Yesterday we drove out to Sunriver to attend the Sunfest wine festival. It was a nice day for it, warm and sunny but with enough overcast to keep from getting burnt (though I think I did burn my neck a little bit).

It wasn’t a huge setup, though; if you’ve been to the Sunriver Village Mall, you know it’s not that big an area. You could walk from one end to the other in just a couple of minutes. For that, though, they had probably 15 or 20 different wineries represented, and then a number of craft and art booths. There was a live music stage set up, and food was minimal—there was a small vendor by the stage selling hot dogs, sausage brats and chicken hindquarters. Otherwise, you could get food from the restaurants in the Village Mall (pizza, Mexican, etc.).

Oh yeah, no beer available, either, except from the small food vendor ($4 for a bottle of microbrew), or the restaurants. Wine only in the festival proper.

We joined Shannon and Brian and their dog Charlie. The event was dog-friendly, mostly: we tried to get lunch at the Mexican place, who had outdoor seating, and a waitress immediately came out and told us no dogs were allowed—not even in the far corner of their outdoor area away from everyone else.

So we instead went to Ponderosa Pizza, who welcomed dogs (outside, of course). We were able to enjoy a big pizza and a pitcher of beer and then get back to the festival.

(By the way, it was really good pizza too—I’d recommend Ponderosa if you’re craving a pie in Sunriver.)

All in all, a nice outing. I don’t know if you could find enough to do for an all-day visit (plus it would get expensive, tasting/drinking all that wine), but it was worth the drive and a lunch.