My husband and I are in desperate need of a long weekend getaway. We adore Willamette Valley Pinot's and thought this would make a great trip. I need recommendations of places to stay, things to see and do, and any other suggestions. We're looking for a romantic weekend getaway...Thanks!

Perfect timing for this question as my hubby and I just decided this morning to look into a similar trip. Can anyone out there help sdb421 and me?

blackwalnut-inn.com

The Black Walnut Inn..beautiful, romantic and right where you want to be.

If you're wanting to stay in wine country, these two places get high reviews: http://www.youngberghill.com/ and http://www.blackwalnut-inn.com/. The problem with both is that there's not much to do in wine country after the wineries close. So you might want to stay in Portland, which is only an hour away.

Any particular Willamette Valley pinot, sdb421?

Do you hear an echo, Scarlett? ;-) Sorry!

www.oregonwinecountry.com
Lots of help on here for nice one stop site for wineries, restaurants and lodging. I agree with the poster above and suggest Le Bistro restaurant in Coravalis..nice town on river and great romantic french food.

lol, beachbum...great minds and all

I agree, if you want some romance and dining and things to do and see..Portland, the Monaco Hotel
www.monaco-portland.com
and spend a day at the wineries.

You can eat in some fabulous restaurants in town =
Fenouil
www.fenouilinthepearl.com
Carlyle
www.carlylerestaurant.com
Wildwood
www.wildwoodrestaurant.com
even bluehour
www.bluehouronline.com
you can hear live Jazz at Jimmy Maks www.jimmymaks.com
you can browse galleries and boutiques in the Pearl District, shop on NW 23rd
..

Many thanks to the responses!! Especially to Scarlett for including a live jazz music link. Hubby and I are eagerly starting to plan our trip via the responses from this and another thread on Fodors (special thanks to Beachbum for feedback).

--JazzyChick

Thank you for all of the responses! I really appreciate it. Is it easy to get from Portland down to wine country for some day trips?

Very easy. Takes about 30 minutes to get from downtown Portland to where the wineries begin.

Thanks mms!

And Beachbum, I forgot to answer your earlier question. I think my current favorite is a 2004 Domaine Drouhin that we recently had...

You've got expensive tastes, sdb421. ;-) If it's Domaine Drouhin you like, and you're still planning to stay in wine country, Black Walnut would be the most convenient place. And I suspect you'd also want to taste at Domaine Serene, Archery Summit, and DePonte, all nearby.

Whether you stay in wine country or Portland, spend at least a part of one of your days around Carlton. Some great spots to taste there too: Carlton Winemaker's Studio, Cana's Feast, Penner Ash, Anne Amie, Scott Paul.....

DD is good, but do realize that many of the really good wines are not as expensive as this. You do have to get off the blue tourist sign route though.

2005 was a really great year for Oregon Pinots, we love the 2005 Domaine Drouhin, you may also want to check out the wines at Archery Summit and Domaine Serene. Scott Paul also does some really nice wines in the Carlton area. Cheers! ***kim***

Do I hear an echo? ;-) Kimamom, when did you first taste in Oregon? 2006, after 2004 releases were no longer being poured? Because it's generally agreed amongst local winemakers here that 2004 was a better year for pinot noir than 2005.

Beachbum is correct. 2005 was a vintage plagued with rain right at harvest. It was very close, in style to 2007.

I'm sure that someone read an article or post touting one bottle of 2005, therefore, believing that to be "gospel".

2005 and 2007 are vintages that showed how good a winemaker is/was. It is said that wine is made in the vineyard, but not during problematic years. During those years, it all happens in the winery.

To give a bit of background, for those who have no clue who I am LOL ...I have been in the wine business in Oregon since 1994. I have worked for four wineries (Autumn Wind; Patricia Green; LaGarza; Shea Wine Cellars) in the retail side and the wholesale side (which is actually winery #5 as we are a division of Willamette Valley Vineyards.)