Wine on the Go: CalNaturale & Outdoor Vino

Oregon is a blissful haven for people who love the outdoors – there is truly no other state that is as beautiful and diverse. We have breathtaking snow capped mountain ranges, exquisite waterfalls, high desserts, valleys, gorges, lakes and an unbelievably beautiful coastline. I could touch a starfish or an anemone in a coastal tidal pool the same day I could strap on a snowboard and glide through fresh powder.

I am one of those people that loves the outdoors, and two of my all-time favorite outdoor activities are hiking and camping. This may seem like an odd time of year to be thinking about hiking and camping, but with the popularity of some of Oregon’s appealing campgrounds, I spent all afternoon making reservations at my favorite camping spots for next summer – campgrounds that have easy access to magnificent hiking trails where Oregon’s natural, untouched beauty can be experienced in all it’s glory.

As much as I love the outdoors, I love enjoying wine while taking in the beauty of Oregon. These are the times that lightweight plastic bottles or boxed wines – yes, BOXED wines, are an appropriate and smart choice when selecting a wine to hike with or enjoy by a bonfire at your favorite campground. But, are there actually any good on-the-go, outdoor wines on the market?

A while back, I read a really great post written by my friend, Kelsey Ivey, on her wine blog: Oregon Winette – Wiking: Is the Wine Worth It? Kelsey is an avid hiker and wine enthusiast, and this particular post was all about hiking with wine, also known as wiking. Kelsey went on a beautiful four-mile hike, or wike, through Oregon’s Siuslaw National Forest, hauling four wines packaged specifically for “wiking” and other on-the-go outdoor activities. On a scale from 1 to 5, she rated each wine; unfortunately, none of the wines rated 5 out of 5.

With a mission to find some enjoyable, easy drinking, easily portable, lightweight, outdoor wines: my mission is accomplished. CalNaturale Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in Tetra Paks, and Naked Winery Outdoor Vino Rambling Red and Outdoor Vino Wanderlust White in flexible plastic bottles.

CalNaturale’s award-winning 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2010 Chardonnay are both produced from organically grown grapes and packaged in lightweight, durable, flexible, super eco-friendly Tetra Pak containers. A screwcap top makes for easy opening and closing, and size options include a 500 ml Tetra Pak ($6.99) and a 1 litre Tetra Pak ($12.99). Aside from the packaging being perfect for outdoor activities, what’s inside is surprisingly good. The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon French Camp Vineyard (Paso Robles, CA) is ruby red in color, and displays good structure and solid tannins on the palate. Aromas of red fruits and black licorice are followed by flavors of darker fruits, like plum and blackberry with hints of smoke and oak – super approachable and quite tasty. The 2010 Chardonnay (Mendocino, CA) has fresh fruit aromas of apples and pears. Those aromas follow through to the palate and are rounded out by decent acidity while finishing with a touch of vanilla. Bright, refreshing and fruity from front to back, this is also surprisingly good. Boxed wine at its best!

Like many Oregonian’s, Naked Winery owners, David and Jody Barringer, are outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers. In fact, they met most of their employees, including their winemaker, on the ski slopes. Naked Winery is located in Hood River, Oregon, and is most well-known for their romantic line of wines with names like Tease Riesling and Foreplay Chardonnay. It’s really not surprising that they would be the first in Oregon to embark on a project to encourage wine drinkers to “take it outside” with the launch of their Outdoor Vino wines. Packaged in ultra lightweight plastic bottles with screw caps, the PBA-free bottles weigh in at 1/6th the weight of a traditional glass bottle and are durable, recyclable and reusable. Both the Wanderlust White and the Rambling Red Outdoor Vino wines cost $14 each. The Rambling Red is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah – it’s a basic red wine that is truly easy drinking. Bright cherry aromas and flavors are enhanced by hints of fall pie spices. Medium to light bodied, yet full of juicy flavors. The Wanderlust White is a blend of white wine grapes. Light and refreshing, with aromas and flavors to match of melon, pineapple and caramel – this is also an easy drinking wine, no food required. One of the things I really like about the Outdoor Vino packaging is that if the wine needed to be chilled on a hot summer hike, letting it float in a river or lake for a few minutes will no doubt chill the wine just enough to make it perfectly sippable and perfectly palatable for the great outdoors.