Every year I think I'll be able to find a genuine, old-world grapestomp, where it's possible to end the day having partaken of a continuing and ancient tradition.  Every year at crush my perusal of the events yields the same old, same old…stomps with no "oomph" and harvests that are heroically dealt with out of sight of the visitor.  Hoorah for St. Josef's, where good times are alive and kicking at the Grapestomping Festival.  Come see who squishes the most juice while stomping to some lively Bavarian music. Bratwurst & kraut, great wine, live music, special discounts on wine and tours of the facility are all on tap.  The press fest goes all day Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27.  Bring your appetite for rare adventure and great wine. Wine makers and drinkers alike need a comfy place to rest their heads after a full day of festivities, so check out the lodging choices close to the city of Canby and St. Josef's Winery.

The Oregon culinary scene is hot, hot, hot and one of the steamiest foodie events of the season is the 9th Annual "Wild About Game" cook-off, held September 27 at The Resort at The Mountain.   The event pairs some of the Pacific Northwest’s best game chefs and cooking demos with game birds and meats like Nicky Farms rabbit, fallow venison, elk, quail, buffalo and chucker, as well as Grimaud Farms Muscovy hen and Guinea hen, MacFarlane pheasant, Palmetto squab, Anderson Valley Ranch lamb, and Tails & Trotters hazelnut-finished pork. Shop the culinary marketplace with wine in hand and take home a signed cookbook from your favorite chef. The event is a “must” for professional and amateur chefs who want to learn how to cook with a variety of game birds and meats.  Overnight packages are available now, as are reservations at The Resort's newly unveiled full-service spa.  While you might not get a chocolate facial to finish off your feast, a hot-stone massage sure will feel great after all that heavy-lifting at the dinner table.

Well-known executive chef Leif Eric Benson has declared open season on spicing up the mid-day culinary fare at iconic Timberline Lodge. The lodge's culinary team has reached out to local food purveyors to sate the cravings of regional foodies with a different theme each week of the summer.  "How to" food demonstrations add to the flair of the gorgeous spreads on select days of the week.  I wish that I could say that I've had the opportunity to sample each of the different culinary themes.  To date, the brunch has focused on strawberries, cherries, (which I can personally attest to being flavor-rich and ingeniously prepared), lamb, hazelnuts, pink shrimp, Dungeness crab, albacore tuna, potatoes, pears, and local coffee roasters.  That's a bounteous array to satisfy even the most variety-driven palate!  The caliber and selection of fresh local foods serves the appetites of travelers in search of food lovingly prepared in Timberline's lofty setting.  A Farmers Market Brunch Fall Culinary Series begins in September focusing on wines, wild mushrooms, meats, and all the autumn produce harvests which make Oregon one of the most desirable food regions in the world.