8 Best Sights in Southern Oregon, Oregon

The name derives from an archaic Spanish word meaning "to plant grapevines," and that's exactly what this winery's husband-wife team started doing in the late '90s. Abacela has steadily established itself as one of Oregon's most esteemed wineries. Hot-blooded Spanish Tempranillo is Abacela's pride and joy, though inky Malbec and a subtly floral Albariño also highlight a repertoire heavy on Mediterranean varietals, which you can sample in a handsome, eco-friendly tasting room where you can also order light appetizers to snack on.

This rising star among southern Oregon wineries specializes in two varietals the region generally isn't known for: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The vineyard's cooler, higher-elevation setting is perfect for these grapes usually associated with the Willamette Valley, and you can sample them, along with a refreshing, dry rosé of Pinot Noir—with one of their impressive cheese-and-charcuterie boards, perhaps—amid the cushy seating in the airy, modern tasting room and sweeping patio, with its grand mountain views.

Few winemakers in southern Oregon have a more devoted following than Troon, whose swanky tasting room and winery in the northern Applegate Valley is patterned after a French country villa. Troon produces relatively small yields of exceptional wines, including some less typical U.S. bottles, such as orange wines and a revered Tannat.

As you pull up to this opulent, Mediterranean-inspired chateau nestled in the foothills a few miles east of downtown Ashland, it's easy to understand why it's a favorite destination for weddings. But the winery's elegant Pavilion Tasting Room is also a memorable spot to sip Belle Fiore's excellent Cabernet Franc, Riesling, and more than a dozen other finely crafted wines. There's an art gallery, too, and light dining on the upper level, which has a gracious terrace.

Southwest of downtown Medford amid a bucolic patch of fruit orchards, this winery and tasting room adjoins a stately 19th-century white-clapboard farmhouse surrounded by flower beds and vegetable gardens. Inside the tasting room you can sample and buy EdenVale's noted reds, a late-harvest dessert Viognier, and a first-rate cider produced with estate-grown pears.

You can try the complex, mostly Rhône-inspired wines—such as Viognier and Syrah, and Grenache—of this respected Rogue Valley producer that uses grapes from several areas including its picturesque estate vineyard in the Jacksonville countryside, where the sunny tasting room is located. Sandwiches and cheese and meat platters are available, too.

Among the many vineyards throughout the Rogue Valley, Rellik stands out both for producing well-balanced wines (including a quite tasty oak-aged Cabernet Sauvignon) and for having a herd of curious, friendly alpacas, which makes this a fun stop for the entire family. You can admire and even pet the alpacas, and sip wine while snacking on cheese and charcuterie in the tasting room or on the shaded patio. The vineyard is just over a mile up the road from historic Jacksonville.

Just a short drive east of downtown, this long-established winemaker occupies a leafy hilltop with broad views of the surrounding mountains. Specialties include a fine Malbec, a well-respected Viognier, both conventional (crisp, minerally) a Barile dessert wine, and a nicely balanced Tempranillo. The winery also rents out a stylish one-bedroom cottage with a kitchen and hot tub for overnight stays.