One of the great pleasures of exploring wine country, and in my case Oregon wine country, is the treasure hunt for hidden gems. They're everywhere. Sometimes they're tucked in between major wineries (De Ponte is one of these), or just a little off the beaten path (like ArborBrook), and sometimes...
Kramer Vineyard's tiny tasting room lies just off the main drag in downtown Carlton, Oregon, a couple doors down from Troon. It's also right around the corner from almost a dozen other very good tasting rooms and restaurants, all of which conspire to make it an easy choice to stop. Add to that,...
It's a stunning view in reverse, rolling up Anne Amie Vineyards' lloooonng driveway through the meticulously manicured vines. Looking back down the hill from the parking lot is spectacular. Inside, the tasting room is spacious and well appointed, full of stuff to buy but not full of gadgets,...
Although the website offers the heads up that Stoller Vineyards is the largest site in Oregon's Dundee Hills at 373 acres, imagining just how large is another matter. Turning onto McDougall Road is deceptive because the property can't be seen from Highway 99, and the scale is still not evident...
Perched inconspicuously on a hill in the Dundee Hills-hidden among the opulent operations of Archery Summit, Domaine Drouhin and Domaine Serene-is De Ponte Cellars, who have been quietly producing some of the best wine in the Willamette Valley for over a decade. It's easy to make the mistake of...
One of Oregon's most prestigious wineries, Archery Summit was named after the road on which it sits (not the other way around). Driving up to it is impressive, and visitors can get some sense of its size on the approach. After that, Archery tries very hard to conceal its size. Take, for example,...
On the way to just about everywhere in the Red Hills of Dundee AVA (it's around the corner from Archery Summit, Domaine Drouhin and Sokol Blosser), Durant Vineyards is a little gem to be found by Willamette Valley wine tasters. The tasting room is unassuming, the grounds around it are coiffed,...
After visiting wineries ranging from elegant (De Ponte) to grand (Domaine Drouhin) to ostentatious (Domain Serene), walking into White Rose's dark log cabin is either disconcerting or refreshing. Chalk boards on the wall announce the day's tasting flight. Rough wood surrounds the taster and one...
Just down the street from Domaines Serene and Drouhin is Vista Hills Vineyard. Instead of over-the-top glamour, Vista Hills offers a down to earth, feel. A lower roof, fireplace, and darker wood show a more Pacific Northwest sensibility with the more intimate feel of a cabin, and where most...
What wine would you produce if you could build a dream facility? What wine would you drink if cost were no object? Do awards, accolades, and magazine rankings make the winery? These are questions Domaine Serene attempts to answer, and with some success. Sprawling and spectacular, on 140...
Walking into the tasting room of Domaine Drouhin Oregon is probably as close to entering a chateau you can come, outside of France. Maison Drouhin's 125 years of winemaking history is almost palpable and although the surroundings are rich, even opulent, there's nothing ostentatious or even...
Stangeland probably isn't the smallest winery I've ever seen, but it's got to be close. Parking seems tricky at first but isn't hard after you figure it out (back into a space). We were waved in by the tasting room maven as he unlocked the doors, and he promptly set up our glasses, chatting...