a nose for wine

五月份的一个星期六,Fred带着我们六个人去了几家很不错的葡萄酒庄,棒极了。他真的使这次旅行很特别,迎合我们的喜好,带我们去了一些独特的、非常不错的酒庄。他对Oregon葡萄酒懂得很多,而且各方面来说,都是一位很棒的导游!他显然非常享受这一天!我们不会找到比这更好的了!Matt和团队!

Well Howdy...as your tour was titled, Four Rode From Texas, The Year ALL Houston Came To Oregon...your were the Cherry On The Top for a great wine tourism year. AND Thank YOU again for letting us "show you around." And yup..your were right..so many of the wines your were treated todon't make it outside the state. Any time your up for another shopping spree...do give a "holler" and please bring that guitar playing husband with you. Nice guy..You all were a hoot~(and the longhorns you saw at the vineyard were real..herded there just for you.): }

What a wonderful "job" Marie and I have! We get to spend wonderful days with people from all over introducing them to the fine people who make Oregon's spectacular wines. On a rainy/windy day I made 3 new friends who as the tour for them was a day of great memories, they are now warmly in mine. Thank YOU Kerrie for taking the time to post such a generous review. You were such great wine tour playmates and know I look forward to again seeing your smiling faces. Cheers until...Fred~

我们四个(两个当地人,两个来自东海岸的)和玛丽度过了愉快的一天。她帮我们制定了游览5个葡萄庄园的计划:Beaux Freres庄园(必去之地!),Bergstrom庄园(太棒了!),Domaine Drouhin(我们最不喜欢的),White Rose庄园(超棒!),以及DePonte庄园(最后看的,但是很棒!)。我们还尝了橄榄油。玛丽知识面很广,给我们介绍了葡萄庄园的历史,还介绍了皮诺的大致情况。从玛丽那里我们得到了进入后室的入场券,还获得了品尝室经理的特殊照顾。玛丽给我们提供了很多种食物的选择,让我们对一天的品尝体验饶有兴致。总之,如果你想要一天美好的品酒之旅,尤其是在皮诺,那么就联系玛丽吧!

Our wine tours are of course about..."wine.." but boy did Holly & Rudy share some great recipes with me. Food and wine totally go together and I think we spent more time talking parings and old family recipes. Holly you lucky girl...got a wonderful guy that can "cook!" Thanks again for allowing me to spend a magical day with you and as you enjoy your Oregon Pinots, remember the folks you met are making more with "your name" on it.Stay warm..spring is on the horizon~Fred~

We booked a two day tour of the Willamette Valley vineyards and wineries. Fred was our guide one day and Marie the next. They were very knowledgable about wine and the area, as well as being lots of fun! Marie prepared wonderful little snack trays to compliment some of our tastings! They also did a great job of choosing wineries that fit our palette! Can't say enough wonderful things about A Nose For Wine!!!!! We love you!!!

We had a great tour with Fred. Very entertaining and educational, and well, yeah, the wine was outstanding. A great tour for anyone from a novice to an experienced wine-snob, as long as you are really interested in the wines and not just looking for an extended happy hour.

I visited some wineries with Marie as our guide in mid-September. So glad I went with them. The wineries are spread out and had I driven myself, I'd be spending more time getting lost than tasting wine. We visited a range of wineries from the very small like Prive where the winemaker got us barrel tastings to the overly commercialized Ponzi, and it was good to see the contrast. Marie was highly knowledgeable and even introduced us to a local wine merchant for the inevitable time when I will have run out of the wine from this trip and will have to reorder. These visits were set up based on Marie's experience with the wineries and I would not have had the personal connections to make these unique visits happen. I also trusted her to take us to hidden gems and she did not disappoint. Well worth the money!

Our first time to Willamette Valley Pinot Noir country and Fred was absolutely amazing! We were educated on many levels about our favorite pinots!

