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Dedicated to the Wines of Umpqua Valley!

"Where Wine in Oregon Began"

The Umpqua Valley AVA is located just West of Roseburg, Oregon on I-5. This area is not nearly as unforgiving as the Willamette Valley to the North. It is the home to some of the Oldest Vineyards in Oregon and two dozen family operated wineries. Let us be your source for information on Umpqua Valley Wines.

Below you will find a list of Umpqua Valley Wineries. Our goal is to provide you with the latest information to help guide you in enjoying our local wines.
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TO BEGIN June 7, 2008!

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Featured Umpqua Valley Winery
BECKER VINEYARDS!

In two words: Thank You! We have just meet two of the best wine people of all our travels. Charlie an Peggy Becker epitomize the hard working small winery that produces beautifully balanced wines. Not to mention the amazingly tranquil setting of their new tasting room set to open this May. Get ready to be transported to the higher realm of premium wines.

They are already pinning up the ribbons in their winery! Seems they made a good impression at the recent "Greatest of the Grapes" event. But ribbons aside, we have tasted both bottled and barrel wines and they all share one quality: the unique understanding of what that particular grape is supposed to taste like. They "Get It"! Hallelujah !!

becker vineyards


Sour Taste at Tasting Room

A recent visit to the Yamhill AVA winery of Elk Cove left my wife and I wondering at the management qualifications of the place. If you are like us you take the time and effort to go the wineries in order to have a pleasant and enjoyable time. This was not the case at Elk Cove. Unfortunately this tends to detract from the actual tasting of the wine. You get side tracked by the poor service.

Here's what happened. We arrive to the tasting room to find the host attending to a sale. (Sound familiar?) Her nose is buried in the screen. Does she even glace up to say the minimum "Hi"? No. We are the only other couple in the room as we wait at the counter for recognition. Nothing! She works through the whole sale as if we were invisible. A good 5 minutes. Even after thanking the other couple she does several more minutes of paper work! It is us that calls her over then for a tasting list. A muffled, "Thanks for waiting" was all we got as she turned away. We had to ask for our first pour as she was back to filing some papers. Not a word came out of her mouth as she simply poured the wine. We followed this routine through the whole list. She'd pour silently and walk away, we asked for the next pour, same thing!

This prompts my comments here to all tasting room staff. (Having spent 5 years behind the wine bar, I speak from experience). Say "Hello" as soon as your clients walk in the door. It doesn't cost you but a second but sets the whole mood of the visit! Multitask! Get the new folks going on a pour, then return to your sale, etc. And remember, you're there to promote the wine so get excited about having the opportunity to share your enthusiasm!!