How To Savor Wine Country AF
We were the table whooping it up and getting loud, when I escorted a group of sober rebels from the This Naked Mind community around Oregon’s Wine Country, including the tasting room in Dundee where we sampled AF spirits and cocktails by Dhos.
The grape harvest is upon us here in Oregon and for the next several months Wine Country will see peak numbers of visitors, to sample wines, sure, but also to witness the change of seasons and nature’s cycle of abundance, and to bathe in a sensory treat. (The old saying goes - in the US and in Europe - that the best grapes love views! So follow the grapes to find true scenic beauty!)
Does it sound like an oxymoron, or too hard to imagine, that you can have a blast in Wine Country without drinking alcohol?!?
Maybe you’re a foodie and belong(ed) to several wine clubs and you’re actually scared of what it would mean to NOT drink wine or you’ve lamented that a prior source of immense pleasure is off limits to you now! I hear you! I was born and raised on the good eats and party culture of New Orleans. I worked for Food Network chefs. Chef Emeril Lagasse cooked my wedding rehearsal dinner. My husband and I chucked our stable jobs and went out on a limb to start a winery, without experience or money. We built a business we were proud of and I believed we were creating community by bringing people together over glasses of Oregon pinot and bottles of Champagne and Burgundy made by small family producers in France. We hosted hundreds of events and regularly took clients on tasting trips to France. Wine culture was part of my identity and the thought of giving it up was scary. Only I realized I didn’t have to. In fact, I decided to double down on the sensory pleasure that I enjoyed most about wine and wine culture in the first place.
Now I teach my clients how to reclaim spaces that they have loved and to use all five senses to create rich new associations with those places…new associations that are lush and full-bodied, but that are entirely zero-proof!
I’m not offering a vision for having just as much fun as you used to in Wine Country. Rather, it’s a vision for having MORE fun than before. You’ll ingest the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures with all your senses intact, and without a chemical swirling around in your brain that is getting antsy, or impatient for the next dose. Just imagine how yummy and free that might feel, when the day’s agenda is set by you and not by the wine.
When visiting wine country, I do my research ahead of time (always call ahead too). I find wineries that offer special features, such as a world-class art collection, gift shop, charcuterie plate and Japanese garden (Saffron Fields in Oregon’s Willamette Valley), lawn games, or lavender fields. I visit another winery that boasts a working olive mill (Durant at Red Ridge Farms) to sample the different oils and to hike their nature trail that meanders through the woods, past a sheep’s meadow and through the vines with a view of the snow-capped mountain. They also have a great gift shop and plant nursery. The Duck Pond Cellars Wine & Spirits tasting room offers a tasting flight of Dhos brand non-alcoholic spirits (the same people behind Ransom distillery, one of the pioneering distillers in the state). In Montinore’s tasting room, The Grove, in McMinnville ask to taste their verjus (this is the bright, tart juice of under-ripened grapes and it makes an elegant, delicious spritz when combined with a splash of tonic, club soda and a lemon twist!!). Stoller Family Estate Vineyards & Winery now offers my favorite (Pacific NW produced) NA cocktail, For Bitter For Worse, alongside their very highly rated wines to better accommodate those who might want to take a break or pace themselves. And Raptor Ridge Winery offers an NA tasting experience too.
I might kick off the day with coffee and breakfast at a historic farm house cafe, (South Store Cafe) pick raspberries, and pet impossibly cute baby goats (Portland Goat Party).
Look for options for adventure like renting a vintage convertible, soaring over the valley in a hot air balloon or blasting through vineyards on an ATV. Take photos, ride a bike or play frisbee golf!
This might seem way out there, but you could even dress up — just “fall wine country fancy” or in theme even. Over two decades, I hosted hundreds and hundreds of events and welcomed thousands of guests whose faces might blur. But I clearly remember the three couples who came in dressed in Mad Men attire! Think of the fun they had just planning, getting ready and receiving admiring looks and compliments all day!
Where there are fine wines, there are always talented chefs, so plan for a terrific meal in beautiful surroundings. Ask if they carry an AF wine. If not, ask if you can bring your own, such as the stellar one from Joyus, a female-founded wine company out of Seattle. (I especially love their sparkling rosé).
There are wineries to the east of Portland too. Out in the Columbia River Gorge, I love to sample a flight of AF spirits both neat and with mixers in the joyful, inviting new tasting room of Wilderton, which is located in a hopping riverfront district, next to breweries, coffee roasters, and food carts with some of the world’s best wind-sports right out front! A short drive away are the Hood River railbikes (big power-assist tandem “bikes” that allow you to traverse the valley via the train tracks) and the Gorge White House, where you can feast on flatbread, sandwiches or ice cream, play games, and gather U-Pick berries and flowers while others in your party can sample local beers or wines.
This weekend, I’m checking out a host of additional Columbia Gorge wineries so look for my updates soon. This wine region is known for stunning views and zero stuffiness. Kids and dogs are welcome!
For years, my husband and I operated a wine tasting room. If I were to do it again, I would have local kombucha, non-alcoholic wine, nitro cold brew or an AF beer on tap, or maybe a shrub or bitters and soda, for all the folks choosing not to consume alcohol that day for any reason.
Tip for the consumer: never EXPECT a business to cater to your preference for a non-alcoholic option - it’s their business after all. Be patient as awareness of having more options grows. And they might even have limitations due to health department regulations that you’re not aware of. But DO feel free to politely let them know that you’d love to support them by becoming a regular customer if they were to increase their offerings.
Tip for the industry professional: DO consider making the non-alcoholic option very visible - it’s not enough to just expect the customer to ask. By the time they ask, they’ve already felt excluded. And DO consider serving it in the same glass your wines are served. Whether they are skipping alcohol today, forever, or just this round, DO keep in mind that the non-drinker is still your customer! They often want to make a purchase (of your merch, your non-alcoholic beverages, your wines to gift, etc), or will recommend you to others.
Today (and yesterday and tomorrow!) I choose not to drink! Little by little, wineries (and restaurants) realize that people like me, like us, have money in our pockets — savings from not spending it on alcohol — and that we can be customers too. Thus, options are expanding.
In addition to growing the bottom line for these businesses, there is a growing societal awareness that true radical hospitality means making guests (ALL guests) feel truly seen. And offering beverage options is a simple way to accomplish that.
Wine Country is a lush landscape, a back road, a way of life, a mood, an experience. It’s always been more than what’s in one’s glass. Martha Wright
Are you ready to reclaim it? Let me know your experiences in the comments below.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Martha Wright is a New Orleans-born wine industry veteran turned sobriety/mindful drinking coach working in small groups and 1:1 in her own practice, Clear Power Coaching, as well as serving as Senior Coach with This Naked Mind. Using her background as a winemaker, and as a recipe-developer, right-hand and wrangler for Food Network chefs, her unique path to giving alcohol the pink-slip focuses on kicking up the lusciousness and fun in our lives (plus of course understanding the neuroscience of habits, uncovering unconscious beliefs, and honing coping tools). She splits her time between Paris, Portland, Oregon, and New Orleans where you can find her sleuthing out the best street-food markets, coffee shops and non-alcoholic venues, hosting NA meet-ups, or playing ping pong. She also spends an inordinate amount of time writing a newsletter 🤣 overflowing with news about the AF world and you can sign up for it here.
