osufan

We will be in Portland for a week in late May for family wedding. We rented a home for the week. Certainly there will be many family/wedding evening events, but want to see and do more. Haven't been to Portland in many years. Would like too see Williamette valley wineries, especially those with good Pinot Gris. Recommendations for day trips including Williamette valley wineries or outdoor adventures such as hiking are appreciated, just need to be based in Portland. Thanks for any suggestions!

edjim

The Columbia River Gorge, Historic US 40, and Hood River. All within an hour of Portland. Some wineries and orchards up that way, too. We liked Marchesi (sp?) Winery just outside of Hood River. Might want to include Mt. Hood if you want to stay in the region for the day.

sunbum1944

Maryhill Winery in the Gorge is a nice visit with great views.
Also in the Gorge, Eagle Creek is a nice waterfall hike.

osufan

Thank you sunbum1944 and edjim! Sounds like some great info I will look into.

tomfuller

That's Historic US 30 (Columbia Gorge Highway) which includes Multnomah Falls and several other waterfalls.
If it's raining, there's always Powell's Book and VooDoo donuts.

osufan

thanks, tomfuller for rainy day options. Checked both of these out and am counting on a rainy day during the week to visit them both out in person.

Have done Multnomah Falls before and will likely do it again. Eagle Creek hike looks interesting, will hit a few miles on it. Spent a night at the Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood several years ago, what views! May drive up Mt Hood if we have time this trip, I looked into both Marchesi and Maryhill wineries, on our list for a day in the area,

Thanks again all, these are all wonderful tips, they are exactly what I was hoping to receive!

tomfuller

While in the McMinnville area, youmight want to see the Evergreen Aviation museum. Their largest exhibit is "The Spruce Goose".

Fodorite018

We live just SW of Portland near all the wineries. There are so many good ones! Two off the top of my head with very good Pinot Gris are Arbor Brook and Seufert. My usual recommendations are those as well as Brick House (very close to Arbor Brook), Stoller, and Grochau. There are many more, but these are our personal favorites.

We are big hikers and there really isn't any hiking in this area. Your best bet would be to head to the gorge for that, and/or Silver Falls just outside of Salem.

I agree, Eagle Creek is a great hike. Even just to Punch Bowl Falls and then back. If you do it, just be careful where you see the cable to hold onto. There are parts of the cable that are frayed and it will slice your hand. I found out the hard way

Not knowing what you want for hikes, it is hard to make suggestions, but I will lol! Dog Mountain and Hamilton Mountain are both excellent hikes and great workouts. Both have amazing views of the gorge, and Dog has a stunning area of wildflowers at the summit. Triple Falls is a nice hike, but not the open views like the others. If you go further east past Hood River, Rowena Crest has a couple of good hikes. The short loop of the plateau is nice, and has good wildflowers. The longer one is good too, but a bit more brush so you have to be more cautious of ticks and snakes. On the plateau you need to watch also, but it isn't brushy so it is easier to keep an eye out.

So "osufan", is that our local OSU by chance?

FaceInTheCrowd

I'd add Four Graces to mms's list of Willamette Valley wineries with nice pinot gris. Lemelson's is very good too, but maybe a bit off your route.

Kristen91

I'm jealous! The past few years, my fiance and I have gone to Willamette and to the Walla Walla Valley over Memorial Day weekend to explore the wineries. It's our favorite place for doing this...we'll take it over Sonoma and Napa any day of the week. The wines are excellent and the people are more friendly. May is a beautiful time to go. Doesn't look like we'll make it this year due to our wedding in September and our honeymoon to Greece. Happy problem, but I'm genuinely sad we're not going to get there this year--I love it that much.

Since you asked, here are a few of our favorites. All are in or near the Newberg/Dundee area (we make it our base), which is an easy drive from Portland...as an aside, we're serving 99% wines from Willamette at our wedding in Georgia--the one exception being some wine from Mercer, in Washington state. I have seven cases stacked in my home right now, in anticipation.

Chehalem--they have a tasting room in town, but you can also call and set up a tasting at the vineyard (though that may only be for club members...can't remember)...it was great. Wedding wine!

Sokol Blosser

Archery Summit

Penner-Ash--such a beautiful view from their patio here

Montinore--we usually hit this one on the drive from Portland, before getting to Dundee, because it's slightly more of a drive from Dundee/Newberg than the others, and you can hit it with a slight detour from Portland. Another wedding wine!

Domaine Serene

The Four Graces--someone told me last week at a wine tasting that they either already have or are about to move their tasting room from Dundee, to someplace a little further out--you'd have to check this.

All of these have excellent wines, and I hope you get to try some of them!

NativeNewYorker

We're interested in a vineyard or 2, and maybe have lunch at the vineyard. We've done that in California. I like a GOOD wine, but not fussy as to which wine. Do any of the vineyards serve lunch, or encourage people to bring their lunch, sell bottles or by the glass, and let you settle down and look out over the grapes?

tomfuller

NativeNewYorker what do you think of New York wines?
The last vineyard tasting I went to was at Bully Hill high on the hill above Hammondsport NY. The tasting was led by none other than Mr. Taylor who is not allowed to put his name on the labels. (so said the NYS Supreme Court).
His brothers sold out to Coca Cola and the wines with the Taylor name on them are what he calls "tank car wine".

NativeNewYorker

By and large, I do not prefer most NYS wines. I do not find the Finger Lakes' wines very good, and LI wines can be tasty, but regrettably way over priced.

FaceInTheCrowd

Most Oregon vineyards are in areas zoned for agricultural use, which restricts food service. There are a number of wineries, however, that welcome visitors who've brought their own food to enjoy. Off the top of my head, given your other criteria, I'd suggest you check out Stoller: https://www.stollerfamilyestate.com/.