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| Green vistas of Oregon's Willamette Valley. |
During
our road trip through Oregon we decided to explore Oregon’s Willamette Valley
while in transit from Salem to Portland.
Willamette Valley is well known for its wine, especially Pinot. In my opinion the Willamette Valley produces
some of the best Pinot in the world. But
it’s probably not wise to fill an entire day with wine tasting, especially when
almost 80 miles need to be traveled.
Luckily the Willamette Valley offers a number of gastronomical delights
in addition to the wine which make a day trip through the Willamette Valley a
tasty adventure.
Wine and cheese go hand-in-hand, so our culinary trail began at Willamette Valley Cheese Co., owned by Rod Volbeda of Volbeda Farms. Willamette Valley Cheese Co.’s cheeses are made from the raw milk produced at the farms by Rod’s herd of Jersey cows. The cheese tasting room is a tiny little building at the end of a gravel road. You’ll know you’re there when you see the cows. You’ll really know you’re there when you open your car door and are struck by the powerful smell of cows. Thankfully the tasting room does well to keep out the smell. Willamette Valley Cheese Co. makes some fabulous cheeses. Their handmade, farmstead cheeses include Havarti, Gouda, Fontina, Jack and Cheddar, made in traditional, aged, smoked, and flavored varieties. Our favorite was the Brindisi, an aged Fontina full of flavor.
Wine and cheese go hand-in-hand, so our culinary trail began at Willamette Valley Cheese Co., owned by Rod Volbeda of Volbeda Farms. Willamette Valley Cheese Co.’s cheeses are made from the raw milk produced at the farms by Rod’s herd of Jersey cows. The cheese tasting room is a tiny little building at the end of a gravel road. You’ll know you’re there when you see the cows. You’ll really know you’re there when you open your car door and are struck by the powerful smell of cows. Thankfully the tasting room does well to keep out the smell. Willamette Valley Cheese Co. makes some fabulous cheeses. Their handmade, farmstead cheeses include Havarti, Gouda, Fontina, Jack and Cheddar, made in traditional, aged, smoked, and flavored varieties. Our favorite was the Brindisi, an aged Fontina full of flavor.