On the road to Ashland, Oregon
My wine biz takes me to some pretty lovely places
It has been a wild ride the last couple of weeks. I injured myself pretty badly while in Santa Barbara and have had doctor appointments and physical therapy appointments and all back-to-back. Yikes! But I am on the mend, and the rehab is going very well, as I am a very committed patient (I need to be able to walk, my friends).
However, during the last 2 weeks, I took a trip to Ashland, Oregon for some wine business and had such a lovely visit that I thought it would be great to do a feature here.
First, though a bit of history and context re: me and Ashland
My Ashland Journey from 2018-present
Prior to 2018, I had no idea what Ashland, Oregon was like. Full disclosure: outside of Portland/northern Willamette Valley, the Columbia Gorge, and the coast, I had not had good experiences with other locations in Oregon (which will not be named) including some notable cities and towns. But in 2018, I had a meeting with a new wine brand that would take me to Ashland for 3 days and honestly, I had really low expectations for the ‘Ashland as an experience’ part. I did a little research in preparation for meeting my potential new client but that was mostly on the wine region itself.
Well, I was astonished by Ashland during that visit, pretty much fell in love, and continue to be to this day.
To begin, this city is so charming and beautiful! Nestled at the foot of Mt Ashland, the small central part of town (downtown) has gorgeous parks, is the home of the very famous Shakespeare Festival, has a wonderful main street, beautiful historic homes, a college, a pretty excellent book store and a very lovely food, coffee, and independently owned shops scene.
My clients, the owners/operators of Long Walk Vineyard, have a property, including their home, in the hills across from downtown Ashland and the view is one of my favorites.
Long Walk Vineyard is also home to Valley View Orchard and this historic property boasts 50 acres of fruit trees and 11 acres of grape vines. To say it is charming and atmospheric is an understatement. I spent a lot of time here during 2020-2021 and these lovely people and the property were my “bubble”. As we spent time strategizing the future of their wine and fruit orchards, we also built puzzles, took long walks on the property, bird-watched, and cooked delicious meals. I also spent lots of time taking socially distanced walks/hikes in Lithia Park, with the family dog, Darcy (who is my bestie). It was pretty wonderful and I am so grateful for those visits during a very weird time in the world.
But let’s go back to late October 2019, when I returned from South Africa (and traveling for 8 months) I stayed for a bit at Long Walk Vineyard and invited my friend Justin to meet me there to kick off a wine/food tour of the Pacific Northwest. Justin and I became friends while traveling in Southeast Asia together and we share many of the same sensibilities, including a love of travel, food, and wine. He absolutely adored Ashland, which was showing off stunningly gorgeous autumn colors, for its nature and for food and wine. During his two nights in Ashland, we had dinner at Hither, which is always good for its famous fried chicken and natural wine-focused bottles. We also had snacks and drinks at the gone but not forgotten Ostras, an absolutely wonderful tapas restaurant, which unfortunately closed due to the pandemic.
Luckily, we made some time to walk around Lithia Park which is so beautiful. I really can’t do it justice with words here - there is so much to explore with a stream running down the mountain winding through the park, foot bridges, old time lantern lamps; an almost hidden duck pond, a swimming hole of sorts, and winding trails where once I had a giant eagle fly out of a tree and skim the top of my head…no exaggeration!!
Ashland has many charms in all the seasons and I love spending time there. Even when my visits are very busy with meetings with my clients, I make sure to take some time to have dinner out and to get in a good walk around downtown, hopefully with a Bloomsbury bookstore visit thrown in.
So, this year, upon returning to the US in late February, after being gone since mid-October, I was off to Santa Barbara (which I wrote about here) for a week and then had a few days in Lake Oswego, a suburb of Portland, before I was taking off to Ashland for a week of in-person work and play.
Getting There
Ashland is an excellent choice for a get-away for Portlanders or Californians. Only 20-minutes from the California border, this makes a great road trip from Northern California to explore nature, art, theatre and wine (of course). Ashland is a 4-hour drive from Portland or a 35-minute plane ride from PDX. I really love driving to Ashland. I know that sounds weird but I find it very meditative to take the I-5 south and just listen to a great playlist or podcast and watch the green hills, the rivers, goats and sheep roll by out my windows. The drive is so much more relaxing to me than going to the airport and honestly, with everything you have to do for flying, it would likely take the same amount of time and way more effort and involve people. No thank you.
