My husband and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary with a trip to the Willamette valley staying 2 nights in McMinnville at Yongberghill B&B, and then 2 nights in Portland at the Westin. We will be traveling late August and would like some suggestions for "things to do/see". We would love to hit some wineries, but there are so many it is hard to choose which to visit. Thanks for the help!

Not sure about the wineries, but the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville is awesome.
It has the Spruce Goose... It's such a fascinating story and sight.
There are other planes as well.

I've been told by some knowledgable wine people that Archery Summit and Sokol Blosser are two excellent wineries to vist. Have not been to either but I believe they know.

You'll get different responses, depending on people's tastes in wine, and many of the best wineries taste by appointment only. But I think you'd enjoy Cuneo in Carlton, the Argyle tasting room in Dundee, Adelsheim, NW of Newberg, and, for the view, Rex Hill on 99W going up the hill out of Newberg towards Portland. Alternatively (instead of Rex Hill), you could go over Chehalem Mountain from Newberg towards Scholls and Progress (highway 219(?)) and make a stop at Ponzi.

I've not been nor know anything about Archery Summit. Sokol Blosser is one of the older wineries in Oregon, has a nice tasting room, and is conveniently located on 99W a few miles west of Dundee. But their wines are seldom mentioned as among the best.

Hi wintimra! We will be in the wine country soon and plan to visit a few places. Our favorites are: Raptor Ridge, Sineann (just took a bottle of their Pinot Gris to Wayfarer), Dobbes Family Estate (just took some of thier Pinot Noir to Silver Salmon Grille), Willakenzie, Beaux Freres (tasted their Pinot Noir @ the Cellar on 10th in Astoria) and Patricia Green (just had a glass of this at the Peerless in Ashland and it is great!)

Can't wait to visit some of these places for the first time, should be a fun afternoon! Cheers and happy tasting! ***kim***

How long will you be in our wine country, kim? You better plan on more than the usual couple hours if you want to visit all of the wineries you named. Too bad you live so far away.

It would be hard to go wrong with any of the wineries mentioned, but here's a few non-wine ideas.
(1)If you're a history buff, visit Champoeg Heritage Area just below Newberg. This was once Oregon's capital before the Willamette flooded it out. Lots of history exhibited here.
(2)There are some farms near McMinnville specializing in hazelnuts and marionberries (both Oregon treats) that welcome visitors.
(3)Newberg was once the home of Herbert Hoover and is still a quaker center. You can visit his house and George Fox University, founded by the quakers.
(4)There is a monastery north of McMinnville (forget its name) that allows visitors. Interesting place to experience.
You'll find lots to do!!!

Kim--I hope you have a designated driver! I saw several people pulled over in this stretch just this morning. The police are very tough about DUI's here, as it should be, so be careful. They are also pretty strict about speed on 99W and the various roads to the wineries. They are affectionately known to us locals as "the Gestapo".

Wintimra--Erath is a winery that we enjoy. There are several right near it as well that you might want to check out. If you try Rex Hill, you can also hit Chehalem which is across the road.

RenMan: Have you ever been to Dundee Bistro? We may have lunch there soon. Good? ***kim***

Reply to Kim's question:
No, I do not know this place. I am more familiar with McMinnville, which has a very interesting old main street. A good place to eat here is McMenahin's, a unique, offbeat chain with many outlets in the Portland area.

Not that you would trust my opinion kim, but the Bistro is a favorite stop when we go tasting. It's connected to Ponzi, so you know the wine list will be good (please don't offend by bringing your own bottle), and the kitchen, though a bit inconsistent, doesn't usually disappoint.

I don't know why you don't trust my opinions, kim. If you checked, I think you'd find that I first recommended Pacific Way Cafe to you, which, by all appearances, is your latest favorite dining spot at the coast. I should think a thank-you would be in order!

