One year ago today, we opened the doors to our new Tasting Room, designed by Allied Works Architecture. When we look back at our 40-plus years in business, opening our new Tasting Room was a monumental milestone for us. It was a triumphant moment being second generation leaders and siblings, and it puts us further down the road of fulfilling our vision to provide personalized wine country experiences for each of our visitors.
Since we opened the doors, we have been able to truly make memorable, personalized experiences for visitors to our Tasting Room. We were one of the first Oregon wineries to add several new layers of hospitality in one destination: table side service, welcoming host stand and wine & food pairings. Its exciting to see so many people coming far and wide to see our new space, experience our wines and connect with our estate.
We’ve learned a lot over the past year and adapted our operational procedures based on the seasons and guests needs. Were proud to say that one year later, were adding even more new things to build on our vision. We re-opened our John Storrs Tasting Room, the first purpose-built tasting room in Oregon built in 1978, to give guests an experience with a piece of history built in. Weve also added Culinary Specialist Emily Martin to the team, who is expanding our wine & food program to create delectable pairing experiences that deepens our guests knowledge of the relationship between the two. Finally, we’re redesigning The Cellar Lounge to become a year-round exclusive Cellar Club member area.
Building the facility in a sustainable manner from the green roof to lighting to insulation was imperative during the process. We initially set out for the new Tasting Room to be a net zero energy facility to achieve Living Building Challenge certification. However, our energy usage ended up being more than we anticipated as we balanced operational needs against energy efficiency. Were working together as a team to identify ways to improve our energy usage and look to pursue the Living Building Challenge in the years to come.
In the last year, we have loved hearing the positive memories made here at the winery along with constructive feedback that helps us make the experience the best it can be. We listened intently to your comments, and all of the feedback has contributed to the evolution of our new Tasting Room.
Thank you to every guest who has made it out to our new Tasting Room in the last year, to all our guests who support us and to those who we look forward to serving in the years to come. And, a big thank you to our fabulous team for making this incredible adventure possible.
In celebration, we have released our 2011 Single Block Pinot Noirs – Big Tree Block, Peach Tree Block and Orchard Block – and are throwing several celebratory events, including our Swingin’ Summer Salmon Bake. Follow us on this blog, Facebook and Twitter this month as we share more stories and memories of our Tasting Room with you. If you haven’t had a chance yet, take a virtual tour of our Tasting Room – click here to check it out!
Cheers,
Alex & Alison
P.S. We are excited to be featured in the July issues of Food & Wine and Travel+Leisure. Pick up your copies while they are on news stands this month!
