WOW!! A Fabulous Fall Trip to HRH Sept-Oct '18-& Live TR's 8/5-8/7, 9/7-9/9!!Plus Bonus TR 11/1-11/3

WOW! Loved our journey through The Land!!

Next, we were off to use our FP for Spaceship Earth!

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Now, it was time to head over to the Festival Center for our wine tasting seminar! :cool1:

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I have to say that we're always a little sad when we come into this building. We all miss The Wonders of Life Pavilion- Body Wars and Cranium Command.:sad1: Too bad they couldn't have kept this pavilion and updated it a little.


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We just love the Festival Passports! Such a handy reference and a great little souvenir!!

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My other purchase was this cute tray- holds food and a drink! Good value, too! Just $6.99(plus I received a 10% AP discount!)

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It was time to check in for our seminar!! :goodvibes

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This seminar was given by Randy Ford from Cristom Winery in Oregon. The winery is located in a beautiful spot in picturesque Oregon!! After watching his power point presentation about the winery and witnessing the beauty of the region, we'd love to make the trip out west to visit!!:goodvibes

Some information about the winery:

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Cristom Vineyards began a quarter of a century ago as a collaboration between an engineer and a biochemist who each possessed a deep-rooted respect for the land, the natural winemaking process, and Pinot Noir. 25 years later, second-generation winegrower and owner Tom Gerrie leads winemaker Steve Doerner and our tenured viticulture team in tending our Estate vineyards, and producing elegant, dynamic wines, recognizable by our hallmark style of whole-cluster fermentation by native yeasts.

Our winemaking philosophy begins with respect for our land and estate vines. We're proud to be Certified Sustainable by Low Input Viticulture & Enology (LIVE), both in our winery which we run responsibly, and in our fields, that are thoughtfully and meticulously farmed with a focus on quality.

The four estate Pinot Noir vineyards - Eileen, Jessie, Louise and Marjorie, named for Gerrie family matriarchs - each possess natural variances in soil, elevation and exposition. With minimal intervention during the winemaking process, Tom, Steve and team strive to craft wines that are an honest recording of both the vineyard and the vintage, producing the ultimate expressions of the stellar fruit we’re fortunate enough to work with. Recognized globally as a leading producer in our beloved Willamette Valley, our wines continue to be a unique blend of tradition, modernity and finesse.


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Our estate vineyards are certified sustainable LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology), and have been since 2007. The LIVE designation helps remind us to be consciously aware of the long-term health, viability and fertility of the entire property, not just the land under vine.

We’re proud of our commitment. In the vineyard, we work tirelessly to reduce or eliminate synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides. We protect natural our resources including energy, water, soil, and wildlife habitats. We particularly care about the ecological health of Oregon’s watershed, and work with LIVE and Salmon Safe to promote responsible farming practices and help keep our rivers and streams ecologically sound.

At the winery (it’s also LIVE certified) we are using more recyclable materials, bottling with more eco-friendly glass, and lowering our energy consumption and carbon emissions. We’re managing our wastewater more effectively, eliminating high-risk chemicals and cleaning agents, and protecting worker health and safety beyond what’s regulated by the state. We value the personal lives and health of the farmworkers who work on our estate, as well as the employees who work in our offices and tasting room.

Cristom wines are made using responsible viticultural and enological practices. We’re really proud of that.

Winery Accolades
The Wine Advocate "Best Oregon Winery" nominee: 2017

Wine & Spirits Magazine Annual Restaurant Poll:

#1 Oregon Pinot Noir in America's Top Restaurants: 2017, 2016

Top 50 Wine Brands in America's Top Restaurants: 2017, 2016, 2015

Wine & Spirits "Top 100 Wineries of the Year:" 2017, 2016, 2015, 2012, 2011


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We were tasting three Pinot Noir varieties: Mt. Jefferson Cuvee Pinot Noir, Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir, and Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir.

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It was such an enjoyable experience! We learned so much about wine making and had a lot of fun discussing everyone's opinions about the three wine varieties.:thumbsup2

Usually, Joe and I prefer a Merlot or Cabernet- finding Pinot Noirs a little dry for our taste. We were very pleasantly surprised by these Pinot Noirs! They were very smooth! All three were very good- our favorite was the Eileen as it was the mellower tasting one.

We left feeling like true wine connoisseurs!:) This was definitely a worthwhile and fun event!
 
Our EPCOT day was October 1- the 36th anniversary of the park! :cheer2:


We were let into the park a little before 8, made a brief stop at guest services to inquire about the pins, then went on to the Garden Grill. We were seated within minutes of arriving at the restaurant.

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We love this place. My "kids" arent really into character breakfast, but we love the food here. Garden Grill and Tusker House have the best character meals IMO.

P.S. Try the raspberry mimosa.
 
We love this place. My "kids" arent really into character breakfast, but we love the food here. Garden Grill and Tusker House have the best character meals IMO.

P.S. Try the raspberry mimosa.

I agree! We come for the food- the characters are a nice bonus!:thumbsup2

Yumm- raspbery mimosa! I didn't look at the drink offerings! Definitely will try one (or more...) next time! Thanks!:)
 
After our visit with Figment, we went to the Disney Visa character photo spot next door. When you show your Disney visa, you get a special character meet & greet and a free photo download!:thumbsup2 As a Disney AP holder, I do have free memory maker, but there's usually a pretty small line for this experience, so it's well worth it to us!:)

We met Minnie & Pluto! Very fun!!:goodvibes

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Now on to the real business of the day- the F&W food booths!!:cool1:

First stop- Coastal Eats

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Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn and Butterbean Succotash and Chile- Chipotle Butter Sauce:

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Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso® Romano and American Grana Cheeses :

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Chocolate Picante: Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder and Mango:

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At first, the thought of cayenne pepper and chili powder on a dessert didn't seem appetizing- but it added a little "kick" to the mousse! And the mango added a nice sweet touch. Very good!!:thumbsup2
 
Some of the pictures you have shared were on my "must eat" list.

Alas, did not make it to f & w
 
Not only were our food choices from Flavors from Fire smokin' hot- it was a VERY hot day as well!! We went inside to take a little break and cool off. We sat outside of the Light Lab location.


Light Lab: 2018 Epcot Food and Wine Festival


Welcome Light Lab back to the festival, where everything glows in the dark! This booth features specialty beverages and brews!

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The couple next to us was sharing the beer flight. They happily allowed me to take a picture!

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