First impressions are often deceiving, even misleading. Virtually anyone living in the United States has access to Elk Cove Vineyards' Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It's an accessible wine with a nice, bright cherry nose and equally nice cherry flavor profile. It's the introduction to Oregon...
Enthusiasm goes a long way. In fact, it's often contagious and carries weight of its own. Such is the case at Plum Hill Vineyards in Gaston, Oregon. Walk up the steps from the parking lot to the tasting room and interested tasters will be amused by the fountain that seems to spout wine into a...
Seven of Hearts sits in the middle of Main Street, Carlton, Oregon, among 18 other tasting rooms. Carlton is great for literally door-to-door tasting, but nineteen is a little too much for one trip, so we opted to follow suggestions from other tasting rooms. Seven of Hearts came highly...
Maysara Winery was founded by Mo and Flora Momtazi when they purchased an abandoned farm in 1997. Their website tells the story in detail, but the short of it is the site was selected because the land had been free from chemicals for years. Since then, the Momtazis have practiced the most...
Just off downtown in McMinnville, Oregon are a few blocks that have taken on the name The Wine Ghetto. Here wine lovers find Oregon's premier wineries a few doors down from up and comers-Eyrie, Westry, Matello, Grochau Cellars and several more. Dominio IV is in the thick of it, making beautiful...
Marcus Goodfellow is a man who rarely uses ten words when fifty will do, and it's usually interesting. Standing in the tasting room of Matello Wines, we were enthralled as he explained the interesting background of the historic building that had been airlifted from the Soviet Union in the early...
Walking into Eyrie Vineyard's tasting room is something like walking into a Pinot Noir shrine. This is where it all started in Oregon, over forty years ago. The founder, David Lett, is remembered fondly as Papa Pinot. He was the first to plant Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley and the first in...
It's possible that many Willamette Valley tourists end their trips in the Chehalem tasting room, located in downtown Newberg on Highway 99-the return leg toward Portland. It's great that it's visible and easy to get to, but if it's the last place you go after a day of tasting (read that,...
August Cellars is in a unique position among Willamette Valley wineries: it's the first stop. Situated on Highway 99 just a mile outside Newberg, August Cellars is in a beautiful, newly constructed building that is home to a handful of tenant winemakers besides themselves. One stop offers a lot...
If it's true that modesty is a sign of greatness, the Dark Horse Tasting Room in Newberg, Oregon can serve as the example. The room, although large, is simply appointed with shelves and a couple of tables, all of which are filled with wine. Really good wine. And it's difficult after tasting some...
Driving up to Penner-Ash Cellars is quite simply breathtaking. Without a doubt, the striking structure is one of the most beautiful wineries in Oregon, America, and possibly the world. Clean lines, bright, open spaces and vaulted ceilings are all part of a world class winemaking operation. The...
One of the oldest wineries in the Willamette Valley and certainly one of the most respected, Adelsheim Vineyard is now celebrating its fortieth year. Founder David Adelsheim is something of a legend and was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Oregon Historical Society. At Adelsheim, a...