Americas Hub World Tours

Hi David,
 
Hope you’ve been well!  I just wanted to make sure you saw this member review that just came in:
 
5/5 Stars
We had a wonderful time. Our van arrived exactly on time, our guide kept the conversation, going & was full or facts & recommendations. We visited 4 great wineries and never felt rushed at any of them. A great tour!
 
Have a great rest of the week!
Kimi

Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls & Oregon Wine Tasting Getaway Special Offer

dates: Wednesday & Saturday or Customized for groups

Duration:  9:00am until 6:00pm

pricing: $108 per person (wine tasting fee included)
Traveling along, looking to meet visitors from around the world. Contact us at 1-800-637-3110 … to book your tour.**

Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls Highlights: Explore the Columbia River Gorge and stand above the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States! Come and enjoy spectacular views of many waterfalls along the Historic Columbia River Highway.

Oregon wines take second place at state dinner

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The President’s first State dinner featured the fruits of labor for the late Jimi Brooks, a Portland native and founder of Brooks Winery. 

Brooks’ 2006 Ara Riesling – honed in Oregon’s Willamette Valley – was served along with the second, soup course at Tuesday night’s inaugural Obama administration State meal. Guests of honor were the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and his wife, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur.

President Barack Obama told the Associated Press Tuesday that U.S. ties with India will be “one of the defining relationships” of the 21st century. The United States is India’s largest trading partner.

“Our nations are two global leaders,” Obama told the Associated Press, “driven not to dominate other nations but to build a future of security and prosperity for all nations.”

About the winemaker
The founder of the Brooks Winery label is Jimi Brooks, who was born and raised in Portland. According to the winery’s Web site, Brooks developed his passion for winemaking while working for the Deschamps Family, in the Beaujolais region of France. There, he said, he “learned one of the most valuable lessons in winemaking: the quality of any wine comes from the care taken in the vineyard.”

Brooks returned to Oregon in 1996 and began working at WillaKenzie Estate in Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton wine region. He started the “Brooks Wines” label while still an assistant winemaker at WillaKenzie and oversaw production of 3,500 cases of Brooks-label wine.

Brooks died in 2004, at the age of 38, at his home in McMinnville, Ore. He left the winery to his son, now age 13.

Industry insiders tell KATU that continuing wine production after he died has been a labor of love: “Dozens of folks from the Oregon wine industry jumped in to keep his business going,” said one.

And Brooks Winery in Amity, Ore., lives on.

About the Nov. 24 dinner
A rush order for six cases of Brook’s Riesling was being chilled Tuesday afternoon in the White House kitchen, waiting to be uncorked to serve roughly 300 guests expected for Tuesday night’s event. Among the expected guests were singer Jennifer Hudson, who will perform; CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta; actress Alfre Woodard; and actor Blair Underwood.

In a break from tradition, this 2009 State dinner was scheduled out of the White House and into a tent on the Capital’s South Lawn. However, an Associated Press report notes “chilly, damp weather” that may move the dinner back indoors.

Obama said the U.S and India are natural allies. “We both recognize that our core goal is to achieve peace and security for all peoples in the region,”  he told the Associated Press, “not just one country or the other.”

Dear Friends,
 
Last Saturday, we picked the last of our estate fruit, bringing harvest to a very satisfying close.  So far, Véronique is quite impressed with the overall quality of 2009, and fermentations are progressing easily. It’s early still, but 2009 seems like a very worthy follow-up to 2008!
 
New Pinot Noir Release!
In the meantime, we have just released the 2006 Pinot Noir Cuvée Laurène.  This is the 15th Anniversary release of Laurène, which began with the 1992 vintage and has since come to be recognized as one of Oregon’s very best Pinot Noirs.  The Wine Advocate already scored the wine 92 pts, and Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar says 91 pts.  Jancis Robinson calls the wine “pretty and confident.”  Véronique says it’s simply delicious now and will age quite well. 

2009 Pre-Thanksgiving at DDO:  (November 21-25)
Please join us Saturday, Nov. 21 for our pre-Thanksgiving celebration, from 11am – 3pm.  There’s no better time to enjoy a glass of wine with friends and family, here at DDO. 
The entrance fee is $20/person and includes a Riedel Glass and a tasting of our new wines. The Barrel Room will be open for members of our wine club, DDO Direct, with a sampling from the Library.  Classique and Mid members receive complimentary entrance for two and Classique Plus members receive complimentary entrance for four. 

Special note:  We are opening up on Monday, Nov. 23 and Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 11am – 4pm (in addition to our regular Wed-Sun hours) to welcome folks who are in town for the week and want to stock up on holiday wines but want to avoid the post-Thanksgiving rush.   We will be closed Thanksgiving Day and the weekend following.
 
DDO Website Changes
We’re continually working to provide a better online experience.  You may have noticed our new shopping cart, which opens up a lot of new possibilities for both you and us. Enjoy!

We hope to see you at the winery soon!

 WillaKenzie Estate ( learn more)

 ”WINE DINNER with CHEF PASCAL CHUREAU of FENOUIL RESTAURANT
October 17th at the Winery

Fenouil, in Portland’s Pearl District, is one of our favorite restaurants, so we are very happy to welcome Chef Pascal to the winery for what promises to be a memorable evening. Each course of his delicious menu will be paired with a different WillaKenzie Estate wine.

Amuse Bouche:

Langouste au Celeri
butter poached Maine lobster. guanciale. arugula. crème fraiche

Dinner:

Salade au Cresson
watercress salad. frisee. roasted chanterelles. toasted brioche. fourme d’Ambert.

Canard aux Agrumes
pan roasted duck breast. confit potatoes. blood orange confiture.
Szechwan reduction. escarole

Pot de Crème au Chocolat
langue de chat

Saturday, Oct. 17th 6:00 -9:00 PM

Price: $175 per person
includes 1 bottle of each of 2006 Pinot Clone #113, #114, and #115 to take home
as well as gratuity

SPACE FOR THIS DINNER IS LIMITED
For Reservations please call Sherry at 888-953-9463 X 62
or e-mail ssimmons@willakenzie.com“