roseburg OR

When our friend Amy Lee heard we were heading to Roseburg, she suggested that we visit Becker Vineyard. We are certainly glad we did! Becker’s wines are all estate grown using dry farming methods. They produce a total of about 1,200 cases per year of pure joy.  Amy Lee told us to ask for Peggy, when we did she slyly responded “depends on who’s asking.” She was happy to find our connection to Amy Lee and happy to welcome us into their cozy tasting room.

We started our tasting with Pinot Gris. This first wine was fruity with intense flavors and truly delicious. Becker’s Rose earned a check plus from me. It was light bodied and full of flavor. The 2015 Pinot Noir had soft tannins and a very light flavor. The Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Granache were all just lovely! I could not have hoped for more. One of our favorite tastes was Mud Dog, a beautiful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir. Three great stand alones made an absolutely divine blend!

Time for a Roseburg lunch break

After our amazing visit with Peggy at Becker, we decided to take a lunch break. On her recommendation we headed back into Roseburg for lunch at Black n Bleu Bistro, a cute little bar restaurant that’s an obvious favorite among locals. We enjoyed a good lunch there before heading back out onto the winery trail.

Delfino Vineyards Roseburg, OR

Our next stop was Delfino Vindyards. Delfino was recommended by our friend Julia, the Real Wine Julia.

We’ll always listen to her, this girl knows her stuff! Delfino had such an interesting array of wines to taste. We are becoming huge Muller Thurgau fans (we call it Thurgood Marshall, showing our age a little?). The 2016 Muller Thurgau was terrific, with aromas of tropical fruit and citrus and the taste of crisp apples. The next wine was a Merlot of Rose. Aromas of strawberry, peach and melon gives this wine a wonderful drinkability. Our favorite wine of the day was the 2015 Dolcetto. This fruity wine definitely reminded Neal of Jolly Ranchers, a taste from his childhood. I tasted my own childhood memory of pie cherries. So yummy!

The Tempranillo, Cab Sav and dessert wine made from Tempranillo grapes were all really nice wines. The tasting room is small and comfortable with a beautiful covered seating area outside overlooking the vineyard, the lake and the surrounding mountains. Our host in the tasting room was welcoming and informative. We were also lucky enough to spend some time with the owner of the winery, Jim Delfino.

Roseburg holds so many hidden treasures of the grape variety. We were glad we took the time to scratch the surface and can’t wait to go back to try more of all the Roseburg has to offer.