It would be well worth spending an afternoon with Fred Grunton even if you never sampled a drop of wine! A wine evangelist, seeking to share his knowledge with you and to teach you how to expand your own wine experience, not just for the tour, but for going forward.He also knows everybody in the Willamette Valley, and he has loads of stories, not all of them necessarily flattering, to provide color, context and laughs.We went back and forth on wineries with Fred before the tour, and we were thrilled with the choices. He recommended a tiny young winery that sells only direct to the consumer from the winery, and it was a revelation. I'll betcha that only a handful of people know the winery even exists.If we ever make it back to the Pacific Northwest, we'll do everything in our power to hook up with Fred again. This time, our only instruction will be: "You pick the wineries, Fred. We're just along for the ride."Truly a day we'll remember forever.Steve & Jacqi TanzerArden, DE

We had the pleasure of going on our second wine tasting tour with Fred in the Oregon Wine Country. He attends to every detail and you know that every minute has been planned perfectly. If you are looking for an amazing experience and being welcomed by some of the most unique and fabulous wineries Fred is the guy. We are so proud to be able to share this experience with friends from other states. Impressive to say the least.

We were up visiting for our 21st anniversary and had heard about "A Nose for Wine" from a friend. First let me start by saying we are new to wine. We had a wonderful time. Marie arranged a behind the scenes tour of a great little winery to help us understand wine from the vine to the glass. We then moved onto 4 winery's that all had something unique and interesting to add and build our knowledge. All the people and places we visited were welcoming and warm, and in large part due to Marie, building on each visit. Marie made sure we were well fed and all our questions were answered. She made our anniversary truly special and we will definitely be recommending her to our friends and family.

There are not enough words to describe the awesomeness that is Marie. From her prompt pick up of me and my friend at our downtown Portland hotel to the superb tastings and perfectly assembled crudite platters for cleansing our palate and taming our tummies, I simply can not sing Marie's praises as a wine sherpa enough. The love and dedication and knowledge that she possesses for the Willamette Valley wine region made our Saturday a joyous occasion. Upon returning home, I have been humbled by her accessibility and swiftness in addressing followup questions. Not only would I recommend Marie and by extension, A Nose for Wine, to any serious explorer and aficionado of fine American wine, but I will definitely return to Portland and happily employ her guidance in further exploring the 100s of wineries that the Willamette region has to offer.

What a day, what a guy! Fred was prompt in picking us up from our rented cottage in Willamette Valley. After giving us a 10 minute crash course in willamette wine/soil/geography, we hit the road and enjoyed tastings at four different vineyards over the 6 hours we spent together. We probably could have made it to one more but Fred could tell that we were enjoying good company/conversation during our tastings and he did not rush us. The cheeses he brought were such a special treat. Every tasting room welcomed us with open arms since we had Fred with us. He is clearly respected by the community. He took beautiful photos of us and was more than pleasant the entire day. A delightful day with a fabulous tour guide.

From the moment you meet Fred Gunton, you know you are in for a special day. Fred will pick you up in a nice van and will bring you to many "hidden gem" wineries throughout the Willamette. Wineries that you might not have known about had your not met him. His knowledge and expertise of the geology and morphology of the valley, as well as the wines, gives you a sense that he's been doing this for a very long time ( he has) and really loves what he does. He is a class act, fun and so knowledgeable, and one who will provide for you a special day. You will not feel rushed as you move from winery to winery and the addition of some great cheeses and other goodies will compliment the tastings. Fred has a special relationship with many of the owners due to his expertise and this relationship allows you to enjoy private conversations with them and get an inside look at the way wine is produced in the Willamette Valley. Fred provides quality transportation, and great conversation. When you are done for the day, you feel like you've gotten a lesson in wine production in addition to tasting some of the very finest Pinot Noirs in the valley. I highly recommend this as a must do experience when visiting this part of Oregon. Be aware the this tour will take nearly five hours as there is no rush. You will get your monies worth in time alone!