Trying to set up a visit to Brick House on 9/26 at 10:00. They are telling me we are the only ones for that day so far & cannot open the winery & call in staff for just two people. Anyone else care to join us? Let’s have a party!! Who’s in?
Huh. My wife and I visited back in 2010 or so, We had no one else with us but maybe they had other people at other times or maybe this policy is new. It’s a very low key visit. I love Doug Tunnell and his wines and hope you can make it happen, but if you can’t… Best visit in my experience going twice-well, it was with Russ Raney his final year at E-W; he tasted me on ten barrels of various wines. Pure fun too-Patty Green when Patty and Jim are both around-they open a ton of stuff and have a party.
I second in hoping that the visit happens. I’ve been fortunate to visit more wineries in the US and Europe than I can count, and a visit with Doug Tunnell a few years ago is one of my fondest memories.
Keep in mind it might be harvest time by then, so you might get to see some cool stuff. Brick House is great.
Let me know if you’re headed to the Eola Hills.
What’s your address?
That’s happened to me each of the last two times I’ve tried to make an appointment at Brick House… including just a couple of weeks ago. Both times were mid-week. I did get to visit back in 2011- love the wines.
Went to Patricia Green nearby instead and had an awesome visit.
I had no idea visits were so hard to schedule. We tasted at Brick House last Fall and loved it. A long, relaxed tasting on their deck off the vineyards. We were also able to meet and spend time with Doug, though he didn’t do the tour/tasting personally.
Got the appointment last minute … looks like we were very lucky. In any event, well worth the effort.
Big + 1 - My experience mirrors this closely, super releaxing and chill, had a great lunch outside overlooking one of the vineyards, Doug didn’t run point on the tasting but was around and in good spirits. I also fondley remember them turning away a limo of full of drunk bachelorettes that pulled in. Don’t sleep on the Brick House Cascadia Chardonnay, a very good value prop at or near $30 $35 -
They are telling me that at harvest time they are busy and cannot attend to tastings. They have reached out to me and said they would try but at this time they will not commit to a day or time while we are there. Hopefully they will get in touch with me when we are in the area in September. Makes it hard to plan a short trip though.
I had the same issue trying to schedule for earlier in September. If nothing gets scheduled, I will call once I am in the area and see if something can be arranged. Our schedule is flexible. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Sorry, just seeing this again. I only do tastings by appt where I make wine, at Grochau Cellars, 9360 SE Eola Hills Road. But I’m happy to meet during harvest, assuming no last minute crisis. Usually things are pretty chill. PM me and we can set something up.
Vincent
Yeah, we’ve tasted at Brick House a couple of times over the years, but recently it has become a little more difficult to schedule an appointment. Due to my work schedule in the construction industry, we usually visit the week before the 4th or of the 4th which is probably our main problem with scheduling an appointment at Brick House.
I didn’t reach out to them this year because last year my request was addressed about a week before our trip and I had already confirmed appointments in Eola Amity.
No doubt, Brick House is a wonderful property with great wines and Doug/Alan have been gracious hosts in the past. I don’t think that Alan is hosting any more. Good luck with the appointment.
Now, go see Vincent. Great wines and an even better person. We always enjoy our time catching up with Vincent.
With regard to the conversation about booking appointments at Brick House : what follows is a plea for your understanding !
We try, we really do try to accommodate everyone’s requests. Believe me, we like sharing our place with people who are serious about wine and food and beauty and life …and we certainly like selling our wine ! But we just aren’t able to meet all the requests and still hold on to our vision of doing it right.
We are a working farm and vineyard with a winery in the middle of our vines (and just 60 yards from our brick home.) We don’t have a full time tasting room. We have a table in the winery just beside our bottling tank and a deck overlooking our vines.
When we make appointments we attempt to go all out. Every visit is booked for a full hour and a half. Currently we’re pouring two Chardonnays, a Gamay Noir, and three Pinot Noirs with a value at retail of about $300.00…thus the effort to arrange for more than one party on any given day. We don’t overnight the sample bottles…every one is fresh daily.
At harvest we love to show people how we work and there may be days when we can entertain visitors…but it’s pretty much catch as catch can with Steve booking appointments on short notice in between days when we are taking in fruit. (Steve-- who keeps our calendar-- loses sleep over fitting as many people in as possible, given our approach to hosting tastings.) Many days the winery floor is littered with hoses, cables, a moving forklift and many other potential hazards for visitors who are not accustomed to the way we work in tight confines. The tasting table is frequently overtaken by our crush crews (where else can we sit and drink whiskey when it starts to rain ?!)
But what operations such as ours can offer you-- whether during harvest, at veraison or bud break or even in the dead of winter-- is an authentic look at where and how the wines you taste are grown and produced and bottled from season to season. We believe that experience should be a major part of what our visitors take home with them.
So thanks for hearing me out…and most of all thanks for all the wonderful support and understanding you all have shown us over many years of incredible experiences ! Please know that we are still really serious about sharing as best we can !
Thanks for posting here, Doug. Keep up the great work!
I’ll keep trying whenever I go to WV… Hope to catch up to BH soon.
Doug’s the best.
+1
+1
And the wines are fantastic
I agree. Wine are fantastic and although unnecessary, thoughtful comments about the challenges of trying to accommodate visitors while running a small winery. They resonate. As someone who hasn’t yet been able to get a visit coordinated, I certainly understand the challenges and hold no ill will. I’ll keep trying and look forward to getting there eventually.
Steven Guy has responded to me several times. I also understand about harvest, etc. We would love to visit and I think if it is at all possible they will try. Coming from the east coast so it’s not a trip likely to be repeated anytime soon.