Oregon wine country
 

I am planning a trip with my husband in July to Oregon for 7 days. First visit-we are very interested in wine tasting but would also like to see as much of the area as we can in this time. Starting in Portland. Can we stay in Portland and do the Willamette Valley wineries or would you recommend staying a few days in that area? Places to stay? What are the must sees? Thanks for any tips!

Yes, you can stay in Portland and do winery day trips. It is maybe 30-45 minutes from downtown Portland to the winery area..

There is a beautiful Inn in the winery area if you wanted to do a night or two there and the rest in town. The Black Walnut Inn
www.blackwalnut-inn.com

My favorite hotel in town is the Monaco
www.monaco-portland.com

There is also the Lucia www.hotellucia.com/
the Inn at Northrup Station. www.northrupstation.com/

www.pova.com is good for first timers to Portland and the area..

Must sees:
Japanese Gardens
Pittock Mansion
Washington Park
Farmers Market in the South Park Blocks
Classical Chinese Gardens

the Coast..90 minutes from downtown Portland - Cannon Beach , a great day trip.

the Gorge.. 40-45 min from downtown..waterfalls, one after another.. views that are breathtaking..must see.

Get a guide book !

Scarlet, thank you for your reply. I checked out the Black Walnut Inn and it looks wonderful-I would like to stay there 1 night. I have been reading all the posts and I am so confused right now...I want to see it all and perhaps Seattle too in 7 days!! Arriving early (9am) in Portland will stay our 1st night in Portland -If I stay at Walnut the next night-should we go back to Portland and do day trips from there(the coast and Gorge) or drive from Walnut to one of these? Is Seattle too ambitious? Thanks for any advise!

My idea to avoid a lot of backtracking would be to do something like stay in Portland for 2-3 nights, the Black Walnut 1 night if they don't have a minimum..go to the Coast or Seattle from there. That drive, I believe is about 4-5 hours.

In only 7 days, I would skip Seattle and concentrate on Oregon.
Say 3/4 days in Portland..
1 of those days can be the Gorge, , 1 just seeing the Japanese Gardens, Chinese Gardens, Rose Test Gardens and Pittock Mansion, and 1 day to winery area..stay overnight
Day 4 drive to Cannon Beach, see if you can stay overnight for 1 night, if not, stay at the Coast 2 nights.
Drive South of CB to Manzanita and farther south and enjoy the fabulous coastline and small towns.

Locals will have more for you on that..we lived there but not long enough :)

Seattle deserves more time, I think..

Scarlett gave some good information. Seattle is too much to incorporate into this trip. One night near the wineries is enough for most people. Besides the BWI, a new place has opened that is the most amazing views. Chehalem Ridge B&B. So if BWI is full, check this one out.

I would stay at the coast for 2 nights, and most places on the north coast have 2 night minimums at least in the summer. You would need to book asap to find a place, but the area is great so worth the extra stress right now to do that.

The gorge is an easy day trip from downtown. The coast is too, but staying over allows you to see so much more of it.

We had a fabulous trip to Portland, the wine country and the coast in 2006. I'd stay a couple nights in Portland and enjoy the city, then drive out to Willamette Valley and spend at least one night (possibly two) to do the wine thing!

I don't know if I ever posted a trip report here, but I've copied a couple of relevant tips here:

After leaving Portland (and you've gotten some good trust-worthy suggestions for there already) we stayed at funky but fun McMenamin's Hotel Oregon in McMinnville.

The best places to taste wine in Willamette Valley are the rooms which serve various vineyards -- The Tasting Room in Carleton was recommended to me by a friend who used to have her own wine bar in Washington DC and now lives in Sacramento. I sort of wish we'd gone there later in the day as we would have bought more. (We only bought one bottle there, early in the morning, a nice Pinot Noir from Belle Pente.)

We also enjoyed the Carlton Winemakers Studio -- http://www.winemakersstudio.com We did hit a couple of winery tasting rooms, Duck Pond -- which was mediocre but pretty, Ponzi's tasting rooms are nice and friendly but the wine was, again, a bit of a disappointment. They DO have great t-shirts "Live Well -- Drink Well" of which I bought one, but no wine.

