Grape Expectations

Grape Expectations

- Judi Cuervo

It's 10:30 a.m. and I’m at the 20-acre Mt. Hood Winery, Oregon’s 2016 Winery of the Year. In the glass before me is a gold medal– winning 2015 Estate Pinot Noir that bears aromas of ripe cherry, pomegranate, and raspberry accented by subtle cedar overtones.

I swirl. I sniff. I sip.

I’ve become really good at this since boarding Uncruise Adventures’ S.S. Legacy for a 7-day Rivers of Wine–themed sailing down the Columbia and Snake rivers. Since our departure from Portland, Oregon, our diminutive, 86-passenger vessel has transported us downriver, navigating the locks that dot these historic waterways, past magnificent, ever-changing vistas that bring this region’s wines their unique and diverse characters. From the lush, green hills of the cooler, rain-drenched west to the desert-like eastern area, grapes — so many varieties of them — thrive, just waiting for creative winemakers to transform them into superb, and often award-winning, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, riesling, merlot, and more.

I’d been intrigued by Uncruise Adventures’ almost-all-inclusive S.S. Legacy (tours and all beverages are included; gratuities are not) ever since her 2013 debut. A replica coastal steamer filled with period furnishings and charming turn-of-the-century accents, her most popular sailings follow the path of Lewis and Clark’s legendary Pacific Northwest expedition.

This week, however, our exploration focuses not on the two explorers, but on the glorious varietals of five American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), or United States grape-growing regions: Columbia Gorge, Walla Walla, Red Mountain, Columbia Valley, and Willamette Valley. We’re visiting 10 wineries in seven days and are being treated to evening wine presentations and wine pairings during the sumptuous meals that S.S. Legacy turns out.