Since Gold Beach is fairly close (in the grand scheme of things) to lots of family in the Medford area, we are hoping to be able to get over there to visit frequently the next few months.  It's only 160 miles each way, but if you've ever traveled Hiway 199 you know that that transfers to 3+ solid hours of driving.  Not completely out of the question for a 1 day trip, but not something I'm planning to do anytime soon.  So we took advantage of Mike's mom's 'bed and breakfast' and spent the night this week.

One of the things I noticed on our drive over was all the new (to me) wineries along the route.  There have always been lots of small family vineyards there, and now it appears many of them are venturing into selling their wines.  Feels a bit like the Napa Valley.  :-)

Although Mike prefers trying local beers, I'm a wine drinker.  (Almost always white wine, although I did try a Shiraz wine once that wasn't too bad.)  Most red wines make me feel like I have to scrub my mouth & teeth after I drink a glass though.  So Chardonnay is my favorite 'flavor' and that's what I will usually try when we visit wineries.  I've decided that I'll visit one winery each time we take a trip over to Medford and this trip it was the Longsword Vineyard.  

Small tasting room with just a few tables and counter, but super, super friendly people there.  First time I have tried a sparkling Chardonnay or a dessert Chardonnay - I enjoyed them both, but came home with the sparkling bottle.  If we had more storage room I would have purchased a bottle of the dessert wine, but it would be a very occasional treat and I just don't have the room for 'occasional' treats.  Their website notes that they use organic methods to grow their grapes - makes me even more glad I stopped there.