Domaine Serene has extraordinary grounds. Unfortunately we spent a bit too long taking pictures of those grounds and missed the opportunity to taste their highly regarded (and highly priced) wines as we walked into the tasting room at 4:05PM on a Sunday afternoon while they stop offering tastings at 4:00PM.

All in all, if you are visiting from the East coast and are serious about putting together a case to ship home, you would be best served visiting a tasting room like the two I've mentioned above and putting together a "mixed case."

We found that tasting fees seemed fairly steep in Oregon compared to Napa, Sonoma, Virginia, North Carolina, France, Italy or South Africa. But the experience was helpful while ordering wines in restaurants the rest of the trip -- at least we knew some to avoid, and some we felt comfortable chosing. It has also proven helpful "back at home" because Oregon Pinot Noirs always seem to show up on wine lists in nice restaurants. There is less of a mark-up in restaurants than you find in cities like NY, LA, and DC.

While we totally enjoyed staying at the Hotel Oregon, we ate lunch there on Sunday and breakfast the next morning, and while the food was good, the service was cheerful but woefully time consuming.

We made reservations for dinner one night at Tina's on ORE 99 West in Dundee (near the Ponzi tasting room and restaurant.) We had a fine dinner there, excellent service, and they use fresh local ingredients. The dessert was REALLY outstanding -- layers of meringue and berries and whipped creme drizzled with chocolate and raspberry sauce. The pan grilled oysters are a super starter.

Have a wonderful time in Oregon. It is a beautiful place, the people are terrific, and you will eat and drink very well there!

I just realized, someone sent me this link that you might find helpful, too!
http://www.oregonwine.org/Home/

silvana, I got all my information from mms when we moved to Portland..I canno t take any credit :)
Have a wonderful trip..I miss Portland .

Thanks Scarlett:)

Yes, I live near the wineries. If you need any info, just ask. Beachbum is another poster here who is quite knowledgable in this area. The biggest thing to remember is that high prices do not necessarily mean that a particular wine is any good. I have found the best ones to be from the smaller wineries and are much more reasonably priced than some of the big names on the blue tourist signs. Pinot noir is big here, but pinot gris is a close second. Last fall the weather was so wet that the wineries were scrambling to harvest. Because that was a rough year, many places will have you tasting the 2006 instead.

Thank you for all this great info-I'm getting a clearer picture of where to go! The wine info is greatly appreciated-we are very much into wine tasting-one of the reasons we chose this area for this trip. However, coming from New Jersey-the natural beauty is something we are looking forward to. My husband is still trying to sneak in Seattle, although I agree 7 days is not enough time!
Can you suggest places to stay near or at Cannon Beach?

I really like Cannon Beach. We always stay at the Surfsand Resort, which is the only place on the OR coast with cabana service. The hotel is very nice, has views right out to Haystack Rock, is right on the water, good restaurant on site (the Wayfarer) and is an easy walk to the heart of downtown. That all said, since it is just the two of you, you might be interested in their sister property the Stephanie Inn. I have not stayed there, but Beachbum has so he can give first hand information on that. He also has stayed at the Surfsand quite a bit so could give you a good comparison of the two. I prefer the location of the Surfsand however, because I like to walk everywhere.

Cannon Beach???

http://www.barbneal.com/wav/uncat/robot01.wav

I agree, Cannon Beach..beautiful.
SurfSand and Stephanie Inn and also the Ocean Lodge www.theoceanlodge.com
( my new goal for when we go visit friends in Or)..

Where to eat..
Wayfarer
Gower Street Bistro
grab a picnic from Ecola Seafoods..

Thank you for all your great info-here is my itinerary so far -still open for any suggestions!
Tues-Arrive Portland 9am-sightsee in Portand
Weds-Wine tasting-stay at Black Walnut Inn (this was the only night avail until following Mon)
Thurs-Do some more wine tasting on way to Cannon Beach (staying Thurs/Fri at SurfSand)
Fri-Cannon Beach area
Sat-Drive to 3 Capes Scenic Loop-return to Portland Sat night
Sun-Columbia Gorge ?stay overnight??
Mon-Gorge?-return to Portland in evening
Tues-finish seeing Portland -plane leaves at 9pm
Is the Gorge a 2 day trip? Suggestions to stay?
Thank you again for all your help-if anyone is planning to visit the New Jersey area I would be happy to help!!

