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This May Be the Most Underrated Wine Region on the West Coast—and It's Not in California
This May Be the Most Underrated Wine Region on the West Coast—and It's Not in California

Travel + Leisure

time5 days ago

  • Travel + Leisure

This May Be the Most Underrated Wine Region on the West Coast—and It's Not in California

Take part in the valley's most popular pastime, wine tasting, in strikingly beautiful tasting rooms. Have a bed-and-breakfast stay in the middle of a vineyard next to a working winery at Sosta House. Feast on seasonal fare at farm-to-table restaurants like Hayward. Hang out in quaint wine country towns like McMinnville and Newberg to get a taste of the local lifestyle. Plan your visit for the summer or fall; summer serves up foodie festivals and long daylight hours, while fall lets you see the wine harvest in action. Travelers often come to Oregon for one of two things: to taste Portland's (now) legendary culinary scene and experience this Pacific Northwestern state's rugged beauty. But just a short drive from Portland, you'll find that cuisine and countryside blend seamlessly together in the Willamette Valley: Oregon's de facto larder and wine cellar. Bookended by the Cascade Mountains and the Coast Range, the Willamette Valley is vast, stretching roughly 150 miles long from Portland to Eugene, Oregon, and 60 miles wide. Nourished by lengthy summer days, wet winters, and fertile soils left behind by Ice Age floods, it's an agricultural cornucopia. But it's the miles and miles of patchwork vineyards that draw the eye; interpersed by evergreen woodlands and presided over by Mount Hood, it's a picture-perfect wine country tableau. 'It's a beautiful place,' says Tony Soter, founder of Soter Vineyards. This is pinot noir country: nearly three-quarters of the valley's vineyard acreage is devoted to its marquee varietal. But across the over 700 wineries in the Willamette Valley American Viticultural Area, oenophiles can also find chardonnay, riesling, syrah, and pinot gris. The wine world is sometimes thought of as stuffy, but not the Willamette. Refined experiences like sophisticated tasting menus abound—including resorts beloved by Travel+Leisure readers—but are balanced out with a grounded, down-to-earth atmosphere. 'Anyone has the opportunity to feel like a local here,' says Kari Shaughnessy, head chef and owner of Hayward. The Willamette Valley invites you to come for the wine. But once you're on the ground, you'll find much more to pique your interest besides vino, from an on-the-rise food scene to trails for post-tasting jaunts. And, in case you're unsure of the pronunciation, just remember: it's Willamette, d*mn it. Here's what you need to know about Oregon's Willamette Valley before you visit. Exterior of Inn the Ground. If Hobbiton had a hotel, it would be Inn the Ground, where stays come with farm-to-table breakfasts and idyllic nature trails. Built into the side of a hill, this bed and breakfast bolthole takes in sweeping landscape views from its modern rooms with private patios. Set just steps from McMinnville's bustling Third Street, Atticus Hotel welcomes design lovers with its Wes Anderson-worthy interiors. Room styles range from cozy micro-studios to charming bunk rooms for group getaways, with something for all travelers. Take advantage of the property's fleet of Dutch bikes to explore around town. Part of the Relais & Chateaux portfolio, the all-suite Tributary Hotel occupies a revitalized 100-year-old building along McMinnville's main drag. Along with its spacious, well-appointed rooms, one of the best perks of staying here is having one of the valley's finest tasting menus, ​ōkta farm and kitchen, right downstairs. Some of the valley's oldest vines are your sleeping companions at Sosta House, a dreamy bed and breakfast located in the middle of a historic vineyard. Sip wines made right on-site, sweat out nights of excess in the barrel sauna and cold plunge, and savor in-room breakfasts and alfresco wine dinners. From a 15,000-square-foot spa to vineyard-view rooms, it's easy to see why The Allison Inn & Spa was voted one of the top resorts in the Western U.S. by T+L readers in the World's Best Awards 2025. Perched on 35 lush acres outside Newberg, this luxury retreat invites guests to unwind with indulgent treatments, elevated dining at Jory, and exceptional service. Waterfall in Silver Falls State back to the valley's roots at pioneering wineries like The Eyrie Vineyards, Adelsheim Vineyard, and Ponzi Vineyards, or try experimental bottlings at newer outfits like Cho Wines. Fancy some bubbly? Head to Corollary, Argyle, and Domaine Willamette to dive into the Willamette's sparkling wine scene. Love a design-driven tasting room? Check out Ambar Estate and Sequitur. Need a break from wine? Go to Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery, TopWire Hop Project, or Xicha Brewing for craft beer, and Raw Cider Company and La Familia Cider for cider. No matter when you visit, the Willamette Valley nearly always has a festival on the calendar. Go on fungi-finding forays with truffle-sniffing dogs at the Oregon Truffle Festival, or attend epicurean bashes like Alt Wine Fest, Queer Wine Fest, AAPI Food & Wine Festival, and the International Pinot Noir