A quick little getaway with one of my BFFs. Heidi drove down from North Bend and I met her at the AirBnB we booked in Newberg. A studio mother in law apartment, close to downtown Newberg. It was clean, quiet, and perfect for our stay.
After settling in a bit, we picked up lunch at the Old Town Bar & Grill. Yummy food and beverages. Good service. Worth revisiting.
Next stop… Ransom Wine Co. & Distillery. They have a tasting room in Dundee that offered the option of either wine or spirits tasting. Heidi and I decided to try the spirits. It was six samples of spirits, with a little water to ‘open’ the taste up. We are not used to straight spirits tasting, so it was a bit rough for us and we did not drink it all, but still had fun trying something new.
Ransom’s tasting room had lovely outdoor seating and garden. It was too hot for us to do our tasting there, but after, we walked the garden a little.
Munchies at McMenamin’s Hotel Oregon, and a walk through downtown McMinnville. Cute town. We had hoped to have dinner at what looked to be an incredible tapas place, but, alas, they were closed. Next time. La Rambla.
drove back to Newberg and has more munchies and beverages at Ruddick Wood. They were extemely short staffed and the wait for food was over an hour, so we settled for house made pickles, and olives. The olives were served hot and were a delicious surprise. Eating hot olives was one of the highlights on this trip.
The view from the desk in our room and a deer that greeted us by our car…
Day two: we picked up coffee and pastries at The Coffee Cottage. This place has a wonderful outdoor dining area, and indoor as well. They also sell new and used books; an excellent selection. I bought quite a few books here. This place is close to George Fox University and is a popular place for students to gather and study.
Next stop: Heidi booked us a private vineyard tasting at Ribbon Ridge Winery. Tasting typically takes place inside a yurt, but we were undergoing a ridiculous heatwave and they decided to have us under some shade trees, looking out over the vineyard instead. I think this was even better!
Next stop: Carlton Winemakers Studio. Ribbon Ridge makes their wines at the Carlton Winemakers Studio. This place is a collection of 16 vitners under one roof. We enjoyed a nice tasting, then went to explore the town of Carlton. What an adorable town! Many places were closed due to heat and it being midweek. We had lunch at Park & Main; they have a nice storefront locally curated market and a good variety of counter service food options. Last photo is of us cooling our feet in foot bath… in a cooler!
Next morning, another breakfast of coffee and pastries at The Coffee Cottage, and headed for home.
