If you’re seeking a wine tasting experience that's the
polar opposite of, say, Napa Valley on the weekend – i.e. impersonal corporate wineries with about as much charm as the inside of a Home Depot, overpriced tastings and gobs of people
jockeying for position at the wine bar – then the K&M Tasting Room is the
spot for you.
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| K&M Winery Rose, ready and waiting |
K&M stands for Ken and Mauro, the two men behind the
food-friendly wines showcased at their modest-but-stylish tasting room. It’s a
calm and welcoming space, defined by spare furnishings and large windows that
look out onto Carlton’s charming historical Main Street.
If this all sounds dreamy, well, that’s because it is. And I’m
always impressed when people seem to be living their dream, because it means
they had the wherewithal to make it happen. Inspired by close friends who owned
a small vineyard, Ken and Mauro worked, planned and saved for many years to purchase their own. In one
of life’s more serendipitous moments, Ken jumped on craigslist and the perfect
piece of property popped up. They jumped on it, and the rest is history.
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| Ken with a few of his bottles |
I figure if I’m that charmed by the K&M tasting room and story, then I will be equally charmed by the K&M vineyard. I have
yet to visit it, but will be able to several times a year once I join K&M's wine club – which the retelling of this tale has just motivated me
to do.
And now, I can hardly wait for my first vineyard event.
143 E. Main Street
Carlton, OR 97111
