Gregutt Hits The Oregon (Wine) Trail
Some guidelines for planning your next trip to wine country
I just got back a few days ago from a quick visit to a dozen Willamette Valley wineries. I thought it might be helpful to anyone planning a visit for later this spring or summer if I talked a bit about how I approached planning my trip, and how you can maximize the value of your own future wine country excursions.
Given that I've spent a big chunk of my life visiting wineries all over the world, it's not surprising that I am frequently asked for recommendations from folks planning a wine country excursion. A common question goes something like "we are planning a weekend in the Willamette Valley and we like Pinot Noir. Where would you suggest we go?"
That narrows things down to about 730 options. It's like asking me what is my favorite wine. I don't have one, and I can't help a stranger plan a short trip when I know little or nothing about their budget, their palate or their preferences. But what I can do is tell you how I organize my own schedule. There are certain considerations that will help anyone tour wine country efficiently. Even though my planning was organized around specific goals relating to gathering material for this website, the basics are the same for everyone.
What is the purpose? Pleasure? Education? Entertainment? Purchasing wine? Exploring a specific region or grape? Think about what you want to accomplish, then dive into specifics.
Are there certain wineries you absolutely know you want to visit? Is there a well-defined region that is of particular interest? Do you have any flexibility as far as timing? Once you settle on specific dates you can make educated guesses about the weather, road conditions and how busy the wineries are likely to be.
For my recent trip I budgeted three full days in wine country. I wanted to focus on Ribbon Ridge, Dundee Hills and McMinnville wineries, allowing one day for each sub-AVA. That met another key goal – minimizing driving times. The Willamette Valley is flat-out beautiful, but it's a big place. Even within sub-regions distances between stops can quickly eat up valuable time. Before you make specific appointments, spend some time mapping driving distances. You want to spend no more than 30 minutes between destinations.
Plan on visiting two wineries in the morning and two in the afternoon at most. That may not seem like a lot but you do not want to be rushed. That gives you an hour and a half at each stop and a half hour between them. Ideally your first appointment is at 9am, your second at 11am. Give yourself an extra half hour for a quick lunch stop and start your afternoon at 1:30, with the final appointment at 3:30.
If you want free time to do other non-tasting activities you probably won't be able to do more than a couple of wineries a day. But if wine tasting is your primary focus, then clump your visits as physically close to each other as possible. Make specific reservations; do not just plan to drop in. When booking, ask your hosts if they offer food or if there are nearby restaurants they can recommend. Eat a real breakfast before starting out and keep lunch light. Save any 'destination' restaurant meals for the evening.
Many wineries offer on-site lodging. It's great fun to wind up your last stop at a winery with a lodging option. Availability will depend on the date or dates you choose, so plan as far in advance as possible.
In the Willamette Valley you will not have any trouble finding excellent Pinot Noir. But don't miss the chance to taste Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier and other white wine options. There are more and more excellent sparkling wines, from simple Pét-Nats to fancy méthode champenoise. So be open to experimentation and you will make some fun discoveries.
At some point you have to choose specific wineries. One option is to pick a known winery for your first destination, then look online to see nearby tasting rooms, and take a chance on one that's new to you. Or phone the first winery during business hours and ask about their neighbors. The more time you spend doing the research, the better your experience is likely to be. There are a number of tour operators who will work with you and handle the transportation. One that comes highly recommended by a number of wineries is Backcountry Wine Tours.
Oregon winemakers are a resilient and adventurous crew, and they've grappled with climate change, wildfires, phylloxera and Covid challenges in recent years. Now with a couple of excellent vintages (2021 and 2022) being introduced, they will be especially pleased to see you and generous with their time if you avoid the most crowded weekends and are genuinely interested in what they have to offer.
On my website this story includes quick sketches of the stops I made on the first day of the trip. I will post up comprehensive reviews of new releases for each of these wineries over the next month or two. My accounts of Day Two and Day Three will appear soon here on Substack. I suggest that you (especially those who work at a winery) sign up as a subscriber. No cost, no obligation. To read about the rest of the first day visits and wines please visit paulgwine.com