CULINARY DELIGHTS featuring farm-to-table and vine-to-glass pairings are abundant in Southern Oregon. These experiences are a cornerstone of the Neuman Hotel Group. Co-created with the visionary leadership of Doug Neuman and the creative flair of his wife, Becky Neuman, they offer multiple lodging and dining opportunities in the Rogue Valley. Each has a personality of its own, designed to embody the spirit of Southern Oregon and support the local wine industry.

Southern Oregon is home to five wine regions, over one hundred and fifty wineries, and seventy grape varietals. This means it’s important to have expert guidance when choosing the experiences that best match your palate and personality.

When you dine at Larks Ashland, Larks Medford, or Luna Cafe at Ashland Hills, you are in for a treat. Their entire wine program is nearly 80% Oregon wines, and about 40% of all wines available are from Southern Oregon.

The Neuman Hotel Group is lucky, or more likely intentional, to employ a talented hospitality team.

Ava DeRosier is Director of Food and Beverage. She’s responsible for overseeing the culinary and beverage components of the restaurant and catering operations including training wine buyers. The buyers participate in tastings with wineries and distributors each week and make selections based on quality.

Ava explains, “It’s a very active process to stay current with vintages, taste wine from dozens of Southern Oregon boutique wineries, as well as larger distributors. Limited- production wineries mean frequent wine list changes for us, but our team is committed to being an ambassador for smaller vineyards that deserve a platform.”

Each Larks location has around fifty Southern Oregon wines, and Luna Cafe features nearly thirty in their mercantile and restaurant. The buyers stick to the philosophy of sourcing local.

Ava shares, “The core of our mission is to tell the Oregon story through our food, wine, and hospitality. In 2017, Larks was selected as “Restaurant of the Year” by the Oregon Wine Board and Oregon Wine Press for living that mission. We believe the best meal we can serve our guests is made from ingredients grown in our own backyard. Southern Oregon is producing world-class wines, and we are passionate about giving our guests the opportunity to taste them.”

For the first time ever Neuman Hotel Group employs a Certified Sommelier. This is no accident. The Neuman Hotel Group has an employee-development plan for each staff member and they take the interests of their employees to heart. As a part of this plan, Ava and Jennifer Williamson completed the Level 1 Sommelier course together and Jennifer went on to complete full level II certification.

Ava was invited by Eric Degerman of Great Northwest Wines to be a judge on the blind tasting panel for the Great Northwest Invitational Wine Competition. She was the first judge from Southern Oregon and had the opportunity to taste new varietals from multiple states. They’ve been invited back again in 2018 and Jennifer will serve on the judging panel October 2nd through 4th at Columbia Gorge Hotel.

Jennifer notes, “I’m the Restaurant Manager and Sommelier, but our wine program here is really a team effort. I’m the wine buyer for Larks Medford, and Selisha Early is our wine buyer at the Ashland location. We recently hired Amira Makansi, a wine writer and former winemaker, to the management team at the Ashland location, and she’ll be contributing to the wine program as well. She has a book coming out in September called Literary Libations: What to Drink with What You Read, which provides tongue-in-cheek but informative drink pairings for famous works of literature. So, we’re really excited to put her expertise in play as well. It’s a true team effort and we all do our part to keep the program evolving and interesting for our guests and the staff.”

Larks Home Kitchen Cuisine is housed onsite at Ashland Springs Hotel and you’ll find Larks Medford at the Inn at The Commons. Both restaurants offer fresh, farm-to-table fare when in season and the menu is impressive. My favorite choices are the Brussels sprouts with a glass of crisp champagne and when it comes to comfort food it’s a tossup between the fried chicken (best fried chicken I’ve had anywhere) and the meatloaf. You’ll find vegetarian options to choose from, too.

Jennifer shared her favorite wine and food pairings with me. “If you haven’t tried port and blue cheese, we carry the Abacela port-style Tempranillo and pair it with Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue, that’s one of my favorite pairings of all time. Rosé with spinach salad tossed with some local berries or melon is a summer favorite. I also love to pair our essential Larks dishes with some of my favorite wines. Pairings don’t have to be overthought either—I really hope people just order what they like and aren’t afraid to experiment. The phrase “what grows together goes together” holds true, so we find that a lot of the local foods pair excellently with wines from the region.”

When asked about her favorite wines, Jennifer offered these suggestions. “In Medford, the Epitome of Three red blend from Ledger David has been the best-selling wine at that location since they opened! We carry JAXON’s Tempranillo at all three restaurants—it has universal appeal and works with all our menus at a great price point. I’m really excited about what Southern Oregon can do with the Tempranillo variety. I think we have a lot of potential with that grape here.”

Luna Cafe offers farm-to-counter options and hosts a weekly, complimentary tasting called “Wine Wednesday,” where local wine and music is featured. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about local wines and enjoy the inviting atmosphere of Ashland Hills Hotel.

Stay & Play Packages

While you’ll find stay and play packages at each Neuman Hotel Group location, the majority of the wine-centric experiences are hosted via the Ashland Springs, Ashland Hills, and Inn at The Commons properties.

For locals and out of town guests alike, I recommend these excursions:

Inn at the Commons “Somm” package—this is Ava’s favorite package and includes a phone consultation with Ava or Jennifer to build a customized flight with four local wines to be enjoyed at Larks Restaurant Medford. Also includes a cheese plate featuring local creameries, decadent local truffles, and an overnight stay in one of the newly-remodeled rooms.

Ashland Hills features two experiences that are not to be missed:

Weisinger Family Winery package—includes a tasting of four wines for two at Weisinger Family Winery, the oldest, most established winery in Ashland. Their Tempranillo is not to be missed.

Irvine & Roberts Craftsmanship Wine & Dine package—includes a tasting of a four-wine flight with choice of charcuterie or cheese board. This is the newest winery in Ashland and the views are breathtaking. Try the lot 777 Pinot Noir while it lasts.

For more information on specialty wine events, wine excursions for hotel guests, and other functions hosted by Neuman Hotel Group, visit their website www.NeumanHotelGroup.com and Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/NeumanHotelGroup/.

©Southern Oregon Wine Scene

Fall Winter 2018 issue