Insider Tips For Visiting Willamette Valley Wine Country

Where to stay, where to dine and some great winery destinations

We’re close to wrapping up Oregon Wine Month, which was a bit cloudy and soggy in the Willamette Valley, but highlighted with a very successful Auction and about to conclude with a celebratory Memorial Day weekend loaded with special events and festivities. Whether or not your plans will bring you to the Valley this weekend, there are myriad reasons to plan a visit to wine country this summer, for a weekend, a week, or a lifetime. My recent excursion to the Willamette Valley brought many of them to mind. Follow my trail and collect some insider tips for your own explorations, along with some general thoughts that can apply to wherever you may roam.

My visits were planned months in advance, and tied to a specific timeline intended to provide maximum value for both me and the wineries. As a casual tourist you may want to take a less regimented approach. That said, I strongly recommend you do at least some advance planning. In particular, map out distances between the wineries you know you’ll want to visit. The single most common mistake is to miscalculate driving times. Even tasting rooms that look close together on a map can sometimes require a long ride around to get from A to B. Minimize driving time and you’ll have a safer, much more relaxing adventure.

Choose your timeline carefully. Yes there’s a really big Memorial Day weekend about to hit, and wineries are eager to see you. But if you value a less crowded, more personal experience, try for a mid-week away from a big holiday.

Check the weather. Rainy or cloudy weather, which I had in abundance, is really not a problem. It can make for some fun photos, and you’ll mostly be indoors anyway. Cool, cloudy days are simply more comfortable for wine touring and tasting than hot, sunny weather. On a trip last July I managed to hit the four hottest days of the summer – 110 degrees for all four of them. Not optimal for tasting wine, especially Pinot Noir. If you can plan your visit for June, it’s ideal. Late summer is good also, and if you’re lucky you’ll see the harvest in full swing.

Pick your dates and book your lodging now. The most desirable places will fill up ahead of time. Same is true for some of the best restaurants. If you want a table at ōkta Farm and Kitchen, reserve it now. Other recommended McMinnville restaurants: Humble Spirit, Thistle, Pinch and (of course) Nick’s Italian Café. Or try Dos Mundos in Newberg, Ikigai in Carlton (Asian Fusion - excellent sushi); Larson House Pizzeria in Yamhill (really good sandwiches too) and the longtime favorite Joel Palmer House in Dayton. Super insider tip: Jem 100 in Newberg for life-changing BLTs, burgers and ice cream.

To sample a non-local wine list, light snacks and listen to non-stop vinyl, visit HiFi in downtown McMinnville for a relaxing change of pace.

These recommendations, gathered from my trip and chats with winemakers, are not intended to be a comprehensive catalog of every option. But they may lead you to some interesting experiences from which to chart your own trail.

Wineries

Wineries in the Willamette Valley range from bare bones industrial work spaces to family farms to architectural wonders. I think it most valuable to include as much variety as you have time for. Here are quick impressions of those I visited last week. It is always important to visit the website first, make a reservation whenever possible, and read up on the story behind the wines. The more you know going in, the more you’ll take away from the experience. I list them alphabetically, but my visits were planned to minimize driving distances.

Abbott Claim – The first vines here were planted by Ken Wright in 2001, though the vineyard has been significantly updated and expanded since 2006 by owner Anthony Beck under the guidance of viticulturalist Heath Payne and winemaker Alban Debeaulieu. The first estate wines were made in 2018, and a handsome production facility was recently opened adjacent to the vineyard. No formal tasting room exists. Visitors (by appointment only) are seated amongst the barrels in the underground cave, and taste a flight of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from recent vintages. The ‘Cave Experience’ costs $95 but is free with the purchase of three wines.

Big Table Farm – The introduction on the website says it all: “we are a winemaker and an artist, we grow and produce what we love to eat and drink”. An atelier in Carlton is where the tasting room is located. But if you can arrange a visit to the farm you’ll have the best experience. This is where Clare Carver has her painting studio, tends to the chickens, ducks, pigs, goats, sheep, horses and cows, and where husband Brian Marcy works the vineyard and makes the wines. Bucolic doesn’t begin to capture the homegrown magic of this special place.