Celebration. Spring's Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival is another highlight, with hot air balloon rides over fields of Technicolor tulips, as is McMinnville's McMenamins UFO Festival, which commemorates the alleged 1950s sighting of a flying saucer. Learn about the area's Indigenous history at the Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center, or step inside the Airplane Home, a one-of-a-kind dwelling fashioned out of a Boeing 727-200. Salem's Enchanted Forest theme park makes for a fun family day trip, and, between May and October, catch a movie at Newberg's historic 99W Drive-in Theatre. You've gotten a taste of the valley's food and wine. Now, it's time to discover the land itself. Embark on hikes along vineyard trails (Johan Vineyards has some lovely routes) or through the serene forests at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey. Visit a glacial erratic (aka a glacially deposited rock) that traveled some 500 miles during the Missoula Floods at Erratic Rock State Natural Site. Or, take a page from Shaughnessy and Soter's book, and go for a float on the Willamette River. A side dish served at Hayward. Come hungry and expecting the unexpected, as the valley's cook-with-the-seasons ethos means most dishes aren't on the menu for long. Along with the farm-to-table and foraging fare, save room for delectable Mexican eats from spots like Tacos El Gordo, and popping over to the Willamette Valley Pie Co. for slices of marionberry goodness. Helmed by chef Shaughnessy, Hayward in Carlton is one of the restaurants that has put the Willamette Valley on the fine dining map. Its New Northwest cuisine has garnered multiple James Beard Award nods, marries the valley's seasonal finest with global influences. Truly putting the 'farm' in farm-to-table, Grounded Table's elevated homestyle classics come direct from its own regenerative farm. Tuck into roasted chicken and fresh-from-the-earth salads, before popping into its sister restaurant for its Oreos-inspired dessert. Many of the valley's best meals aren't found at traditional restaurants, but rather at wineries. Antica Terra is one such example. Sit down to an aptly-named 'Very Nice Lunch' from James Beard-winning chef Timothy Wastell at this cult-favorite Amity winery, which is as renowned for its culinary program as it is for its ethereal libations. Give your palate a breather from wine with craft cocktails or expertly executed classics at this intimate, witchy McMinnville eatery. Check the chalkboard upon walking in for what's on offer that day; oysters, rockfish, and lamb often make appearances. The best time to visit is between May and August, with summertime festivals, 15-hour days, and gorgeous weather. Autumn, with the harvest hustle and changing vineyards, is another stand-out. 'It's hard to find a more beautiful month than September,' says Shaughnessy. Winter—or cellar season—also has its charms, like sipping wine next to roaring fires or getting more one-on-one tasting time with winemakers after the hecticness of harvest. If you fly into Portland International Airport (PDX), it's a roughly one-hour drive to McMinnville, Oregon. Salem also has a small regional airport, the Salem-Willamette Valley Airport (SLE), but it takes about the same amount to get to McMinnville—plus, PDX generally has better flight availability and rates. A tree with a tire swing next to a vineyard in Dayton, Oregon. Home to some of the valley's top restaurants and hotels, and with tens of wineries on its doorstep, McMinnville makes for a fantastic Willamette base camp. Start the day with a cup of from Flag & Wire Coffee Co., stroll along the tree-lined Third Street, view the legendary Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, and try local favorites like La Rambla and Pura Vida Cocina. For shopping, hit up Alchemist's Jam & Bakery and the Mac Market food hall and marketplace. Newberg may be known as the gateway to the Willamette, but don't just pass through. Fuel wine tasting adventures in the nearby Chehalem Mountains with Caravan Coffee, dine inside a grand Victorian home at The Painted Lady, and get a bird's-eye view from Bald Peak, the valley's tallest point at 1,633 feet. What was once a timber town is now one of the Willamette's gastronomic epicenters, home to heavy hitters like Hayward, Big Table Farms, Carlton Winemaker Studios, and Flâneur Wines. Just outside of town, you'll find Soter Vineyards, set on a 250-acre biodynamic farm with expansive panoramas. These neighboring towns go hand-in-hand for a day of wining and dining. Dundee highlights include Day Wines, Furioso, and Artist Block, as well as the multicourse Anthology tasting menu at The Four Graces. Grab lunch at Red Hills Market or Merenda Italian Deli (both make a mean sandwich) before popping into Sokol Blosser or Durant Vineyards, ending in Dayton with dinner at Loam and overnighting in a retro Airstream at The Vintages campground. While some hotels can help arrange transfers, renting a car is the best and most convenient way to reach the spread-out small towns and remote wineries. If you're planning on doing a lot of tastings, book a chauffeur car service like Black Tie Tours or a bespoke winery itinerary through Scissortail Wine Tours, so you can imbibe to your heart's content and keep the roads safe.

