It wasn’t long ago that the mention of “wine country” in North America referred mainly to the inviting California counties of Napa and Sonoma. A more recent burst of activity shined the spotlight on locales like British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley and the south-central California coast region featured in Sideways, yet true wine regions were still restricted to a limited bunch.
Flash forward to 2014 and wine regions are bursting all over, with group-friendly settings and activities adding verve and vitality to their various offerings. Here’s a look at some emerging areas that are seriously raising planners’ grape expectations for a great group getaway.
Lane County, Ore.
“There are lots of great vineyards and wineries in this area,” says Jessica Chestnut, social media and public relations manager for Travel Lane County. “The Willamette Valley’s climate is ideal for grape growing, and as a result, the number of wineries and vineyards throughout our area—and the entire state of Oregon—has boomed the past few years.”
Just a bit south of Portland on the state’s mid-coast, Lane County boasts several top-notch vineyards with promising group potential.
Domaine Meriwether shows off 54 acres of both pastoral and planted grounds in the town of Veneta, just west of Eugene, with a winery building working as both the venue’s tasting room and wine cellar; it specializes in sparkling wines and has a cellar space with capacity for groups of up to 100 or so, plus numerous outdoor spaces.
Springfield’s LaVelle Vineyards is a 25-acre, family-owned establishment open to hosting all kinds of events, boasting the Tap Room (with access to a banquet room at Willie’s Restaurant in the same building that can provide easy and delicious catering), which has full audiovisual and Wi-Fi and can seat up to 100 people for dining and drinks; and Elmira winery is a popular place for alfresco affairs in warm weather during the summertime, with seating for up to 150 people.
Meanwhile, Pfeiffer Vineyards outside Junction City is an elegant 70-acre vineyard that had the honor of having its pinot noir chosen to be a part of a pre-inaugural dinner for President Obama. They have four event spaces to choose from, including a lovely Water Garden with four ponds and a waterfall with space for about 300, and the Fireplace Pavilion, a brand-new, 440-square-foot space attached to the Tasting Room that can comfortably seat 250 for dinner.
Silvan Ridge Winery, Sweet Cheeks Winery and King Estate are also worthy of planners’ consideration in the region. PageBreak
Livermore Valley, Calif.
Given this East Bay region’s glorious wine past, including its standing eons ago as the Golden State’s most productive grape-grower, it might be most accurate to call its return to prominence a re-emergence.
While its well-liked wineries today include Eckert Estate Winery, Thomas Coyne, En Garde Winery and Fenestra, planners seeking an oasis of attendee excitement are sure to appreciate some of the venues and activities on hand at Wente Vineyards.
A handsome, Spanish-style Event Center, sandstone caves and two dining venues are among the numerous event spaces, but it might be the array of group doings that most impresses. A winemaker studio allows for unique educational experiences that go well beyond mere tastings with a wine-blending lab and the chance to take home your own custom-blended label; a wine-tasting challenge takes team-building to another level; and other group competitions can include a Tower of Corks stacking challenge and a scavenger hunt emphasizing brain over brawn.
For a truly special occasion, inquire about Murrieta’s Well, a historic setting within Wente offering a charming patio area and regally rustic barrel room with vaulted ceilings.
Springfield, Mo.
Missouri might not be the first place Oenophiles think of when wondering about wine country, but the state is now host to nine different wine trails and a true burgeoning vineyard hub in Springfield, currently home to more than a dozen vineyards and wineries in and around the southwest Missouri city.
For planners seeking a down-to-earth setting for a fun-focused affair, 7Cs Winery is a friendly establishment that produces both wines and meads (wine made from honey), and has spacious outdoor areas for picnicking and even barbecue grilling; the facility provides the coals, spices and grill tools. The winery is also home to a number of quirky group-friendly events including a Mardi Gras party, Pirate Faire and even an Annual Parrothead Day.
Other vineyards of note in the area include Tyler Ridge, Williams Creek and Whispering Oaks. PageBreak
Lake Erie Shores and Islands, Ohio
Another bursting beacon of grape expectations can be found in Ohio’s appealing Lake Erie Shores and Islands region, with a heritage that actually dates back to the 1880s but has also seen a huge new wine wave in recent years.
“Since the first cellar of this historic winery was built in 1880, Firelands Winery has been taking advantage of this unique environment and harvesting their fruit from a place that enjoys a 200-day frost-free growing season—the Isle of St. George on the western basin of Lake Erie,” explains spokesperson Chad Whaley, who adds that Heinemans Winery on South Bass Island also dates back to that decade, founded by a German immigrant from that nation’s verdant Baden-Baden wine realm.
“In the last decade newer wineries have been popping up like, well, grapes,” Whaley adds. “Quarry Hill Winery sits perched 834 feet above Berlin Heights, while the Paper Moon Winery nests in the historic harbor town of Vermillion.”
Whaley says the weather, due greatly to the presence of freshwater Lake Erie, make the region an ideal area for grape-growing, and that connoisseurs are finally beginning to take notice, as reflected in the recent wine boom.
Verde Valley Wine Trail, Ariz.
Arizona is another area that doesn’t exactly bring whites and reds to mind, but Visit Phoenix Media Relations Coordinator Trish Lanteigne touts the Verde Valley Wine Trail as an exciting and accessible group escape.
“It’s an easy day trip—with outfitters based in Phoenix—to explore our wine trail,” Lanteigne says. “There are four Arizona wineries and four tasting rooms on the Verde Valley Wine Trail that offer a variety of skillfully crafted wines to satisfy any wine taster’s palate. One of the more famous winemakers is Maynard Keenan from the band Tool, who was a co-founder of the acclaimed Arizona Stronghold winery, which was profiled in the award-winning documentary Blood Into Wine.”
She adds that another notable tasting room along the trail is Pillsbury Wine Company, owned by New Zealand film director and winemaker Sam Pillsbury, who Lanteigne says is dedicated to making high-quality wine from grapes grown only in Arizona.
