I am planning a trip in June to Oregon Wine Country. We are flying in on a Saturday morning to Portland and leave Wednesday night.
We have never been to Portland or Oregon for that matter. Any suggestions on where to stay and which wineries not to miss? We usually like to pick an airbnb if possible so if anyone has any recommendations as to past places they have stayed that would be great.
Our goal would be 4-5 wineries per day. Not really sure about the “lay of the land” so any suggestions are welcomed.
The way that I see it, you’re not leaving yourself with enough time. Portland is an amazing city. The range of things to do is simply awesome. The Columbia River Gorge is a phenomenal day in itself. I’d consider a day at/around Mount Hood too.
If I wasn’t so entrenched in my east coast life (family and friends) I’d move to a place like Portland in a heartbeat.
On a cell phone now but do a search on Oregon and willamette valley. Tons of good threads.
There are 4-5 general regions u can focus a day each on. 4 is doable 5 is a bit much. Unless u go to places that serve multiple winery wines.
Scott Paul, 7 of heart, soter for example is one region
There are tons. Have a great time!
There are numerous threads on wine country, but here a few quick refs:
Hood River/Mosier/Gorge - Analemma for wine and Logsdon and pFriem for beer
Willamette - 4-5 wineries per day is likely too much unless you are visiting tasting rooms (as opposed to appointments) that are in the same general area. As Mark noted, the valley is split into multiple regions so group your visits by region. A few winery recommendations (many of these require appointments) - Matello, Walter Scott, Biggio Hamina, Kelley Fox, Crowley, Brittan, Eyrie, Patricia Green. Heater Allen for beer is must stop.
A slam dunk for me is hitting Mcminnville. Park and walk for all of these. Matello/Goodfellow, Eyrie, Westrey, Remy and Heater Allen for a beer. Eat at Valley Commissary and then drive over to Biggio Hamina. There are others close by too but I love the walking option. Probably need an appointment at all but Remy.
Other combos - Patricia Green & Brickhouse.
Head to Carlton where there is Scott Paul & 7 of Hearts.
Salem - St Innocent/Zenith, Evesham Wood, Vincent, & Cristom.
In Portland, I love the folks at the SE Wine Collective.
Plan well or you could spend a lot of time driving.
A bit of a sore subject with me…I’ve tried to go here 3 times. Twice they were closed to private events with no notice on their website, and once they were “fully booked” and reservation only…sort of weird.
I’ve been to Willamette twice and have barely scratched the surface. Both times I’ve hit Eyrie, absolutely awesome place, read up on their history before you go to really appreciate it. First time I went they were pouring a 1986 and earlier this month they had some 1985 open. No appointment needed during normal business hours.
Evesham Wood was an unreal experience. We had an appointment on a Thursday (open for walk in Fri-Sun I believe) and it was awesome. John hosted us and really loves what he does. Their two estate vineyards (La Grieve Bleu and Les Puits Sec) produce wines of unrivaled value. They could pretty easily be double the price and still be worth it.
Antica Terra is also a unique experience. Maggie hosted our tasting and poured 8-10 wines, half hers and half other wines that inspire her. She sliced a Jamon Iberico while she told her story and chatted with us about the wines.
Domaine Drouhin is fun too as you can try Oregon and Burgundy wines in the same lineup.
We had a hard time fitting 3 in a day, but we didn’t plan them very tight geographically. I was more interested in trying specific producers and wasn’t too worried about long drives in between places.
My wife and I visited the Willamette Valley for a few days last summer and had a fantastic time. Here’s a few of the places that we visited that we really enjoyed:
Willakenzie - worth it for the views alone!
Domaine Dronin - excellent wines. Make sure to do the Oregon/Burgundy tasting if they are offering it.
Cristom - the seated tasting was excellent.
Belle Pente - wonderful views and excellent wines. Need to schedule an appointment.
Big Table Farm - a bit out of the way but worth it. Make sure to schedule a tasting well in advance.
Evesham Wood - spectacular wines at an unbeatable value
Seven of Hearts - always a favorite. Great people and excellent wines.
![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}