National Weather Service issues extreme heat watch for Oregon's Willamette Valley
National Weather Service issues extreme heat watch for Oregon's Willamette Valley

Yahoo

time12-07-2025

  • Climate
  • Yahoo

National Weather Service issues extreme heat watch for Oregon's Willamette Valley

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch for the Willamette Valley from July 15-16. Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures between 95 and 105 degrees are possible across much of northwest Oregon, including the northern and central Willamette Valley. The highest chances are in the Portland/Vancouver metro area and Columbia River Gorge. Low temperatures between 65 to 70 degrees may occur in the evening of July 15, which would limit overnight relief. Both daily high and nightly low temperatures are considered when determining an extreme heat watch should be issued, according to Lee Picard, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Portland. "(A low of) 65 is an important threshold for us," he said. "If it doesn't go below that, it's difficult for people to cool down overnight." An extreme heat watch doesn't mean extreme heat will definitely occur, Picard said. It is issued ahead of time, in this case six days in advance, to allow people to prepare for a potentially dangerous event. High and low temperatures factor into an index known as HeatRisk, which provides a forecast of heat-related impacts in a 24-hour period. The formula accounts for climatic factors as well, like how unusual extreme heat is during a particular time of years. If the HeatRisk in an area falls into the two highest categories, major or extreme, it meets the criteria for a hazardous event. "A watch is when a hazardous event is possible. We usually say about 50% likely that it will occur," Picard said. Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat events, the National Weather Service said. The agency advised people to drink plenty of fluids and to stay out of the sun in a cool place during the heat of the day and check up on relatives and neighbors. For those without air conditioning, people should use fans to keep air moving and keep windows closed during the day and open at night, unless air quality is degraded due to wildfire smoke. "Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles," the alert from NWS said. "Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes." Rose Shimberg is an outdoors journalism intern at the Statesman Journal. Reach her at rshimberg@ This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: NWS issues extreme heat watch for Oregon's Willamette Valley

10 best tents for any camping adventure in 2025 and beyond
10 best tents for any camping adventure in 2025 and beyond

