HIGH DESERT BLOG

2012 Wine Tour Spectacular

by | Nov 8, 2012 | Member Submissions | 0 comments

by Pete Olson,
Membership Chair

22 pristine Porsches met in Bend on September 28th at the usual Starbucks Arrive & Drive location for the 2012 High Desert Region Porsche Club “Wine Tour Spectacular”. We made a spirited run, passing through the wildfire smoke at Sisters, and onto the winding roads of the Cascade Mountains. With tops down, and sunroofs open, everyone enjoyed the warm September sunshine. And, more importantly, the addictive sounds of Porsche engines during an occasional downshift and acceleration from the apex of a mountain curve. It doesn’t get much better!

Our first major stop was King Estates Winery for wine tasting and a first class lunch as we overlooked the Willamette Valley. We were also treated to a tour of the wine making and storage facilities where we saw both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks, each designed to store and age a specific type of wine. Then back down to the winding roads through the valley with hill climbs to two more wineries. And then off to McMinnville for a Brew Pub evening with excellent food and lots of conversation and laughter.
Saturday morning provided a choice of an olive oil mill tour (proceeded by a few Olive Oil & Popeye jokes), or Emory Motorsports (the acclaimed 356 Mecca) to view several outlaw 356’s in the restoration process. Emory has barns full of 356 parts and even sold a few parts to our 356 enthusiasts. Noon brought yet another spectacular outdoor lunch at Youngberg Hill Vineyards along with fantastic valley views. Our hosts provided a history of the winery and took us on a tour out to the edge of one of the vineyards. Three additional scenic wineries completed the afternoon. But the best was yet to come: an elegant French dinner at Bistro Maison with an optional wine/course pairing.
Sunday morning provided a rare opportunity at the McMinnville Evergreen Museum to stage our Porsches for a photo session under the wings of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. Wonderful museums were there to be toured before we all headed off in various directions. And so concluded the “Spectacular” weekend adventure complete with fond memories and many photos and stories to share!
On behalf of the club I would like to extend a very special thank you to Mike & Ann Sampson who planned and hosted this “Million Dollar” weekend!

Latest Posts

Matrix Tech Session

Tech Session – Porsche SUVs – Matrix Integrated On a sunny and crisp February 12th morning, about 25 Porsche SUV enthusiasts – and potential ones – gathered at Matrix Integrated to learn about Porsche SUV’s.  The bulk of the conversation, led by owner Jeremy...

Tech Session – NW Wheel & Tire

Notes from HDR-PCA Tech Session Saturday 1/8/2022 [captured by Mark Taylor] Hosted by Dave Kelley, Founder.  Coffee and pastries were provided for the attendees. HDR-PCA President Joe Mansfield opened the meeting and introduced Dave Kelley who described the shop...

Christmas Party 2021

After almost 2 years of #&$%%?!! Members of HDR-PCA finally were able to gather at the Bend Marriott Residence Inn and celebrate the holiday season on December 4th! New members and long time members were able to enjoy each other’s company. Many stories were told...

May 2017

April No Fools Day for the HDR was an absolutely beautiful day for an Arrive & Drive and, once again, Bob Stark did not disappoint, with a route that combined the Crooked River Canyon curves with a selection of roads West of Redmond and Northwest of Bend. ...

Semi Annual Adopt-a-Road Cleanup

John and Eleanor Donohue Photos by John Donohue Our dedicated group of volunteers met on this brisk Saturday morning in early April to complete our semi annual ODOT cleanup commitment.  With the threatening snow and rain just staying at bay for our group, we were...

2017 Porsche Golf Cup Final Tournament

HDRPCA Members Play in 2017 US Porsche Golf Cup Final Tournament Kendall Porsche awarded 4 Porsche Club members, Jim Felton, Bill Robinson, David Gentry, and Sam Davis, in addition to Rob Weston, an all-expenses paid trip to the 2017 US Porsche Golf Cup Final...

Presidential Ramblings (April 2017)

As I flew into Calgary for the annual PCA Zone Six Presidents’ Meeting, the flight attendant handed out the Canadian customs declaration forms that we would need to submit to clear customs.  No problem, I thought, the calendars in my luggage should not be considered...

Presidential Ramblings (March 2017)

More daylight, less snow, less cold — what’s not to like!  Seriously, this morning I realized how nice it is to drive on dry roads, even if they are marked by potholes and alligator skin pavement.  This has been a tough winter in Central Oregon, and I want...

Presidential Ramblings (Feb. 2017)

As I sit here writing this month’s Presidential Ramblings I realize that the only thing different about the view outside my window when I wrote last month’s Ramblings is that the snow is deeper now. I’ve been here off and on for over forty years and I understand...

Powder Coating Tech Session

  Powder coating is a technology for coating anything metal virtually any color.  We are most familiar with its use on wheels and engine tin for air cooled cars, but its uses extend to anything metal that would otherwise be painted. I have used it on the...