The Gorge is only about 30-45 min from downtown Portland.. not at all necessary to stay over somewhere else.. unless you just wanted to.

Scarlett is right. The gorge is an easy day trip from downtown. If you want to hike at all though, you might want to stay over just depending on how much you would do. Just in case, a few places to look at in the gorge are the Edgefield, View Point Inn and Bridal Veil Lodge.

The Columbia Gorge Hotel is a very nice place to stay, they offer a great Farm Country breakfast that is included with your stay. Have a great trip! ***kim*** ((#))

I agree with others; the Gorge is an easy day trip from Portland, even if you do some hiking. Hood River, the farthest east you'd be, is only an hour's drive. If you do decide to make a 2-day trip out of it, consider spending the night at Timberline Lodge at the top of Mt. Hood, and maybe doing some hiking up there too.

Suggest you spend Wednesday tasting in the Dundee area, and stop in Carlton on your way to Cannon Beach. Lots of nice, and high-priced wineries around Dundee where you'd enjoy tasting, but for some, you'll need to increase your credit card limit if you plan to buy. Ask if you'd like recommendations.

And busted's suggestion re buying is good too. You can put together mixed cases at Ponzi's tasting bar in Dundee, or any of several places in Carlton: the aforementioned Tasting Room, Tyrus Evan tasting room in the remodeled train station across the street, Horse Radish four doors down, or Carlton Winemaker's Studio, a co-op of sorts where several small producers share a facility.

Thanks for all your suggestions-I have the "bones" of the trip done-now the details-
Appreciate which wineries are not to be missed-also are most open or by appt?

There are many smaller boutique-type places making some of Oregon's best wines, but most of those taste by appointment only, and with the appointment usually comes an expectation of purchase. But no worries.... lots of great wines at places with regular tasting hours too.

For many visitors, Domaine Serene, Archery Summit, and Domaine Drouhin top the list. All three make wonderful wines, but expensive.... and tasting fee is $15. I think you'd just as much enjoy De Ponte, just up the hill from Archery Summit. Nice wines there too, at a fraction of the cost. Erath is another popular place; one of Oregon's pioneer wineries. And if you like sparkling wines, Argyle, at the main intersection in the tiny town, is getting good press across the country. Decent pinot noirs there, too. We've also had nice experiences at Torii Mor, and Rex Hill, in Newberg. These all have regular hours.

In Carlton, I'd add Scott Paul and Cana's Feast to the several tasting rooms. Both are in town. As you head to the coast from there, you'll pass signs for several others. Take a chance on one; you might discover a gem!

My husband and I are getting ready to leave for Portland to visit our son. We were planning on going to Dundee for two days, is that too long a time to stay in that area? If not, what to do, other than wineries?

Thanks!

Picture a highway, a 2 lane highway, with homes, garages, little strip malls and here and there, a winery.

2 days is not really necessary. This is the basic winery route, you can go farther and see nicer areas but I never thought it was worth staying over night.. I was happy to drive home and have dinner in one of the many great restaurants in town..

My wife and I are planning a trip almost identical to Silvana in about 10 days. The posts to her question have been really helpful!

I have one additional, more specific question - we're hoping to find a Pinot Noir that may not be as well known, and hard to find in wine shops, but shouldn't be missed while visiting. The best equivalent I have is A.Rafanelli for those familiar with their Zin. They are a small producer who only sell to their mailing list and restaurants. Maybe a ridiculous question (and favorite wines is always subjective), but thought I'd throw it out and see if any of you could make a similar recommendation.

Thanks!

Another great wine country b&b is Youngberg Hill. And for lunch or dinner I highly recommend Bistro Maison on the main street in downtown McMinnville, we've been several times and it's always great! I think they are closed early in the wk so you may want to check days. Enjoy!!

