R. Stuart & Co. Winery and Wine Bar

As I began planning our Oregon trip this summer I began to read and follow all sorts of wine related articles and posts about Oregon. And that’s when I stumbled upon a wonderful blog called The Life And Times Of A Pinot Mom. I loved the wit, humor, and thoughtful, insightful stories from author Maria Stuart…and her recipes looked awesome too. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that Maria and her husband Rob own R. Stuart & Co. Winery…right in the heart of McMinnville…our Oregon destination! I contacted her, and we made plans to meet at some time during our stay. So it should come as no surprise that we paid a visit to the R. Stuart & Co. Wine Bar to share a glass of wine with our friends, Mayor Olson and his wife Candy. And I secretly hoped Maria just might be there on a Sunday afternoon.

The R. Stuart & Co. Wine Bar is a wonderful spot for people-watching on McMinnville’s award winning main street…right in the heart of wine country.

The interior is warm and friendly…and the staff members were quick to welcome us with a smile. We seated ourselves at one of the large communal tables in the tasting room. What a pleasant space to share a glass of wine and some friendly conversation! The staff told me Maria wasn’t in that day, and I learned she had many business meetings and out of town guests, so I told them I would contact her later during eight day visit.

Mayor Rick suggested we try a glass of R. Stuart & Co. 2012 Big Fire Tempranillo.

I’m not a wine expert by any means,  so here are the actual Tasting Notes provided by the winery:

In the beginning-freshly brewed tea, sweet fig, forest notes of moss, warm earth, hints of a cigar box

In the middle-brightly acidic, fresh and beautifully supple, medium weight, suggestions of summer hedges

At the end-dark fruit memories, bramble and cherry, very soft tannins, thoughts of suede leather

Food-Lasagna, veal demi glace,braised beef tacos, roast pork with nut and sweet onion stuffing

So…there you have it. The official tasting notes from R. Stuart & Co. themselves. (I’ll never be able to identify a fraction of the nuances of any glass of wine, but I enjoy reading what I am supposed to be able to taste!) 

Check out the brochure I picked up as I sipped my delectable wine and I walked around the tasting room…

R. Stuart and Co. is one of FIFTEEN tasting rooms in the city of McMinnville itself. And the R. Stuart Winery is actually located within the city limits, in the granary district.  (More about that in a minute!) The winery makes a variety of wines, from sparkling wines to world class Pinot Noirs. Wines are offered by the flight, glass or bottle. The wine bar also serves a small plates menu, perfectly paired with their wines. Alas…so many choices…and so little time!

Unfortunately, Maria was nowhere in sight…and if you’re a regular reader of my blog (and I hope you are!) then you already know that our eight day stay in McMinnville was filled with MANY side trips and adventures. So it wasn’t until much later in the week that I tried again to connect again with Maria. 

It was five days later, and almost lunchtime when I tried again. We drove to the R. Stuart & Co. Winery to see if she was in her office. And we quickly realized the winery makes LOTS of wine, judging by the HUGE stack of crates outside the building.

A nice woman was just leaving the office when I walked in. She told me she wasn’t sure if Maria was in, so she asked me to wait inside while she checked. 

Maria wasn’t in, but I was warmly greeted by Rob Stuart, Maria’s award winning winemaker husband! (He’s the R. in the R. Stuart Winery.) 

Rob gave me Maria’s phone number and I gave her a call. She was at home…preparing dinner for a group of out of town business guests who were arriving that night. So once again Maria and I were like ships that pass in the night. We both shared a laugh about how our “meeting” during our Oregon stay had turned out!

But even though we didn’t meet in person, I’m happy to say I really feel as if I already know Maria Stuart, simply by reading her wonderful blog!

Rob walked outside to meet Peepaw, and we told him we were headed to lunch. I asked him for his recommendation, and he suggested a restaurant nearby.

You can bet your boots we took his suggestion, and we headed to lunch. I’ll tell you all about it later. (Let me just say…if an extremely successful winery owner tells you where to eat…listen…and go!)

And as for Maria?

We both look forward to the day when we actually meet. But searching for her has already led me on a wonderful wine and winery adventure!