The Castle

Our morning tour of Castello di Amorosa was wonderful; easily the highlight of our trip so far. The castle, surrounded by vineyards, looks just like a movie set . . . which it was just yesterday when Adam Sandler was there, filming 'Bedtime Stories'. While we were there, crews were busy tearing down and packing up equipment and sets inside the castle courtyard and in a 'village' just outside the walls.

The castle was built to be representative of 12th - 14th century European castles. The 'royal' hall has a fireplace mantel and fountain imported from France; the walls are covered with beautiful frescoes. Our guide said the owner wanted his castle to be as authentic as possible - so they have a 'pit of despair' and a torture chamber with a (fake) iron maiden, cage, and other medieval toys. The underground storage area is huge, over 12,000 square feet in this room alone, and stacked with barrel after barrel of aging wine. We did a barrel tasting (wine freshly pressed and stored in the barrel, not yet aged) before moving upstairs to taste the real wines. Strong difference; we definitely preferred the 'aged' versions.

The tour was great; we learned a lot about the history of the area, how wines are made, and what to look for in a good wine. Definitely worth the $25 tour fee.

We got to Ashland OR about 5 and spent several hours with Teena and Mike. Tomorrow we head to Crater Lake and Klamouth Falls, before ending the day in Eugene. And Friday is Black Sheep Gathering, the largest fiber festival on the west coast!! Can't wait.