Dinner at Historic Silcox Hut with Willamette Valley Vineyards

A few months ago, I received a message from Snooth.com Editor in Chief, Gregory Dal Piaz, titled, “What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?”  Since my husband and I have two young boys, we usually don’t make any big plans for Valentine’s Day.  Joe (my husband) gets me flowers, we swap cards, and open up a good bottle of Oregon wine while enjoying dinner, as usual, together as a family.  But, after reading Gregory’s email, I instantly knew this Valentine’s Day was going to be quite different.  I think I responded to this particular email faster than I’ve ever responded to any email before.  There was no way I was going to miss an opportunity like this one:

“Willamette Valley Vineyards is having a big to do for Valentine’s day, and they invited me to come along but I will be in Napa Valley that week. Want to take my place? Here’s the tease they sent me: The dinner is at Timberline Lodge in the Silcox Hut. We are paying for the dinner and lodging for the night. The dinner is for only 26 people. They will be taken from the main lodge to the top of the mountain to the Silcox Hut to enjoy a special dinner hosted by our Winemaker, Don Crank. It should be pretty amazing.” 

Timberline Lodge is a ski lodge and resort that sits at an elevation of 6,000 feet at the timberline of Oregon’s breathtakingly beautiful Mt. Hood.  Up towards the peak about another 1,000 feet from where Timberline Lodge sits is the historic Silcox Hut. What was once the upper wheel house to the original Magic Mile Chairlift, and later a hostel and warming house for climbers, is now a beautifully renovated cabin-like building that is rented out to groups of 24 people for winemakers dinners, weddings, anniversaries and overnight lodging – perfect for a Valentine’s Day Winemakers Dinner with Willamette Valley Vineyards.

In fact, it could not have been any more perfect.  From experiencing delectable culinary creations paired with stellar Willamette Valley Vineyards wine, to riding in a SnowCat and being able to see Jupiter in all its glory – this was absolutely a night to remember.  Click to enlarge each of the breathtaking photos from this memorable evening on the peak of Mt. Hood (most photos were taken by one of the guests who just so happened to be a very talented photographer – Iwalani Carr. Thank you for the beautiful photos, Iwalani!)

Read the entire story, including what we ate and drank, on Snooth.com.