I love finding this thread -- we're headed to Oregon mid-September. Visiting friends for a weekend in Portland, then a couple days in Wine country before we visit another friend not far from Coos Bay. We'll have to drive back up to Seattle (flights in and out of) to get home, but with 10 days, I think we'll be able to do some pretty good touring. We hope to spend a night on the coast on our way back North.

Thanks for all the great tips on wineries. We will try and hit a couple of them. I am hoping to find more to the area than just the wine (but it does sound great!).

We really do not know our way around Portland, so if you have any suggestions, I'll take them! Where to eat, what to see, etc.

Just returned from a wonderful day in the wine country/Portland area. We fell in love with Archery Summit. We did the $10 tasting which included a taste of a $150/bottle of Pinot Noir that is marked as the best in the country. We just had to purchse a bottle, maybe for our 25th wedding anniversary!

We also very much enjoyed Domaine Droubin and the Rex Hills wines, tho not on the same level as Archery Summit. Loved our lunch at Dundee Bistro. We went to Portland and shopped at Pioneer Place, then hit Nob Hill. Had a great dinner at Wildwood, desserts at Papa Haydn's and DD enjoyed her pizza at Escape From New York. A very fun day, but a bit warm for us since we've been on the coast for two weeks. Have a great time! If we had more time, we would have loved to have gone to Carlton, next time! Also want to dine at Joel Palmer House. Cheers! **kim***

You will absolutely love Youngberg Hill! We stayed there a couple of months ago, and had a great time. You will have a hard time finding a better Pinot Noir than the one's they have right downstairs in the honor store. A little pricey in the high $20s, but so yummy, and so available, we didn't want to leave.

We just returned from our 10 days in the Portland environs, and finished the trip with two nights in the Youngberg Hill B&B. It is excellent, especially the views.

We enjoyed a drive from there over to the coast to Lincoln City, then south to Newport, and back to McMinnville. Earlier in our trip we had done the Cannon Beach area.

The aviation museum is very interesting, especially the spruce goose, and there are several WWII aircraft inside that were not on display in the Smithsonian.

As for wineries, we enjoyed Argyle, especially for its offering of sparkling wines (particularly liked the '99 Brut at $21, a 2001 Nuthouse Chard at $28 and 2003 Reserve Pinot at $30); Sokol Blosser impressed me with its views, and its inexpensive Meditrina, a blend of Syrah, Pinot Noir and Zinfadel. At $8 a bottle, it's a steal. Rex Hill was a good stop, and we liked the 2001 P.N. Reserve ($35), but at that price it is in tough competition.

If you have two days, consider the run to Lincoln City and Newport for one day, and the wineries for the other.

In Portland, we enjoyed the rose garden, Japanese gardens and the Pittock Mansion, but if you have never been there, do not miss the Columbia Gorge drive and over to Cannon Beach -- on separate days, of course.

Portland is a compact, enjoyable city, and very laid back. Have fun. We certainly did, thanks to the guidance of mms, Beachbum, and the other Oregon residents/experts on this page.

Jim

Wintimra, while you're in McMinnville, be sure to dine at Nick's. It's excellent.

Jim--Glad you enjoyed your trip. The Rex Hill wine is the same that we purchased the day we made the offer on our current home. Thanks for letting us know how it went.

A second for Nick's. They have a $42 fixed price, 5-course meal that is a full evening, but we did ala carte from the same selections.

Like virtually every restaurant in the area, they have a full wine list.

One of the problems you might encounter, depending on your schedule, is Monday schedules. Most of the better restaurants are closed. One of our biggest disappointments was in Portland, where we discovered Mother's was not open for breakfast. Fortunately, our hotel directed us over to a place on NW 3rd and Pine, I believe, across the street from Embassy Suites, and it was great.

Sorry, cannot remember the name,(help me out here, Portland folk)but it was a cafe with one of the friendliest, most energetic waiters/managers I've ever encountered.

Jim

Jim

Jim--If it was 2nd and Pine, that would be Lorn & Dotties, which I love. I first tried it when we couldn't get into Mother's one time as well. Then I found out it was one of my brothers favorite spots as well.