Edenvale Winery – Medford, OR
We got another early start, about 6:30 am, heading over the Siskiyous Pass while the weather was still favorable. High temps were suppose to be in the 60s and lows above freezing with a slim chance of precip.
Snow was in the forecast the next night, so we didn't want to dally. In fact, our entire trip home was planned so that we could get over the Siskiyous and avoid inclement weather.
It was a scenic drive and we made it over the pass just fine. We arrived in Medford about 2pm, set up the trailer and headed towards the tasting room.
On our way to the tasting room, we met Nino, the concierge for the property. He gave us a historical perspective on the property and encouraged us to explore the entire vineyard. A few minutes later, he gave Karen and I a guided tour of the main floor of the mansion. It is over 100 years old, took 10 years to build and is listed in the national registry of historic homes. Originally it sat on 800 acres and now sits on 40. The original owner planted pear trees, and is credited with being one of the first in Oregon to do so.
I counted five chimneys from the outside. The home was amazingly preserved. Stepping inside you felt as if you were back in the early 1900's. The kitchen still had the original Frigidaire side-by-side ovens made by General Motors. And they still worked!
We explored the grounds which cater to concerts and weddings, mostly in the spring and summer months, although the library is occasionally rented out for events in the winter months.
We even saw a barn owl perched on the back side of the old winery. Nino said he is always there, probably only leaves at night to hunt.
The wine was delicious as were the appetizers which included some bacon jam brie.
Having put the Siskiyous in the rear view mirror, we decided to sleep in for a change. The morning was sunny and glorious. We felt so fortunate to have had this experience.