Laurel Hood

He’s given the spiel a thousand times before, but somehow Paul van der Veldt keeps it fresh. He usually waits until a critical mass of at least a half-dozen folks arrive at his tasting room/winery at the corner of Duane and 16th streets in Astoria. While in a holding pattern, Paul peppers visitors with questions about their jobs and where they come from. He’s not trying to put you on the spot — he just happens to be burdened with a powerfully inquisitive mind, and it’s his way of gaining knowledge. This little preamble is a clue that you are about to experience a wine tour like no other.

The tour begins with pours of Paul’s concoctions, and because he produces such small quantities of wine, this writer can’t say with certainty what wines you would sample. However, if you are here for Bordeaux blends or Burgundian-style wines, you will need to flush that notion. At Shallon Winery, Paul’s potions are primarily fruit wines, and your taste buds will experience flavors such as lemon, blackberry, blueberry, and cranberry. However, the pièce de résistance is Paul’s chocolate wine, made from real chocolate, orange, and whey. As Paul notes on the Shallon Winery website, “This [chocolate wine] is the ultimate creation of my older years; anything I create after this will be a total anticlimax. I know of nothing like this on the face of the earth; if you find something, tell me.” He’s right. Move over, Ghirardelli , this stuff is “whey” better than a chocolate bar.

Unlike other tasting-room experiences, at Shallon, Paul leads the group beyond the tasting room on a tour of his production facility, his spotless beaker-filled laboratory and his office. While explaining his winemaking process and tools, Paul fields a myriad of questions, not just about wine, but about life in general. He’s got opinions about local restaurants, Astoria history, flying machines and local architecture. It’s at this point you realize that Paul is blessed with a rich and varied background and that winemaking came to him later in life.

Named after the winemaker’s favorite local wild plant – salal (Gaultheria shallon) – Shallon Winery is a memorable stop along the Oregon Coast WineTrail. After visiting 20 wineries in the Willamette Valley that all profess to make the very best pinot noir, chances are you would eventually forget each winery’s distinctive features. However, you won’t forget your visit to Shallon Winery and Paul van der Veldt, its one-of-a-kind winemaker and host.