The Independent

time03-07-2025

  • The Independent

10 best tents for any camping adventure in 2025 and beyond

Whether you're heading out on a family camping vacation, planning a backpacking trip, or are looking to embark on a solo adventure, the best camping tents play a huge role in how comfortable (and dry) you'll stay. There are tents for every scenario. Ultralight options are perfect for hikers, while spacious domes you can stand up in are great for those who value livability. To help you find the best tent for your needs, our outdoor gear expert has spent months researching and testing a wide range of top-rated designs, looking at everything from setup speed and weatherproofing to size, ventilation, and packability. The best all-rounder from our testing is The North Face's stormbreak 3 tent, but we've also found a larger tent best-suited to families, options for solo trips, and a rooftop tent that's like a mobile escape pod. So wherever your next adventure takes you, we've handpicked the best camping companions. How we tested After researching and consulting fellow camping enthusiasts, we took 18 different tents — from minimalist backpacking shelters to oversized glamping-style designs — on a trip to the Willamette Valley, Oregon, to whittle it down to our top 10. For each tent we tested, we assembled and disassembled it on different terrains, including grass and dirt campsites. We noted how intuitive the setup felt and how well each option handled various weather conditions, including rain and breezy days. We paid close attention to interior space, ventilation, build quality, and overall design, testing everything from zippers to fabrics. We considered the following criteria: Ease of setup: We looked for tents that were quick, easy, and intuitive to put up and break down — and used a stopwatch to time how long it took to assemble and disassemble each tent. We considered whether one person could assemble it alone or whether it required multiple people. We also looked at how the tent poles were attached and how the guy-line system worked. Similarly, we noted if the tent came with extras that made the setup easier, such as a mallet. Tent size: A tent's capacity is measured by how many people can fit in the tent when lying hip to hip, so it's not the best gauge of size. Instead, we assessed how roomy each tent felt once inside, how many people it could comfortably sleep, whether there was enough headroom to sit up or even stand, and if we could stretch out. Durability and materials: A good tent should feel sturdy and well-constructed, so we selected those that felt durable and could withstand the elements. We considered how well the materials, poles, seams, and zippers would hold up after countless setups, breakdowns, and in the wind and rain. We also noted down details of the materials — softness, texture, and quality — and whether the seams felt trustworthy. Portability: When you're camping solo or with just one other person, you want something compact and lightweight, so we considered size when packed down. We also favored those that came with a carry strap or duffel, and were easy to transport and store. Weather resistance: No material can be entirely waterproof, but you do want a tent that will protect you from various weather conditions. We tested to see how effective each one was at blocking out the wind, rain, and sun, noting down if we got damp at any point. Breathability: Tents — particularly small ones — can feel stuffy, so we looked for well-ventilated tents. We considered whether there were mesh panels, adjustable vents, or airflow designs that help prevent stuffiness or condensation. Overall value: Considering the materials, layout, and performance, we analysed whether the price was justified. Design features: Smart extras, such as vestibules, gear pockets, or ventilation panels, can improve comfort, so we kept an eye out for any great features. After a weekend of pitching, unzipping, lounging, and discussing feedback with our fellow testers, these were the tents that made the final cut. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews At IndyBest, all our reviews are based on real-world testing. As an outdoor gear tester with nearly a decade of experience, Rachel Cavanaugh has reviewed everything from hiking boots and camping chairs to backpacking stoves and travel coolers. When it comes to tents, she knows what to look for when tracking down high-quality options that are practical and durable. The best tents for camping in 2025 are:

Ice's ‘inhumane' arrest of well-known vineyard manager shakes Oregon wine industry
Ice's ‘inhumane' arrest of well-known vineyard manager shakes Oregon wine industry

Yahoo

time19-06-2025

  • Yahoo

Ice's ‘inhumane' arrest of well-known vineyard manager shakes Oregon wine industry

