We are about to start the picnicking time of year, and there is no better place to have a picnic than at a winery. Just imagine driving up to a winery with a great view or superbly manicured grounds. You go into the tasting room and taste a few wines. Now comes the fun part, picking one or two wines to help pass the day away.

If you are looking for me to tell you what wines to drink with your picnic lunches, sorry, there is too much personal taste involved. It really depends on what you bring along to eat. However, I will be glad to recommend a few wineries that would be great to take a picnic lunch to and waste away a day.

Before going to any of these wineries please make sure they are open and are not having a special event the day you are going. Also bring a windbreaker with you as these places are often on ridges and can be windy at times Bethel Heights Vineyard has great manicured grounds and an east-facing view of the vineyards and valley. They also have tables in the tasting room if the weather changes.

• Chateau Benoit looks like a French chateau sitting up on its hill. They have picnic tables out on the patio looking west over the vineyards. And if you are early, you can even take the tables on the south side under the grapevine arbor and enjoy your meal in the shade.
• Flying Dutchman sits on the coast and overlooks Otter Crest and Beverly Beach. I can’t think of a better place to sit and drink wine than on a nice summer day at the coast. If you are in the area of this winery south of Lincoln city, I say stop, taste a few, buy a glass and enjoy a nice break from driving.
• Elk Cove has a great view from the tasting room deck and has a nice area to eat your lunch while looking east out over the vineyards.
• LaVelle Vineyards does not have the sweeping view of the valley but the grounds alone make it worth your time to visit and enjoy the day here. The grounds are one of the nicest I have seen in the area and will be worth the visit.
• Van Duzer, a little out of the way, but it has a nice look over a wildlife refuge area. You are treated to a great view of wetlands and migrating birds.
• Willakenzie sits in a middle of a small canyon and has a great view of their vineyards. If it is too windy, there are even tables in the tasting room to use but this view is too nice to enjoy indoors.

Matt