TravelJill - City & Country Tours

10/27/2024

https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2024/10/99-of-us-hazelnuts-are-grown-in-these-eight-oregon-counties.html?gift=a981e7fc-7c1d-4b59-aa44-b19d06b8b322&fbclid=IwY2xjawGLYPlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHedfVX5m-3jthfxJV1EOFtUgoofznjT-WGqD5yL7zpz8EwQt7DYT0lLPlQ_aem_kyLSt9cPSE8dDpuRFOao5Q

“Is it ‘hazelnut’? Is it ‘filbert’? It doesn’t matter, as long as you support your local Oregon farmer.”

09/18/2024

Why were Oxen used more than mules on the Oregon Trail? Have you ever wondered why settlers mostly used oxen for the 2000 mile trek? The main reason was they were the strongest and easiest to control. Mules were stubborn and had a mind of their own, making it harder to manage them. Oxen were less expensive compared to mules. You could buy an ox between $25-$50. A mule would cost approximately $75. For every ox, you would need two mules to pull a wagon. Oxen weren't picky eaters and would eat almost all vegetation along the trail. Mules on the other hand, required hay and grain which would need to be packed in the already crowded wagon. Which would you choose to pull your wagon? I'd choose the Oxen!

09/16/2024

09/14/2024

Why are some wineries picking grapes sooner than others?

Various reasons include the grape variety (some ripen sooner than others), the vineyard's micro-climate, elevation, and soils, and the winemaker's style and purpose. As grapes ripen, their sugar levels (measured in brix) increase and acidity decreases.

Grapes like our Pinot Meunier will be picked earlier (when the sugar levels are lower and acidity is higher) for sparkling. We wait for the sugars to rise and acids to decrease for still Pinot Meunier.

For the same reason that red wines are picked earlier for Sparkling, reds are also picked earlier for Rose resulting in crisp, refreshing low-alcohol wine.

Some winemakers also pick reds for still wines at lower sugar levels because they want to make lighter, lower-alcohol wines.

At Bjornson, our winemaker Scott is carefully evaluating all aspects to pick our grapes at the perfect time.

08/10/2024

https://phys.org/news/2024-07-fish-columbia-river-doesnt-mind.html

There is a new king of the Columbia. Each spring, a chrome tide of fish native to the East Coast floods the Northwest's mightiest river by the millions. Shad, not salmon, are thriving in the warm, still water created by hydroelectric dams throughout the Columbia River Basin.

07/26/2024

It may be easier to get into the wine business these days, but often at the expense of the very freedom and sense of curiosity that inspired this move. Banks are more likely to give you a loan but, Lett points out, “they’ll tell you that you can only plant Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, what clones you can use and not even just whether you irrigate but how you irrigate.”

Great wine captures the spirit of a place. But it isn’t just the landscape; it’s the people. Few wine regions make that point like Oregon.

07/25/2024

Interesting.. I've only heard people love southwest style boarding because it's faster.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/25/investing/southwest-airlines-assigned-seats/index.html

07/03/2024

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/02/science/fossil-grape-seeds-dinosaurs-scn/index.html

When an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, new animals and plants competed to survive on a changing planet. Grapes were the unlikely winners 60 million years ago.

06/08/2024

05/29/2024

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2024/05/oregon-wineries-sue-pacificorp-for-us100-million-for-smoke-damage/

Some 30 wineries in Willamette Valley are suing Warren Buffett's energy company PacifiCorp for negligence surrounding the 2020 wildfires that caused catastrophic smoke taint to their crops.

04/23/2024

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/21/1244899635/civil-war-confederate-statue-markers-sign-history?utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1sahlCQgtVAp7AcDxtzb0ocyn6oB6rXf35dnIP9rtBFP09_s6qSTM8duQ_aem_AbCfoqFEJNMYPGo6Sg-s5pEkmog26nu6WrjQZAHYC_azfcpkjRLblFVSIU4iz8UbkF_dVZVLaOz0fX3Wxo2ZwYvR

The nation's historical markers delight, distort and, sometimes, just get the story wrong.

04/03/2024

Feline tour guide for the win..

03/30/2024

https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahloewentheil/us-destinations-that-feel-international-gd

01/30/2024

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-spray-coating-grapes-wildfire-wine.html

Spray on coatings for grapes in the vineyard have promise in preventing off flavors in wines that result from contact with wildfire smoke, according to new Oregon State University research.

01/11/2024

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/01/11/columbia-river-gorge-historic-scenic-highway-oregon-interstate/

Oregon Department of Transportation has been working to rebuild the old Columbia River Highway for 37 years.

12/25/2023

Bottling line action!

12/24/2023

https://www.oregonlive.com/wine/2023/12/nicolas-jay-is-first-oregon-winery-to-deploy-monarchs-autonomous-electric-tractor.html?utm_campaign=theoregonian_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR07IoeggkWENLTAYmHwUmrmoSPJG-MgpakvDKOJSpWc5ot-O-R7op0eVZk

The tractor is touted as “driver optional” and has zero tailpipe carbon emissions.