August Cellars... An Experience to Avoid

Not all of my recent visits to the Oregon Wine Country proved celebratory, so the Rampant Oenophile thought that he should warn weary travellers of sites to avoid as well as indulge.

August Cellars, in Willamette Valley, occupies a beautiful winery along Quarry Road in Newberg, and is the first winery you happen upon driving south along the highway. It sits in a gorgeous spot among vines, trees, flowers, and hills, and presents a picture of modern wine making.

Among the many wines "hosted" at August Cellars showcase are the eponymous brands that boast several regional awards. Upon closer inspection, I'm sure that these awards come from county fairs or bar-b-que events, because the wine, unfortunately, proved nearly undrinkable.

While we got an early start and arrived at August Cellars right at their opening hour, I don't think that sleepy taste buds could bear much responsibility for the terrible wines in their sampling.

The Pinot Noirs offered no bouquet. Instead of an earthy Pinot Noir, the 2003 and 2004 tasted remotely of dirt and grass.

The Foch, which is described as a big red wine similar to a Zinfandel or Merlot, offers neither the zing of a Zin or the richness of a Merlot, not that any oenophile should associate those two appellations so closely. Nothing impressed about this weak and tepid wine.

The Winery also hosts several other vintners whose wares are housed behind hulking wood and glass doors. Not all were available for tasting, but most appeared to be made with a chemistry set instead of the full resources of a production winery.

Some of these "guest" wines may be entirely drinkable, even laudable, but if one's first experience of the August Cellar is the undrinkable sampling at the tasting bar, one will never consider other options.

Skip past August Cellars and visit Duck Pond instead. Enjoy their beautiful gardens, wonderful staff, and terrific wines.