Staying there
As always, I stay at the house at Long Walk Vineyard but I have stayed a couple of times in adorable Airbnb’s when I wanted to extend my visit, and a recent search for this post shows that there are even more cute spots to consider for accommodation. There are also many hotels or traditional Bed and Breakfasts, due to the large influx of visitors for the yearly Shakespeare Festival season. During my visit this month, I went for drinks at Larks Home Kitchen Cuisine, at the Ashland Springs Hotel, which is the tallest building in downtown Ashland and one I can see from the front porch of the house at Long Walk Vineyard. From what I understand, this is one of the nicest upscale hotels in the area and the lobby and restaurant reflects that. A couple of other places I have visited and have found charming are the Winchester Inn (the bar has tasty fries and a good wine list) and the Mc Call House Boutique Hotel.
Eating & Drinking
On the night I went to Larks for a drink, I had a pretty delicious gin martini (I rarely drink cocktails but was called to it on a very snowy night) but was disappointed in the bar snacks menu. The dinner menu looked much more interesting but I was dining elsewhere that night.
My friends had booked us a table at Cocorico, which is a new-ish restaurant (to me) but has been in Ashland for a minute. This is my friend’s favorite restaurant and I was excited to be going. Located just a few steps from the Ashland Springs Hotel, it is very central in downtown Ashland and in a charming building off the main street. The inside is warm and cozy and we had most of the place to ourselves since it was a wet, cold, snowy Tuesday night. My friends know the staff and owners well and we were welcomed like treasured family and tucked away in one of the only cozy booths. The vibe was so welcoming I was already a fan even before opening the menu. I was not disappointed.
Friends, this place would be a frequent hang-out if I lived in Ashland. The menu is so inventive and delicious - combining many different regions (Italy, Mexico, France, US) themes but with very local ingredients. I was immediately IN for the deviled eggs served on top of crushed sea salt & vinegar potato chips. YES AND YES. I could have powered down an entire order (or two) myself. My friends and I shared some really delicious main courses including mine which was Beet + Carrot Rigatoni with Shiitake mushroom conserva, beet vincotto, carrot puree and charred leeks. It was beyond description and delicious. I mean, seriously delicious.
The wine list is small but interesting but the food really shines. I heard that the back patio is quite lovely and the place to be in nice weather but I didn’t get to see it. Hopefully, next time! What a gem - Ashland is so lucky to have them.
There is actually a super fine dining experience in Ashland, at MÄS, that I tried to get to in 2021 but I got food poisoning (before going - not related) and had to cancel my reservation. They now have a raw bar as well but I still haven’t made it there. They were also a Beard nominee last year and one of 50 best restaurants by the New York Times. I just know it is very small and has a cutting-edge tasting menu.
Another spot of note is Osteria La Briccola - old school Italian - my friends swear by it and on my next visit we are going to go. I will update this space when I do. Stay tuned.
I always, always, ALWAYS go to MIX Bakery for a baguette (or several) while I’m in Ashland. MIX is still the top for me in all of the US for a baguette. Seriously. The owner trained in France and every time I go back I think to myself, is it as good as I remember? And it is better. I always hit MIX on my way home but I almost always hit it first when I arrive in town. It depends on my stay but I likely eat a few large baguettes while I’m there. They are that good. MIX also has lovely baked goods and sandwiches but the baguette is what I’m there for. Coffee is hit or miss and very expensive.
Of course, I really recommend Long Walk Vineyards Tasting House for a wonderful tour and tasting experience. The wines are lovely and just starting to get some really incredible recognition for a tiny brand in Southern Oregon. Take a read here of wine journalist and reviewer, Paul Gregutt, and what he has to say about the wines recently. I love the Carignane - it is my favorite. The wines include a rosé, a really lovely red blend of their varietals of the Rhone, and single bottlings of Carignane; Mourvédre; Grenache; Syrah; and a very popular, elegant Zinfandel. The tour and tasting includes a walk of the property through wonderful fruit trees and vines, then a hosted seated tasting of all current release wines and some library wines with a curated food board. It is a STEAL at $45 per person (average similar experiences in Newberg, Oregon are $80 per person and up).
If you visit Ashland, I also recommend taking a 40-minute drive to Jacksonville, a quaint town with a lot of personality and several wineries close by. This is also a lovely spot to spend a couple of nights in a charming bed and breakfast and wander about the bucolic main street areas. Additionally, there is Mount Ashland, which I’ve never been to but both my clients husband and son spend lots of time mountain biking there when they are in town and give it top praise. I’m sure it is like the rest of Ashland - beautiful and sweet.
I hope I’ve given you some inspiration for a road trip to Southern Oregon or making it a stop on your way north or south.
Let me know if you have any questions or share any tips if you have visited the Ashland area - I would so enjoy getting them.
Ciao Ciao, my friends…
Coming soon: San Juan Islands; Mendocino, Elk, and Monterey, CA; and the itinerary I created for a new friend for Florence, Italy in April!