One night in Willamette - Itinerary help

Hi,

6 friends (including myself) are heading to Portland in a few weeks. We are thinking of potentially spending a night in Willamette Valley(Saturday, July 14). We are still on the fence as to whether we should spend the night in Willamette Valley or just drive back to Portland since it is only 1.5hr drive(this would also involve having one person become the designated driver). Another issue is that there doesn’t seem to be much available for accommodations on airbnb since most require a two night stay. Anybody have suggestions for hotels, bed and breakfasts, etc.?

Also, I was hoping that some of you here would be able to provide some recommendations for lunch and dinner spots?

Thanks!

ps, How does everyone get around from tasting to tasting? Hire a car service?

We stayed here: Abbey Road Farm - Home

We drove and spit most wines. Archery Summit, White Rose, and Domaine Serene are all closed to each other. Next day to Willakenzie & Penner Ash.

Can’t help with dinner. The place we tried in McMinnville was not that great.

Another option is a van/ bus service from Portland, allowing you to take advantage of more options in the city for dining and lodging. I’ve done that with visitors and for other outings and it has worked out nicely. There are a number you can find with a bit of searching, and it’s nice to not have to think about transportation or sobriety. You can get back into town in time for a dinner reservation too.

I live in Oregon and I think driving out to the wineries and retuning to Portland is the best plan.

Whether by van or designated driver, driving your custom itinerary is the way to go.

Traffic in the summer is obviously a big deal.

Cheers

Atticus Hotel.

For lunch, we really enjoyed Red Hills Market in Dundee and Valley Commisary in McMinnville. For dinner, Pura Vida or Thistle, both in McMinnville.

We would love to stay here but there is a 2 night minimum for the weekend.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Looks like we will try to organize a custom tour with a driver that will pick us up and drop us back off in Portland.

Now… where to taste? Lots of cool places to check out! Is it the norm for most places to have $50+ tasting fees?

Any other tour company suggestions? I dont think backcountry have any availability that day for 6 ppl.

I don’t know if they are available:

Helen is knowledgable.

I don’t charge a fee, but am only open by appointment. My time has value, but I feel that if the customer cannot find a wine they want… then why pay. Disclaimer: this has never occured.