Columbia Valley & Columbia Gorge Wine Tasting

I am a natural explorer, born in Oregon and raised in Portland. I left for 15 years, ending in a PhD in forestry. Trying to escape the politics of academia, I returned to Oregon and fell into the wine industry for two years, before becoming a tour guide in 2016 to spend more time outdoors. I've traveled to most States and Provinces, as well as France, Spain, Japan, and the UK. When I'm not guiding, I spend my time parenting, climbing, hiking, biking, and learning. Combining my education of the region and nature, I provide tours that intrigue and excite one's inner explorer. My tours tend to be off-the-beaten-path, often including wine tasting, with a solid foundation of enology, natural history, cultural history, geography, and engineering/architecture, with a little humor thrown in now and then, so things don't get too serious. Although my tours can be purely focused on sightseeing, my aim is to make them more intimate, with some physical activity, such as hiking, and something to stimulate the palate, whether it is wine, some other beverage, food, or some combination. Unless specifically requested, the tasting rooms I visit are always boutique. The city and surrounding areas are a Mecca for food, beer, wine, bridges, gardens, and outdoor recreation. The area within a 3-hour drive of Portland is extremely diverse, and you could never do it all in one tour. However, my tours are customized, so I will do my best to accommodate your interests and passions. I hope that when you leave, you will want to return for more. First time visitors are usually surprised by the quantity and diversity of leisure activities in the Portland region, and as a local, I'm still discovering new hiking areas to explore and new eating & drinking venues to taste. If you don't see what you're looking for on my menu, message me. Warm regards, Marcus Portland grown. Full-time tour guide since 2016. PhD in Forestry; MS, BS in Natural Resource Management. Work experience in wine industry, ecology/biology, archaeology, econometrics. Fully insured and permitted by the City of Portland as a private-for-hire-driver. Two years of experience at a winery; 12 years of cumulative experience research & teaching in biological, earth, and social sciences. I've participated in research in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, California, North Dakota, and Provence, France. No restrictions.