Days of Wine and Roses

Less than an hour east of Portland under the watchful eye of the majestic and imposing Mount Hood,

following the Willamette River lies Oregon's best known wine region; the Willamette Valley, Pinot country which just happens to be my favorite wine. We decided to keep it close by since later on in our trip we were going into some serious wine country and chose the towns of Yakima and Carlton. Our first stop was the beautiful Elk Cove with it's gorgeous tasting room high up above their stunning vineyards.

After some tasting and fun conversation and some purchases we strolled the beautiful gardens.

Which I was told were planted by the now retired owner who is a master gardener. 

On our way out we stop at the very charming town of Carlton

for a leisurely lunch in the patio of Horse Radish

before our next stop, The Carlton Winemakers Studio.

Enough wine tasting for one day. 

Wondering about the roses? A few blocks from our hotel in the southwest section of Portland within steep walking distance is the largest park in the city, Washington Park. It houses the Oregon Zoo, a Japanese Garden, miles of beautiful woodland trails as part of a massive arboretum,

and something called the "International Rose test Garden" which I figured would be something pretty (Portland's nickname is "the City of Roses" something quite evident since they are everywhere and thriving beautifully) and educational. I was wrong, it is jaw droppingly magnificent.

The aroma is intoxicating! And the colors, textures and varieties are such that your head just swoons

and you need to rest with a glass of wine.