In the early morning hours of 12 June, Moises Sotelo woke up to go to work in the rolling hills of Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country, a place he has called home for decades. But this morning was not business as usual. A car tailed Sotelo as soon as he left his driveway, according to an account from his coworker. Trucks surrounded him just outside of St Michael's Episcopal church, where he was detained by federal immigration agents. By the end of the day, Sotelo was in an Ice detention facility. 'He was in chains at his feet,' Alondra Sotelo-Garcia told a local news outlet about seeing her father arrested. 'Shoelaces were taken off, his belt was off, he didn't have his ring, he didn't have his watch. Everything was taken from him.' His detention has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Oregon wine community. Sotelo is a fixture of local industry – in 2020 he was awarded with the Vineyard Excellence Award from the Oregon Wine Board and in 2024 he established his own small business maintaining vineyards. Related: 'Abducted by Ice': the haunting missing-person posters plastered across LA Left in the lurch is Sotelo's family, the church he attends, the employees of his small business, the vineyards he works with and friends made along the way. Requests to Ice from family or attorneys regarding next steps in Sotelo's detention are hitting dead ends. Anthony Van Nice, the owner of a local vineyard, first worked with Sotelo in the mid 1990s when Van Nice was a 'cellar rat' getting his start in the wine industry. He considers Sotelo a friend and said he was 'disappointed and disgusted' by the arrest, and the government's treatment of immigrants. 'My concern is about my friends and neighbors who are getting rounded up by Ice,' Van Nice told the Guardian. 'We built this country on the backs of immigrant labor … To just round them up like criminals and throw them into these overcrowded detention centers, send them packing without telling their family or attorneys where they are or where they're going, it's inhumane. It's a human rights issue.' Sotelo's detention comes as Ice raids on farmworkers are heating up in Oregon's wine country and across the US. The Trump administration briefly directed US immigration agents to shift their focus away from farms, only to abruptly reverse course this week. Meanwhile, reports of masked, unidentified agents conducting workplace raids have become commonplace. America's agricultural industry, where at least 42% of workers are estimated by the US Department of Labor to be undocumented, is exemplifying the practical limits of Donald Trump's aggressive deportation agenda. Victoria Reader, who works for Sotelo as a vineyard manager, would know. She was in the car on 6 June, a week before Sotelo's arrest, when another employee was also taken. Reader says that agents were masked and refused to identify themselves. 'They didn't identify themselves. They just came out. They didn't even say anything. They just started trying to open the doors,' Reader said. 'I kept asking, who are you? What are you doing? And they wouldn't answer.' Reader said that agents would not tell her what immigration laws her employee violated, threatened her with assault of an officer for asking questions and told her she was not allowed to follow their cars or know where her employee was being taken. 'I'm doing the best I can to keep my crew safe and protected, but there's only so much I can do,' Reader said. 'But long term, this isn't sustainable for human life, it's not sustainable for business, it's not sustainable for this industry, it's not sustainable for agriculture and this country.' Bubba King, the Yamhill county commissioner, said that he's seen fear spread through his community in response to the raids. 'When a large part of the workforce is afraid to come to work or of being detained, everything is affected,' King said. In a statement sent to local outlet KGW, Ice alleged that Sotelo 'first entered the United States illegally in 2006' and has a 'criminal conviction for DUI in Newberg, Oregon'. Sotelo's family says that he came to the United States in the early 1990s. The Yamhill county district attorney's office told local outlets that they had found no evidence of DUI charges. Sotelo was first taken to a detention facility in Portland. By the weekend, he was in an Ice processing center in Tacoma, Washington. On Tuesday, Van Nice drove up to Tacoma to visit his friend. But Sotelo wasn't there. 'The Ice official told me they are under no obligation to tell the family or the attorneys of the detainees that they have been apprehended, or that they've been moved to another state, to another facility, or that they've been deported,' Van Nice said. 'I told him I thought that sounded wrong, and he said, 'Well, that's the way it is.'' On Wednesday morning, Ice's detainee locator showed that Sotelo had been moved more than 1,500 miles south-west to the Akima-run Florence service processing center in the Arizona desert. Ice did not notify the family or their lawyers about the relocation. In response to a Guardian inquiry about whether Ice had no obligation to inform families and attorneys of a detainees status, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) replied, 'that is correct'. Ice did not respond to other questions about the case, including whether officers had a warrant or any documentation of a criminal record for Sotelo. The Sotelos have seen a flood of support from Oregon's wine-growing community, including a GoFundMe that has raised over $100,000 so far. Tributes to his character have also poured in. Reader said she came to Oregon two years ago with ambitions of working in the wine industry. Sotelo, with decades of experience and roots in the area, gave her a chance to make it her home as well. 'He took me under his wing and guided me and made Oregon feel like home,' Reader said. 'If he did that for me then there's so many other countless people that he's done that for.' Van Nice is grateful for the attention and support Sotelo has received and said he, and others, will keep fighting for his friend to come home. He also wonders, in the Willamette Valley and beyond, about the people that aren't as well known. 'Moises is well known in our community,' Van Nice said. 'There's countless other people that we don't know. We don't know their names, we don't know how many have been detained, and they're just lost in this system, which seems designed to make them disappear.'

Ice's ‘inhumane' arrest of well-known vineyard manager shakes Oregon wine industry
Ice's ‘inhumane' arrest of well-known vineyard manager shakes Oregon wine industry

The Guardian

time19-06-2025

  • Politics
  • The Guardian

Ice's ‘inhumane' arrest of well-known vineyard manager shakes Oregon wine industry

