ACS is pleased to offer Pre-Conference Tours to introduce conference attendees to the conference host city! Tours will be held on Wednesday, July 20. Tickets for each tour cost $95, and include lunch, tastings, and transportation. Tickets for each tour can be purchased during conference registration.
Tour 1: Portland in Town
~8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tour locations include:
Olympia Provisions
Murray’s Cheese
Zupan’s Market / Elephants Delicatessen
Learn more about Portland producer to market channels with stops in the downtown area. First, at Olympia Provisions you will take a tour through Oregon’s first USDA approved Meat curing facility. Starting in 2009, they are one of the few remaining American charcuterie producers who hand make everything that has their label on it in their Portland facility (without co-packing!). Learn how everything from their dry cured salami, pates, deli meats, sausages and pickled vegetables are made, then afterwards, participate in a guided full charcuterie tasting!
Next you will get a taste of the Murray’s Cheese customer experience! Join us at our local Fred Meyer Stadium store see how New York’s iconic cheese shop is brought to life in Portland and beyond. Learn more about Murray’s cutting-edge affinage program through an educator-led tasting session featuring Murray’s-exclusive cheeses, including 2019 ACS Best in Show winner Stockinghall Cheddar! Enjoy these cheeses alongside local pairings hand-selected by a Murray’s Red Jacket-trained monger.
From Murray’s, stroll to two of Portland’s classic independent specialty food retailers. Zupan’s Markets, a local & family-owned specialty market focusing on the best fresh, quality ingredients. Step into their store and be inspired by farm fresh produce, high-quality meat, and an extensive wine department. Visit their cheese department and meet Chelsea their resident cheesemonger and learn about their unique cut-and-wrap program, hand-stretched mozzarella, and monger-curated set. Elephants Delicatessen, a certified B-Corp started in 1979, was one of the city’s pioneers that helped to establish Portland’s food culture and reputation as a culinary destination. Cheesemongers are excited to welcome you to their cut to order counter and share what makes their cheese program special.
Tour 2: Willamette Valley Wine Country
~8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tour locations to include:
Briar Rose Creamery
Wolves and People
Chehalem Tasting Room
Explore the poetry and inspiration of Dundee Hills wine country through delicious pairing and tasting sessions. At Briar Rose Creamery you’ll taste and learn about their award-winning artisan cheeses surrounded by acres of lush forest and vineyards. During your visit you’ll be able to tour Briar Rose Creamery and sample a variety of their cheeses. You’ll also enjoy a mini-marketplace of hand-crafted products from other stellar producers from the region, such as goat cheeses from Portland Creamery, fruit spreads from Mt. Hope Farms, and hazelnut-finished pork products and salami from Tails & Trotters. We’re excited to share some of the bounty of the Willamette Valley here in the Red Hills of Dundee.
Next, guests will enjoy a catered lunch under shade and hear about Wolves & People, an award-winning farmhouse brewery based on author-turned-brewery founder Christian DeBenedetti’s family hazelnut farm. Guests can enjoy optional tastings and tours of the Belgium-inspired operation wend through the 1912 National Historic Registry barn, formerly used as a winery, wine barrel cooperage, art studio, hazelnut drying operation, and art-studio. The acclaimed beers make much use of farm-grown and local ingredients and the brewery is highly active in the farming, culinary, and agritourism worlds of Yamhill County.
Completing your visit to the Willamette Valley, entice your tastebuds with wine tasting at the Chehalem Tasting Room in historical downtown Newberg. Chehalem is a pioneering, family-owned producer of premium Pinot Noir and dry white wines with deep roots in the Willamette Valley. Founded more than 30 years ago, Chehalem farms three estate vineyards in three distinct American Viticultural Areas: the Dundee Hills, the Laurelwood District, and Ribbon Ridge, both of which are in the greater Chehalem Mountains AVA. The tasting room will be reserved for your visit with a brief overview from our Director of Hospitality, Dave Rice and a visit from our winemaker, Katie Santora.
Tour 3: Salem
~8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tour locations to include:
TMK Creamery
Ochoa’s Queseria
Willamette Valley Vineyards
Explore the “Most Oregon Part of Oregon”, the Willamette Valley and Oregon’s capital city of Salem. First, at TMK Creamery and TMK Distillery you will meet the Cowlebrities and Jr Cowlebrities, see how they make their cheese and ice cream through the Creamery’s observatory windows and see how they make Cowcohol and taste it if you wish! End your time at TMK with time at their retail store or grab some ice cream to enjoy outside on their patio. Next you will head to Don Froylan Creamery where you’ll witness cheesemaking in action, taste their authentic, Mexican-style cheeses, with lunch and have a chance to bring the experience home after visiting their cheese shop. Your last stop is a guided wine and cheese tasting session at Willamette Valley Vineyards, named “One of America’s Great Pinot Noir Producers” by Wine Enthusiast.