Limo-ing to Wine Country: Newberg OR

God bless my friend Peggy. She’s a planner, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have much of a social life if not for her. Recently she hustled a small group of us to take a limo to wine country. I know what you’re thinking ... limos ... bachelorette parties ... prom night ...

Our limo driver standing by

Yes, you’re right. Limos are cheesy. But they’re kind of fun in a cheesy sort of way, and they sure beat mini vans. In fact, being inside one felt more like being on a plane. You know, you’re not in control of your mode of transportation, and your supposed to be comfortable, but you’re really not. (Which, by the way, is no reflection on our driver). And anyway, we were attempting to be “responsible adults” by not drinking and driving.

So, off we limo-ed. To add to the cheese factor, one of the gang brought along their Hall and Oates Greatest Hits CD to play on the way. Now I really was going to the prom.

Just so you know, I’m not even going to attempt to review the wines. (Would you really trust someone’s taste in wine that was singing along with a Hall and Oates CD?)

Our first stop was Carlton Cellars, which has lovely grounds and some tasty, affordable wines. Lots of Pinot Noir as you would expect. I’m not a huge Pinot fan (I know – I’m living in the wrong state) but it was fun to try them.

Penner-Ash tasting room

Then we hit Penner-Ash, Adelshiem and Bergstrom, in that order. Penner-Ash has a casual-yet-chic contemporary tasting room with lots of light, which made for a pleasing experience.

As for Adelshiem, I found it a tad overpriced, starting with the $15 tasting and the $78 Pinots. But then again, we were the riff-raff in the limo belting out 70s pop tunes, so maybe it just wasn’t a good fit.

Bergstrom - the view

Bergstrom was a group favorite. It was a pretty setting, and the wine seemed within reach. The staff was friendly, too, and even helped us play with a wine aroma chart. We all tried really hard to identify underlying scents like “wet leaves” and “diesel”, with varying degrees of success.

After four wineries, our wino – uh – I mean limo time was running low, so we headed back to Portland. We all agreed that despite the cheese factor, it did feel good to slump down in a limousine like bratty rock stars and leave the driving to someone else.

Carlton Cellars
30 West Monroe Street
Carlton, Oregon 97111
carltoncellars.com

Penner-Ash
15771 NE Ribbon Ridge Road
Newberg, OR 97132
pennerash.com

Adelsheim
16800 NE Calkins Ln
Newberg, OR 97132
adelsheim.com

Bergstrom Wines
18215 NE Calkins Lane
Newberg, OR 97132
bergstromwines.com

Interstate Limo
interstatelimo.com