In the early morning hours of 12 June, Moises Sotelo woke up to go to work in the rolling hills of Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country, a place he has called home for decades. But this morning was not business as usual. A car tailed Sotelo as soon as he left his driveway, according to an account from his coworker. Trucks surrounded him just outside of St Michael's Episcopal church, where he was detained by federal immigration agents. By the end of the day, Sotelo was in an Ice detention facility. 'He was in chains at his feet,' Alondra Sotelo-Garcia told a local news outlet about seeing her father arrested. 'Shoelaces were taken off, his belt was off, he didn't have his ring, he didn't have his watch. Everything was taken from him.' His detention has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Oregon wine community. Sotelo is a fixture of local industry – in 2020 he was awarded with the Vineyard Excellence Award from the Oregon Wine Board and in 2024 he established his own small business maintaining vineyards. Left in the lurch is Sotelo's family, the church he attends, the employees of his small business, the vineyards he works with and friends made along the way. Requests to Ice from family or attorneys regarding next steps in Sotelo's detention are hitting dead ends. Anthony Van Nice, the owner of a local vineyard, first worked with Sotelo in the mid 1990s when Van Nice was a 'cellar rat' getting his start in the wine industry. He considers Sotelo a friend and said he was 'disappointed and disgusted' by the arrest, and the government's treatment of immigrants. 'My concern is about my friends and neighbors who are getting rounded up by Ice,' Van Nice told the Guardian. 'We built this country on the backs of immigrant labor … To just round them up like criminals and throw them into these overcrowded detention centers, send them packing without telling their family or attorneys where they are or where they're going, it's inhumane. It's a human rights issue.' Sotelo's detention comes as Ice raids on farmworkers are heating up in Oregon's wine country and across the US. The Trump administration briefly directed US immigration agents to shift their focus away from farms, only to abruptly reverse course this week. Meanwhile, reports of masked, unidentified agents conducting workplace raids have become commonplace. America's agricultural industry, where at least 42% of workers are estimated by the US Department of Labor to be undocumented, is exemplifying the practical limits of Donald Trump's aggressive deportation agenda. Victoria Reader, who works for Sotelo as a vineyard manager, would know. She was in the car on 6 June, a week before Sotelo's arrest, when another employee was also taken. Reader says that agents were masked and refused to identify themselves. 'They didn't identify themselves. They just came out. They didn't even say anything. They just started trying to open the doors,' Reader said. 'I kept asking, who are you? What are you doing? And they wouldn't answer.' Reader said that agents would not tell her what immigration laws her employee violated, threatened her with assault of an officer for asking questions and told her she was not allowed to follow their cars or know where her employee was being taken. 'I'm doing the best I can to keep my crew safe and protected, but there's only so much I can do,' Reader said. 'But long term, this isn't sustainable for human life, it's not sustainable for business, it's not sustainable for this industry, it's not sustainable for agriculture and this country.' Bubba King, the Yamhill county commissioner, said that he's seen fear spread through his community in response to the raids. 'When a large part of the workforce is afraid to come to work or of being detained, everything is affected,' King said. In a statement sent to local outlet KGW, Ice alleged that Sotelo 'first entered the United States illegally in 2006' and has a 'criminal conviction for DUI in Newberg, Oregon'. Sotelo's family says that he came to the United States in the early 1990s. The Yamhill county district attorney's office told local outlets that they had found no evidence of DUI charges. Sotelo was first taken to a detention facility in Portland. By the weekend, he was in an Ice processing center in Tacoma, Washington. On Tuesday, Van Nice drove up to Tacoma to visit his friend. But Sotelo wasn't there. 'The Ice official told me they are under no obligation to tell the family or the attorneys of the detainees that they have been apprehended, or that they've been moved to another state, to another facility, or that they've been deported,' Van Nice said. 'I told him I thought that sounded wrong, and he said, 'Well, that's the way it is.'' On Wednesday morning, Ice's detainee locator showed that Sotelo had been moved more than 1,500 miles south-west to the Akima-run Florence service processing center in the Arizona desert. Ice did not notify the family or their lawyers about the relocation. In response to a Guardian inquiry about whether Ice had no obligation to inform families and attorneys of a detainees status, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) replied, 'that is correct'. Ice did not respond to other questions about the case, including whether officers had a warrant or any documentation of a criminal record for Sotelo. The Sotelos have seen a flood of support from Oregon's wine-growing community, including a GoFundMe that has raised over $100,000 so far. Tributes to his character have also poured in. Reader said she came to Oregon two years ago with ambitions of working in the wine industry. Sotelo, with decades of experience and roots in the area, gave her a chance to make it her home as well. 'He took me under his wing and guided me and made Oregon feel like home,' Reader said. 'If he did that for me then there's so many other countless people that he's done that for.' Van Nice is grateful for the attention and support Sotelo has received and said he, and others, will keep fighting for his friend to come home. He also wonders, in the Willamette Valley and beyond, about the people that aren't as well known. 'Moises is well known in our community,' Van Nice said. 'There's countless other people that we don't know. We don't know their names, we don't know how many have been detained, and they're just lost in this system, which seems designed to make them disappear.'

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