What to do in Southern Oregon

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ROAM THE ROGUE - FIVE WINERIES, ONE DAY

Spring is here and that means time for southern Oregon Wineries to open their doors wide for wine tasting season!  Spring is so gorgeous around here making it prime time to gear up for live music outdoors and to take advantage of the new wines to be released for the season.  One of our favorite spring time activities is to Roam the Rogue.  Just like Applegate Valley Uncorked, Roam the Rogue is a wonderful way to tour Rogue Valley wineries while enjoying the views and enjoying tasty bites.  All in one day you have the opportunity to visit the seven wineries that encompass the Upper Rogue Wine Trail during this self-guided tour.

Tickets are only $39 each and include a commemorative Roam the Rogue Reidel glass.  You will be able to taste the wineries newest wines paired with delicious appetizers.  All you need to do is choose which winery you would like to start at and you will be on your way.  Last year a group of my girlfriends and I chose Roxy Ann Winery as our starting point.  You first check in and get your wine glass and bracelet that lets the wineries know that you are participating in Roam the Rogue. 

Roxy Ann  Winery was one of the first in Medford so it is a pretty popular spot.  We tasted their Syrah with a sweet and slightly spicy pork sandwich.  They are most well known for their easy sipping Pinot Gris and yummy and unctuous Claret, (yes yummy is a technical term to wine tasters across Southern Oregon ;)).  Every Friday they have live music and when spring hits they take it outside to their beautiful patio with views to make you want to dance the night away under the stars.  If you live in Medford and are a fan of wine, you have to visit Roxy Ann once or twice, if not for the wine, for the convenience of them being so close to town.

The next stop on our tour was Agate Ridge Vineyard, a small family owned Vineyard.  Their tasting room is in a sweet little country house with a beautiful backyard area to sit and enjoy your wine.  They often have special events like Bonfire Fridays in early winter and spring, live music during the summer and every summer they hold a special Dinner in the Vines.  A peaceful liitle setting to wile away the afternoon sipping on some wine.  After a bite and a taste we moved onto Kriselle Cellars.

Kriselle Cellars has a gorgeous patio that has views of the Upper Table Rock plateu and their sprawling Buxton Ranch.  They also have a huge grassy area with picnic tables, perfect to take the kids on lazy days.  If you make it out there on the weekend they offer pizzas cooked to order from their wood-fired pizza.  The whole experience is wonderful!

Cliff Creek Cellars was next and what a cute, little, rustic place they have.  They are an operation in growth, so their tasting room is outside under a beautiful pergola with a water feature nearby to add to the experience.  It’s a very relaxing place to hang out and enjoy some easy sippin' wine.   And on down the road we headed to Folin Cellars.

Folin Cellars is in Gold Hill tucked into green rolling hills where you get a perfect view of the Table Rocks and Mt.McLoughlin.  Since we got there so late we were only able to taste their wine.  They may have live music in the future but for now they have bocce ball courts to entertain!  What fun!  We can’t wait to go out there for a date night!

Last on our wine tasting adventure was the well-known Del Rio Vineyards & Winery in Gold Hill.  We had their Rose Jolee which is always a big hit.  An easy drinking wine that makes you dream about the lazy summer days, enjoying backyard barbecues with the family.  We got there just in time to hear the fun and entertaining local musician Mike Brons.  It was a great way to end our day.  A little wine, a little music and the beautiful views that only southern Oregon can offer.

If you want to go, Roam the Rogue it is on Saturday, May 4th, 2019, 10am-6pm.  Get your tickets here.

For more annual Wine Events we have a whole spotlight page just for them here.  We even have a Beer Event page if you want to enjoy local brews!

For more events and What to do all over southern Oregon go to our full calendar of events here.  You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and Pinterest.