Oftentimes, we want to fit a winery visit into a larger day trip. Such was the case on Saturday, which is how we came to pick Ankeny Vineyards south of Salem. The property is only 5.5 miles off of Interstate 5, so it's easy to reach and then get back on one's way.
We've been to lots of beautiful properties in the Willamette Valley, but Ankeny occupies a top rung in the "Whoa, this is gorgeous" category. The vineyards stretch up a hill to the east and views from that hill are magnificent.
After sampling the wines inside the tasting room, we bought a glass of Ankeny Crimson—a blend of Pinot Noir and Maréchal Foch—and hiked up the through the vines to a 19th century cemetery and adjacent picnic area atop the property, all the while enjoying the bold citrus notes (tangerine, to be exact) in our glasses of wine.
It turns out that Ankeny Crimson is only $12 per bottle and is available exclusively at the the winery, although they'll ship to states that allow shipments of wine. We brought a couple bottles home and I must say this is a unique, particularly tart, wine that's well worth every penny of $12. In fact, it drinks like a $20 bottle, without question.
