FRUITS WITH A KICK!

Did you know Oregon is also famous for producing some of the finest eaux de vie -- that translates to "waters of life" -- in the world?

About twenty years ago, a Portlander dedicated to purity of taste, started distilling Williams (Bartlett) eau de vie using two small pot stills he purchased in Germany. Using Hood River (OR) pears and traditional European techniques, he bottles an award-winning pear brandy under the "Clear Creek" label. Today, his product line has expanded to include the original pear brandy, pear brandy in a bottle with an actual pear grown in it, barrel-aged brandy, kirschwasser (German for cherry brandy), blue plum brandy and framboise (raspberry brandy).

He also produces and markets a grappa made the original Italian way, using pomace -- the pulpy residue from wine grapes after crushing and pressing -- he purchases from numerous fine wineries in Oregon. Finally, he distills a traditional wine brandy, made from Oregon wines and aged in barrels.

Clear Creek products should be available in fine liquor stores in your state.

Hood River is about an hour's drive east of The Fulton House just off I-84. The town is famous not just for its orchards (pear, apple, cherry and more) but for world-class wind surfing and paragliding on the Columbia River, specialty shops and excellent restaurants as well as the "Full Sail" brewery, which produces hand-crafted beers and ales sold throughout the U.S.

And that's not all. According to the director of the Oregon Brewers Guild, the boutique hard liquor industry will experience "the most dynamic growth over the next five years....expect to see more rums, whiskeys and fruit brandies made from Oregon ingredients -- you'll see distillers experimenting more."