Since 2015, my friend Nigel and I celebrate our May birthdays by gathering some friends and heading out on a wine tour. We've only missed one year when we started planning late and everyone's schedules were too packed. It's always a fun day that we look forward to, in which we spend easy hours sipping wine, laughing, catching up, taking photos, and enjoying our day. And we always hire Backcountry Wine Tours to make that happen for us.
- I bought all the items in this post. All opinions presented are my own and without influence. This post contains affiliate links and I make a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. This is not a sponsored post.
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Before we get started, I am 5'9", typically wear a 22/24, wear a 40B bra, a size 11 wide shoe, and my measurements are 53/52/61.
Before I share the day's fun, let's talk about what I wore! I wanted to be comfy and casual. I wanted to wear pants since I would be climbing in and out of a van. I wanted to stay fairly cool since I usually get too hot on these trips. And I wanted to wear some things I bought recently that I haven't yet worn out of the house!
So, I went with this off-the-shoulder tee from Torrid and based the outfit around that. This tee is a more slinky rayon/spandex fabric that I LOVE. I want all their off-the-shoulder tees to be made out of this material! The color combination is gorgeous. I need more!
I'm wearing the top in a size 4 (26). I like the slightly oversized fit and the way the shoulder hangs down more that way. I recently purchased a few lace-trimmed tanks from Maurices that are perfect layering pieces with these tops.
The soft pants are a LIVI activewear capri from Lane Bryant. They have a slightly looser fit, like a jogger, but without the tapered leg. I feel they have versatility; these would be great for travel and don't get all wrinkled. I enjoyed having an alternative to denim for climbing around the van (and because most of my denim is a little snug after a year and a half in Quarantine.) While I enjoy my rayon soft pants, those are mostly prints, and they tend to wrinkle and stretch out a bit with all the movement and sitting and such.
The soft pants are a LIVI activewear capri from Lane Bryant. They have a slightly looser fit, like a jogger, but without the tapered leg. I feel they have versatility; these would be great for travel and don't get all wrinkled. I enjoyed having an alternative to denim for climbing around the van (and because most of my denim is a little snug after a year and a half in Quarantine.) While I enjoy my rayon soft pants, those are mostly prints, and they tend to wrinkle and stretch out a bit with all the movement and sitting and such.
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| Off-Shoulder Tie-Dye Tee - Torrid / Lace-Trim Ribbed Tank - Maurices LIVI Stretch Trouser - Lane Bryant Chaco Z Cloud Sandal - Found at Sierra Trading Post Moonstone Earrings - Nature's Twist Nail Polish: Holo Taco Mint Mojito, Magenta Jelly, & Aurora Unicorn Skin |
My accessories include Chacos sandals I picked up on my birthday shopping outing. This is my first time trying out this brand. They have a good amount of support and shock absorption. I have been having a lot of plantar fasciitis issues lately and find these to be pretty comfortable and supportive. The toe band is a little tight after wearing them for a few hours. Also, I had to size up to a 12 in this style.
Jewelry-wise, I wore my usual charm necklace that is my own personal talisman, and a couple of birthday gifts - moonstone earrings from Nature's Twist that Sean gave me, and a rose quartz necklace that my friend Felis gifted me. I don't know what it is about layering necklaces that make me feel like a cool girl. And I am very proud of myself for taking some time to do my nails. They matched my shirt perfectly!!
Jewelry-wise, I wore my usual charm necklace that is my own personal talisman, and a couple of birthday gifts - moonstone earrings from Nature's Twist that Sean gave me, and a rose quartz necklace that my friend Felis gifted me. I don't know what it is about layering necklaces that make me feel like a cool girl. And I am very proud of myself for taking some time to do my nails. They matched my shirt perfectly!!
With Backcountry Wine Tours, your tour guide tailors a tour to your tastes. They provide the transportation to drive your group around to a variety of wineries and make the process so easy and fun. Our favorite guide is Dillon, who is so knowledgeable and kind and can handle our rambunctious group. He picks us up at 10 AM and we head out to about three or four wineries he has ready for us. (We did five wineries a couple of times and it was really go, go, go. Three is relaxing and nice.) Somewhere in there he also picks up our lunches that we've been able to sit down and enjoy at one of the tastings. You can check out more winery info and our previous tours I've posted here.
This year we visited Benza Vineyards, Proteus, and Moffett Vineyards! At Benza, we talked with Ron and Linda, sitting on the large, fabulous deck as we sipped our tastings. They also put out some little snacks of parmesan crisps and candied pecans. We watched their dogs and chickens walk around the beautiful lawn and went to check out the flowers in the garden. There was a glorious breeze all day that made it quite perfect.
This is our third time visiting Proteus. Last year was a quick stop to pick up wine since all the extra COVID precautions were in place. This year, we were able to be back on the deck with Peter as we drank wine and ate lunch. I always love the tour of the grounds to learn a little more about the making of wine and all the work that goes into it.
Moffett was last on our list and Trent was great! We were all pretty tipsy by then and in our final form of silly and loud and a bit handsy. The view from the Moffett tasting room is quite lovely and we had a great time!
Dillon got us home safe at 6 PM where we unloaded our wine and said our goodbyes. Another successful wine tour and a great day spent with people who make me laugh.
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The grounds at Benza |
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| Hanging out at Proteus |
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| Fun at Moffett Vineyard |
Are you a fan of wine tours? Do you have a favorite wine or winery you love to visit?
Ever come to the Willamette Valley?
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