In The Glass: Sweet Cheeks Pinot Gris 2009

Sweet Cheeks 2009 Pinot Gris

Last Friday afternoon, which was a gorgeous, sunny and hot day, a friend and I headed to wine country for some local artisan wine, southern soul food, fresh air and an unparalleled view of the vineyards and valley – we went to the southern Willamette Valley’s Sweet Cheeks Winery.

Located just twenty minutes southwest of Eugene, Oregon, Sweet Cheeks Winery is a weekend hot spot for locals and tourists. On Friday nights, Sweet Cheeks has their Twilight Tastings, where they stay open until 9 pm, they have live music, and varying local food carts pull up on to the patio and offer their specialties to visitors of the winery.

We arrived just in time, and we ended up grabbing one of the last tables available on the patio. After we sampled a few of the Sweet Cheeks white wines, we opted for a bottle of the light and crisp Pinot Gris – perfect on a hot summer afternoon.

View from the patio at Sweet Cheeks Winery

We took one of their galvanized buckets, added some ice from their self serve ice machine, and sat down with our bottle of  Sweet Cheeks 2009 Pinot Gris. In the glass, the color is a very light, pale golden hue, and aromas of pear and apple abound. On the palate, the texture is creamy and silky with refreshing melon flavors up front. A touch of lemon zest on the finish makes for a well rounded wine that is excellent in the summer afternoon heat.

Perfect with a Shrimp PoBoy and a Chick’ N’ Wich from the featured food cart, Delacata, we indulged in the moment of excellent food, great wine, a beautiful view and good company. Life is good.

For a full review of Delacata’s delicious southern soul food, click here for Eugene’s Local Lunch Gals review, found on Eugene Daily News.