For a while now we have been working on a new project, a hiking wine tour, also known as wiking. Our goal is to have the hiking tour available for reservations this summer. The trip will showcase some of the great wines in the region, as well as the beauty that the Willamette Valley is known for. We look forward to having you join Grand Cru Wine Tours for your Oregon hiking wine tour. Below is a brief introduction from the New York Times:
OREGON is hiking country. It’s also wine country, with vineyards that are increasingly destinations for oenophiles. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the combination of hiking and wine tasting has a name: wiking.
Looking for a more immersive wine experience? In mid-July, Oregon’s first hiking trail through wine country will open in the southern Willamette Valley. This nine-mile trail was put together by Byron Williams, the owner of Grand Cru Wine Tours. The hike winds through an oak savanna, over rolling hills and onto a portion of the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.
So what can you expect on your Oregon hiking wine tour? Guests will start the day at Johan Vineyards where you can sample the Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir from owner Dag Sundby. We will then hike over to Left Coast Cellars. Guests will be able to sample their wines, including their Latitude 45 Pinot Noir and enjoy lunch from their Cafe. We will then head on the longest stretch of the hike over to Van Duzer. Guests will experience wines from their new winemaker, Jerry Murray. I have followed Jerry’s wines for years and am excited to have him in the Mid-Willamette Valley.
After finishing the tasting at Van Duzer we will head into Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge. Having grown up spending lots of time outdoors, I am excited to add a trip through the slough. Depending on when you choose to visit you will be treated to visits from a variety of animal guests. The Fish and Wildlife Service has a listing of bird life that you may see, showing the frequency of sightings by season. If you are heading into the slough on your own, they have a map of all of the trails.
After leaving the slough guests will finish travelling over to Firesteed Cellars. We are working on finishing the trails and will let everyone know once we have full access. We will hold a special kick off wiking tour in mid-July. After that, guests will be able to reserve the tour during the open season. Because the slough is closed for the winter to protect the winter habitat of the birds, we will only be able to offer the tours from May 1 through the end of September. Tours will be $125 a person with a four person minimum. This will include all of you tasting fees for the day, lunch, and a guide for the day. For couples we have a package deal with The Grand Hotel is Salem to provide a king room and the tour for $450.
The last question we have received, how does our focus on sustainability affect this tour? First, we are excited to offer a hiking wine tour as it will require less travel in a vehicle. However, travel by foot also has its own impacts. All of our guides have received Leave No Trace training, as well as first-aid and CPR training. We are developing additional resources for our guides about the correct routes to travel to have limited impact on the areas we are traveling in, including working to ensure we do not introduce invasive or non-native plants or insects into the area. We are all learning much more about the birds of the area.
We look forward to having you join us soon on your wiking tour. Please call us with any questions, or to have your contact information added to our email list for when we have more details on the tours. Our goal is to offer guests a exciting new outdoor activity, a fun, educational, and scenic Oregon hiking wine tour.
Read about your wiking tours in the NY Times today and went to your website to get more info. When to you expect to start them? Are they on demand or is there a regular schedule? We will be in Oregon the second half of July. Does that work?
Thanks.
My husband and I are visiting the Willamette Valley the first week of August. We saw the article in the NY Times regarding your hiking/wine tour. We are interested in finding out more about it. How strenuous is the hike? I see in the Times article that it is around 9 miles equaling 3-4 hours of hiking. The distance and time is no problem, we are just wondering what the terrain is like. Any other information about the tour is appreciated.
Thanks,
Robin Price
Robin,
The terrain is rolling hills. There are 3 400′ hills that we will cross, other than that, it is all under 100′ of change. We designed the route with the idea that if you were a somewhat active person you will be able to hie the trail without to much difficulty. We want you to enjoy the area, not be worrying if your legs are going to give out. On Google maps if you look for Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, in Rickreall, OR, and ask for a terrain map you can get a better idea of what the area looks like. I hope that helps.
Byron
Wallace,
We are planning on offering a kickoff tour in mid-July that will be open to anyone who wants to attend that day. After that, the tours can be scheduled as requested by people that want to go, from May through the end of September. I will add your email to the distribution list when we announce the official opening day of the trail.
Byron
Hi Byron – any chance you will be ready to offer the private wiking tour over the 4th of July weekend? My friends and I could be your guinea pigs!
Like others, we also read about this in the NY Times – it sounds terrific. We’ll be in the Portland/Willamette Valley area in mid-August but traveling with our son (8) so we’re not sure he’ll be able to make the 9 miles (and not sure if you thought about whether kids can join and what the cost would be, assuming they could make the 9 mile hike). But we’d like to learn more and keep it as an option for our visit so please add the email above and my husband’s email (b_klopp@hotmail.com) to your distribution list. Thanks! Good luck with this excellent plan. Hope it will be a reality soon.
-Cheryl L.
Port Washington, NY (Long Island)
P.S. Will the hike always be a start to finish (9 miles). Or do you envision that in the future, one will be able to choose from shorter hikes (3-5 miles)? Thank you.
Please keep me posted. Sounds like my kind of hiking!
Hi,
I read about your tours and am curious to know about the 4 person minimum. Do we have to book with 4 people, or will you combine with others who are also interested but might not meet the 4 person minimum (i.e., another couple).
Thanks!
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