Brittan Vineyards – Robert and Ellen Brittan moved to Oregon from California – where Robert made wines at Stags’ Leap – to plant their vineyard and make their home at a high elevation site in the McMinnville AVA. The wines from this estate, which I have frequently reviewed, are focused, detailed, rather austere and impressively long-lived. Tastings at the modest tasting room in an industrial stretch of downtown McMinnville are available by appointment. Better still is to book a tour and tasting at the estate vineyard, including an optional guided hike through the vines, on one of three available Saturdays – July 26th, August 16th and September 20th.

Carlton Winemakers Studio/00 Wines – If you have a limited amount of time to visit wineries and want to taste a wide variety of small production wines, this is the place. Tasting Room Manager Nick George will happily guide you through the current offerings. An impressive collection of first vintage bottles from wineries that got their start here is on display. The extensive list of current options includes rarities from Aubaine, Kristof Farms, Lytle-Barnett, Lavinea, North Valley and 00 among others. There’s a pleasant outdoor courtyard and a limited food menu, but the wines are the stars here.

Domaine Divio – Burgundy-born and educated Bruno Corneaux is the talent behind the expansive lineup of Chardonnays and Pinots from this impressive winery. Be sure to try his off-the-beaten-path wines also – a barrel-fermented Pinot Beurot and a Gamay/Pinot Noir Passetoutgrain. The tasting room is open daily but advance reservations are required and no minors are allowed. For a real adventure sign up for a Burgundy wine tour hosted by Bruno and Isabelle Corneaux; details on the website.

Domaine Serene – Lots of changes here since I last visited a few years ago. Winemaker Carl Formaker came up from California, where he’d worked at Marcassin and Three Sticks. Working with VP of Winemaking and Viticulture Michael Fay, Formaker and his team are among a handful of Oregon producers making wines on both sides of the Atlantic. At an informal post-auction barbeque I had the chance to taste a few bottles of their Burgundies, a nice complement to the Burgundies sampled earlier with Chris Hermann from 00 wines. For anyone wanting to experience Oregon wines from the heights of the Dundee Hills, Domaine Serene is a must-see.

Dusky Goose – I often taste and review wines from new (at least to me) wineries that I have no prior experience with. Dusky Goose was one, and it led me to visit the well-appointed tasting room two years ago to meet newly-installed winemaker Hans Van Dale. On this return he poured his first wines following the departure of founding winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash. I particularly liked the Fennwood vineyard Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay blended from that site and the Coulee vineyard, now owned by Walla Walla’s Bledsoe|McDaniels.

EIEIO – I did extensive tastings of Jay McDonald’s wines this past winter, so for our first in-person meeting I was eager to see what else his wide-ranging, rule-breaking, iconoclastic vision might have conjured up. I found the answer on the website – a quartet of wines bottled Direct From Barrel, each with a unique story. DTB - ‘Dirty To Barrel’ is an homage to Patty Green; LSB ‘Lonely Shallow Bin’ was fermented in a picking bin when the winery was out of space. All four are still available at the tasting room and online, and make for a thoroughly captivating tasting.

Elk Cove – This was the first winery in what is now the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. As a destination it has a lovely tasting room with endless vistas of the beautifully planted grounds. I was there on a misty May afternoon with the rhodies and azaleas in full bloom, and it was spectacular. Adam Campbell shared a flight of new vintages from the expansive tasting menu, including a delicious Pinot Gris (first made in 1987), a rare Pinot Blanc and a Windhill Pinot Noir from a block planted in 1974. There is also a monumental elk sculpture which was airlifted in to the winery a couple of years ago.

Kristof Farms – Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn escorted me around the farm where he grew up just outside of Yamhill. It now has both a young vineyard planted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and an orchard where the couple has a mix of cider apple trees. We tasted the newest releases of wine and cider in a converted sheep shed on the property, decorated with posters of the Pulitzer Prize-winning books from the New York Times columnist, as well as paintings from an artist friend whose artwork adorns their wine labels. “We’re embarrassed by our tasting room here” Nick confided, “but visitors come in and say how charming, how rural.” Which indeed it is. My sense is that cider is the passion here, and several different versions are made, including the delicious Noir, made with pressed Pinot Noir skins added to the fermenting apples.

Maysara – Moe Momtazi has created a magnificent biodynamic property on 500 acres of one-time wheat land, whose grapes are sought after by numerous wineries for their connection to the land, their expression of terroir and the extra dimensions that this labor-intensive viticulture can bring to the finished wines. Maysara is the estate brand, and a visit to the tasting room will introduce you to wines that have been held back from early release in order to let them develop into the flavors that Moe believes are the best expressions of his fruit.