Scott Paul does some nice Pinot Noir, I love the "audrey" if you can still find it. Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene and Archery Summit are all great places for Pinot tasting. We were in the Dundee area this past October picking grapes for our Pinot Noir which is aging very nicely! ***kim*** ((#))

Popj,

I ditto the Scott Paul rec if you love the burgundian style of PN. Great stuff and an interesting tasting of burgandies that he imports, as well as his own wines.

We liked Patricia Green, but it's appt only. Many of the smaller producers are appt only, but it's worth trying to set up some private tastings if that's the sort of experience you prefer.

Check out Carlton Winemakers studio for a tasting of some of the really small wineries including Andrew Rich and Boedecker.

Scott Paul's Audrey is his reserve label, and usually sells out shortly after it's released. How long ago was it that you bought that bottle, kimamom?

I also like Andrew Rich at Carlton Winemaker's Studio, but you might find something else there you think is better. Ken Wright is another one to look for, also in Carlton. And I've never had a bottle from J. Albin that I haven't liked. Albin is also the Director of Winemaking at King Estates, but produces his best stuff under his own label. His small winery is outside of Newberg. Then there's Owen Roe....

We also like the Patricia Green wines and the Winemaker's Studio is cool, you can taste several different wines there in one place, they have a nice outdoor area also to enjoy your tastings. ***kim*** ((#))

You must be thinking of the outdoor area at Cana's Feast next door, kimamom. Carlton Winemaker's Studio's is tiny. Makes one wonder if you were ever really there. Or Scott Paul, for that matter. :?

Beachbum--Makes you wonder about a lot more things as well.

I wonder about how to haul all of those rain soaked grapes to California.

A poster on another board mentioned that Patty Green is currently sold out of all wines...so...no stopping there until Thanksgiving time.

Check out Shea Wine Cellars. They are also by appointment only. Dick and Dierdre Shea own what is, hands down, one of the best vineyard sites in Oregon. Many other wineries produce wines from Shea Vineyard.

popj--Look at Brick House, Grochau Cellars, or Arbor Brook. They all make excellent wines and are not found everywhere. As a bonus, they are all located very close to each other so that will save on time as well.

PDXWineaux--True about hauling the grapes. Especially since they were picked after everything else was harvested here, and with the rains we had...I wouldn't want to touch those!

mms, I have a feeling that, with the rains, they may be "corked" grapes even before they hit the bottle. I'm wondering if too much tasting went on prior to picking. LOL!

In a 12-14 hr drive wouldn't you <i>eat</i> most the grapes?

We just returned from our Oregon trip. Just want to thank you for all the great advice-it all worked out and we had a great time-brought home some good wines. The Black Walnut Inn and The Surfsand resort were outstanding! Oregon is beautiful! Thanks again for all the info.

Glad to hear the trip was good, but we would love to hear more details:)

Thanks for the report, but we won't let you get away with it being so brief! ;-) Any fave wines or diamond-in-the-rough winery finds?

Didn't want to bore you with details, but since you asked....wine tasting experience was great. Didn't have enough time to really seek out the undiscovered wineries, checked out the ones that were recommended -Domaine Serene, Domaine Drouhin, Erath,Tori Mor, Ponzi, Argyle and several more. We were also driving ourselves so you just have to stop at some point! It was a real treat tasting Pinot after Pinot and we also drank Pinot at every meal! I don't usually buy Pinot in my &quot;everyday wines&quot; because it is so expensive and we don't get a large variety of wine from Oregon here in NJ. My fav of the places I visited was Tori Mor and purchased a 2006 Olson Estate Pinot. Fav meal was at the Wayfarer at Cannon Beach-halibut topped with a sauce of shrimp and artichokes. Yum...Great restaurant. Low point of the trip-we took a tour van to Mt Hood-we were tired of driving-tour was great but I got sick on the way back(I have a food allergy and ate something at lunch) had to stop at least 4 times on the way home -yes that was me throwing up in the street-not pretty!
Would love to come back with my wine club and spend all the time at the wineries. Again, thanks for all your help!

Still here and collecting info for our trip in a week and a half....do you recommend Wayfarer Restaurant to Newmanns 988..we're staying at the Stephanie Inn

Just returned from Oregon trip-Wayfarer was excellent-we ate there both evenings we were at Cannon Beach. Didn't go to the other so can't compare.