apseals

We are a group of five women in our 50's. We have rented a home in Pacific City, Oregon for a week at the beginning of August. We love good wine, good food, fishing, beautiful scenery and shopping. Three of us are planning to do a guided fishing trip one day, beyond that we have no solid plans. We would like to visit a few high end wineries and are hoping that you good fodorites can help us route a day trip to do that along with any other suggestions on "must do's" for the area. We have two rental cars in case we need to split up etc. Any restaurant help would also be much appreciated...I have read about the Delicate Palate, but that is about all thus far. None of us have ever been to Oregon before and are very excited! Thanks in advance for your help!!

boom_boom

Yopu will be close enough to Tillammook for the cheese experience and to the wine region centered in McMinnville to get a great experience. I really like Panther Creek near McMinnville. Duck Pond (just had some of the Pinot Noir today and loved it) and Argyl near Dundee.Also Rex Hill near Newberg.
It would be a bit of long day trip from Pacific City, but seeing the Columbia River gorge and Mt. Hood are worth it.
A bit closer consider Astoria and the Lewis and Clark historic sites nearby. If you cross the river into Washington the Long Beach Peninsula is very scenic. It's been a few years, but really enjoyed the Depot Restaurant in Seavuew, WA.

apseals

Boom_boom - Thanks for the tips. We are flying into Portland and are there by around noon. Would seeing the Columbia Gorge be doable before we drive to Pacific City? None of us have ever been to Oregon so our knowledge is quite limited of what looks doable and what actually is.

Fodorite018

The gorge would be easily doable on your day of arrival. If you did that, you would get into rush hour traffic trying to leave the gorge and getting out of Portland to head to the coast. So take your time and head back west after the bulk of traffic. This would be best too because you could spend more time in the gorge. Of course this means you wouldn't get to Pacific City til much later, so you would need to decide if you are up for this.

As for wineries, there are so many good ones here that it is hard to limit! I live a few minutes from quite a few and have lots of friends that own vineyards, are winemakers, etc. Definitely get off of hwy99w for the best ones though. My short list of favorites include Brick House(Newberg), Arbor Brook(Newberg and very close to Brick House), Seufert (Dayton), and Argyle for sparkling.

If you are headed to downtown Portland for a day, there is a really good urban winery there called Grochau Cellars. They are in the NW district, pretty close to the heart of the shopping and restaurant area there. Very good wines at very reasonable prices.

Definitely take a day for around Cannon Beach. Haystack Rock is great at low tide, and Ecola State Park. The downtown has some nice shops and galleries, if that interests you.

The Pelican Pub there at Pacific City is good, especially on a nice day when you can sit on the deck which is literally on the beach. Not far away in Neskowin is Hawks Creek Cafe which is very good as well.

apseals

mms - that is a huge help. I think that adding the gorge on our arrival day is very doable. Getting in late to the home in Pacific City would also just fine. We can make it a good weather option upon arrival. Thanks for the wine recommendations...I will try and put together some kind of "wine trail" for us for another day trip.

apseals

mms - here is another thought. Instead of cramming the gorge into the arrival day, I think it might be better to leave Pacific City one day early, and check into an airport hotel near PDX. If we do that, then we don't have as far to drive after seeing the Gorge area and we will also have a less hectic departure day. Do you have a route suggestion from PDX for a half day tour returning to PDX around dark? Thank you so much in advance!!

balitrav

mms, don't mean to hijack this thread, but curious if you know the owners of Maresch Red Barn winery. They have been friends of ours for many years. I've not seen them in a while, but they are the nicest people.

Fodorite018

apseals--I like your latest idea better. It would definitely be more relaxing, which is a better way to enjoy the gorge.

balitrav--No, I don't know them I will keep the name in mind if we ever stop by. Everyone seems to know everyone around here, so I am sure we will run into them.

passerbye

apseals - I'm also a fan of the wineries mms suggested, but see them more as low production boutique places. And, except for Argyle, unless it's a weekend, I think you'd need appointments at any of them.

When I read "high end" I think of high profile, big-$$$ winery facilities, usually with tasting fees and bottle prices to match. The three that come first to mind are Domaine Serene, Domaine Drouhin, and Archery Summit. I'd pick one or two of those, then maybe a couple others like De Ponte, Torii Mor, or Stoller. All are located in the hills west of Dundee, making that map-trail easy. Finish the day with some sparklers at Argyle, and dinner across the street at Dundee Bistro, or down the street at Farm to Fork.

If you're up for a hike, the view south from Cascade Head is one of the best on the coast. There are a couple trailheads, so you have a choice for the length of the hike. Or, if you can figure out how to pick up the trail just uphill from the Riverhouse in Cascade Head Ranch, the hike would be even shorter.

Add Roseanna's (in Oceanside) to your restaurant list. I think of it as the quintessential Oregon coast diner/cafe. Food is fair to good, and the view is stunning.

balitrav - one of the Maresh brothers is a neighbor of mine, and another used to work for the same company as I. Small world......

apseals

passerbye - thanks for all of the suggestions. When I referred to high end, I meant better quality wines, not necessarily large wineries. But having a good variety of wines to taste is also a plus. Three of us are really into wine and food pairings. It could be that we spend two days tasting. One day with all five of us doing a nice variety of wines then a second day with just the three wine enthusiasts. If we were to break it up into two day trips from Pacific City, any suggestions? We can make appointments were needed if you think the wine is a must taste. Has anyone been or heard feedback about the Delicate Palate in Pacific City? Again, thanks so much for all the information!

passerbye

I didn't mean to imply that Domaines Serene & Drouhin and Archery Summit don't make great wines; they absolutely do. They're just much more proud of them than other wineries. One or two of them would be good choices in your day with the whole group.

When there's just the three of you, I'd suggest tasting at wineries off of NE North Valley Road, which runs west from Newberg, and where you'd find Brick House and Arbor Brook. Others around there making very nice wines are Bergstrom (just up the hill from Arbor Brook) and Trisaetum (maybe 1/2 mile from Brick House). Penner Ash and Adelsheim would also be good choices. My "must taste" wines along that route are the Pinot Gris at Arbor Brook (a great value) and the Riesling at Trisaetum (probably the best I've tasted anywhere). Pinot Noirs are much more subjective, but you'll be tasting mostly 2008s, a vintage from which it's hard to find a bad bottle.

Another good option for the three of you would be to start in Dayton at Seufert, then head south where choices include Methven, Witness Tree, Cristom, St. Innocent, and Bethel Heights.

I've driven by Delicate Palate a number of times, but didn't know to stop. If you're willing to drive, Blackfish Cafe in Lincoln City is pretty good, closer to fine dining than others we've recommended. Further down the coast in Depoe Bay is Tidal Raves, which I'd put on par with Blackfish. But I don't know of a truly fine dining restaurant in that section of the coast.

apseals

passerbye - Thank you so much for the great advice. I will be sure to write a trip report and include all the details of our adventures!