Patricia Green – I won’t attempt to encapsulate the special magic of this place and these wines. Suffice it to say that year in and year out it’s a highlight of my visits to the Willamette Valley. Given that 30+ Pinots are produced annually, I pick a focus for each visit. This year it was a tasting of 2023 estate wines grown right at the winery vineyard, hosted by winemaker Matty Russell. You may not know that the original vineyard, prior to it being purchased by Patty Green and business partner Jim Anderson, was renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc, and that wine is still made, albeit in small amounts. We tasted two – the 2024 Estate wine from a 1990 block, and a late-picked 2023 Panama White Sauvignon Blanc that brought to mind a favorite Sancerre from the late Paul Cotat. Brilliant wines all around, and a must-see winery for any visitor who loves great Pinot Noir.

Ponzi – Now part of the Bollinger group, this Willamette Valley winery, founded in 1970, continues on a path from strength to strength. A label redesign – which almost always follows a major acquisition – has renewed the brand identity with an artistic and well-intentioned flair. The single vineyard estate wines are still being made, and in fact there is a clear sense that the new owners are committed not only to honoring the founders but to continuing their decades of work with minimal changes. One exciting change is the introduction of four course, wine pairing lunches, served in the tasting room whose windows offer expansive views of the Avellana vineyard.

Résonance – Named for the Kevin Chambers vineyard that inspired the purchase by Burgundy’s Maison Louis Jadot, Résonance now includes the eponymous vineyard, the nearby Jolis Monts vineyard, the Découverte vineyard in the Dundee Hills, and the Koosah vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. Clearly intent on exploring the sub-AVAs in the Willamette valley as they have throughout Burgundy, the new owners bring focus and clarity to everything they do, with a longterm perspective that is difficult to find in America. Winemaker Guillaume Large hosted a tasting of single block Chardonnay and Pinot Noir samples from all four vineyards, followed by a light lunch.

Ricochet – Owner/winemaker Erich Berg has somehow turned a bare bones industrial workspace into a kid and dog-friendly indoor/outdoor tasting room with seemingly non-stop special events. There are comedy nights and special events such as this weekend’s ‘Wines Born From Grit’ showcase of Indie producers. Beer and non-alcoholic beverages are available, along with such pleasures as a lively sparkling Gruner Veltliner. Berg is a bit of an impresario, enthusiastic and entertaining, with a welcoming attitude that makes everyone feel at home.

Last but certainly not least is a new winery and tasting room from the owners of LucidWild. Blair and L.J. Nicholas toured me around this ambitious project as the finishing touches were being put on it after four years of labor. Due for a grand opening in late July, it will offer visitors the chance to sip wines on a covered deck with a 240 degree view of historic properties in the heart of the Dundee Hills; explore a game room with pool table, pinball and more; visit a secluded speakeasy room with a jellyfish tank; book a meeting room for corporate retreats, and enjoy ample outdoor spaces for dining, drinking or simply taking in the views. Even the rest rooms are thoughtful and artistic, with wall-sized prints of LucidWild wine labels. Designed by L.J. from start to finish, the winery has massive fireplaces indoors and out, temperature-controlled wine storage and a full size professional kitchen.

Lodging

McMinnville is the town to make as your headquarters for any kind of extended visit as it hosts any number of hotels, B&Bs and mixed-use lodging as well as numerous tasting rooms and fine dining options. I stayed at The Compass, just a couple of blocks from the main drag. It’s a “self-check inn” that lets you come and go on your own schedule. The location can’t be beat, on a quiet street with easy walking to tasting rooms, shops and restaurants. For extra privacy book the Studio.

Another good town to make your headquarters is Dundee. La Bastide B&B is just a block off the highway, an eight-room home built and designed specifically as a Bed and Breakfast. The owners are on site, the rooms are immaculate, the ambiance is welcoming and peaceful. Breakfast options are varied and made in-house, and the expansive grounds are great for exploring in favorable weather. Also in Dundee is the Dundee Hotel which shares its building with the Wooden Heart restaurant, a good spot for pizza and casual dining. The 22 rooms offer free wifi and tv; those facing the parking lot are best for avoiding highway noise.

Other options, some pricey but quite nice: the Allison Inn & Spa, the Atticus Hotel, McMenamins Hotel Oregon (a value option), The Ground (new and getting rave reviews) and the plush but spendy Tributary Hotel.