Wine In The Burbs

In Bordeaux, Chateau Haut Brion is completely surrounded by apartments. South of Margaux in Bordeaux, you have to drive through what seems like miles of suburbs to get to "D2" the main winery road to the great chateaux of the famous wine villages of St. Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe. To get to Highway 29 in Napa you have to drive past strip malls and apartments. Now on Highway 99W to McMinnville from Portland it is strip mall after strip mall. The burbs appear to be overtaking the Oregon wine country. Several wineries and wine shops are intermingled with nail parlors, fast food restaurants, and apartments. Fortunately, Oregon winemakers and grape growers had the foresight to protect most of the wine country in the state legislature. Drive up to Carlton, Yamhill, Gaston and you are in beautiful wine country.