DH and I will be visiting Portland in July on business and are planning to spend a few nights in the Willamette wine country. We'd like to stay in a B&B, and being within walking distance to the town would be a nice bonus. It looks like McMinnville has several B&Bs that meet those requirements, but it's tough to tell which ones would be the nicest. We're looking to stay under $200/night, and it seems like that is doable. Does anyone have knowledge of any of the following lodging possibilities, or can you possibly recommend one that you might think is even better? Steiger Haus, Tuscan Estate and Baker Street Inn fit the above. Oregon Wine cottage looks nice, but we'd have to go to the grocery and shop - not a big deal, but it might just be easier to have a gourmet breakfast prepared and not have to worry about storage and leftovers.

Another thought - would you recommend Newberg over McMinnville? We're not locked into any location at this time.

I'd also be open to winery suggestions. I'm working on a list cross-referencing those with highly-rated wines in Wine Spectator, and have read previous posts. I'm becoming a pinot noir lover, but also enjoy other full-bodied reds. Our friends are more partial to whites, so we'll probably be looking for wineries that have a variety of wines to taste. Are there any that we shouldn't miss? I'd be willing to call ahead and make an appointment for any wineries that aren't normally open for drop-by tasters. We'll have 2 wine-tasting days, and I want to make them count!

Did you see the Black Walnut Inn ? sigh ... so beautiful. I did not look at prices-

http://www.blackwalnut-inn.com/


I never stayed in the "wine country", we lived in Portland and it was a short (30 min) drive..

The Black Walnut Inn has been highly recommended in the forums, but it has a high price tag to go along with it. Any other recommendations for northern Oregon lodgings?

Baker Street is the closest to the heart of downtown Mac. I haven't stayed at any of these since we live just about 20 minutes north of Mac, but I am down there often so am familiar with the area. Anyway, It is right on hwy 99 which is the main road through town, but it is in a quieter stretch of it so I wouldn't worry about the location at all, and like I said it is right there just a block from the heart of downtown.

Tuscan Estate is nearby as well, but up a few blocks and definitely more in a residential, nondescript street.

Steiger Haus is right next to campus. It is a few blocks from the heart of downtown, which is walkable, but I really don't care for some of the stuff around it...lots of college apts and such. It is set back from the street and has lots of big trees on the property.

Definitely stay in Mac over Newberg. Newberg has a lot of wineries, but as far as the town...well, I grocery shop there and that is all. I much, much prefer Mac.

Have you looked at Hotel Oregon? Granted, not a B&B, but it is a McMenamin property and is right in the heart of downtown. I have stayed there several years ago and really like it. All the McMenamin properties are a lot of fun. Check the website at www.mcmenamins.com and you can decide if that is something you are interested in or not. You will not get a gourmet breakfast here, but luckily the best breakfast place in town, IMO, is about two blocks down and is the Wildwood Cafe.

As for the wineries and whites...my favorite is Arbor Brook. They make a really good pinot gris! They are just up the road from Adelsheim, which I like as well, and they are both close to Brick House which has amazing pinot noirs. My other favorite Pinot Noir is Grochau Cellars, which is actually now based in NW Portland, but you can taste in Newberg.

There are SO many good wineries, but my favorites are the ones that are off of the main hwy99w on the various backroads. You will see lots of blue tourist signs for wineries, but that doesn't mean they are the best...usually just the most expensive.

Other ones that are personal favorites include Chehalem (both for pinot gris and pinot noir), Amity (pinot noirs and dessert wine), Argyle(for sparkling whites), and Domaine Drouhin (pinot noirs).

Thanks a million, mms! Argyle is definitely on the list. I'll check out Hotel Oregon. Your recommendation of McMinnville definitely seals the deal.

No question that McMinnville is preferable to Newberg, but don't rule out Carlton. You could spend a whole day in the 8-10 tasting rooms lining the town's two-block-long main street.

And, just to caution you... if you're already "becoming a pinot noir lover," a visit here will seal the deal. Oregon is producing some truly great wines. But, they ain't cheap!

I'm curious; which/whose wines does Wine Spectator rate highly?

I looked at the Dec 2008 Top 100 issue to see which wines from Oregon were highly-ranked. They have a section called "Best New Wines from Around the World" and they list wines with a rating of 85 points or above. There were a lot of Oregon wineries - Chehalem, Elk Cove, Terrapin, Blue Pirate, Kyria, King Estate, Willamette, Willamette Valley, A to Z, Anne Amie, Bridgeview, Ponzi, Solena, Eola Hilla, Erath,Ken Wright (mentioned a number of times), Christom, Owen Rowe, Rex Hill, Sokol Blosser, Panther Creek, Archery Summit, Cooper Mountain, I'M, Winters Hill, Castle Rock, Cherry Hill, Domaine Drouhin, Iris, Coleman, Argyle, Cliff Creek, Abacela, Tyrus Evan, Cuvee Z, to name a few!

I know what you mean about the price of pinot. Imagine my surprise on a visit to Sonoma last year when I realized that it wasn't a dislike for Pinot Noir, but simply a matter of not having previously paid the price for good pinot! We joined the wine club of one of the California wineries, and just received our shipment of Pinot Noir and Zin this week! We enjoyed a bottle last night (from an earlier shipment) with a fabulous meal of duck breast and risotto. Heaven!

Thanks! Some real surprises on that list, and several I've not even heard of. Were they all pinot noirs? And I wonder what vintage. If you're using that list to help determine where to stay, move Carlton towards the top of possibles. Ken Wright, Tyrus Evan, and Solena are all there, within a few blocks of eachother (though it's puzzling to me that Solena would make the list).

beachbum--I agree, some definite surprises on that list. And that some are not on the list, lol.

From the previous list, from Ken Wright - Coleman are the pinot noirs. The wineries before that were noted for pinot gris, and the ones following are listed under "other" (sparkling, chard, claret - a little of everything). Ken Wright has MANY wines on the list. I thought it was further south than the Willamette area. I'll have to rethink that.

The lodging from Carlton looks like it could be Carlton Inn, Lobenhaus, or Brookside Inn. Any recommendations? I'm also thinking about Joel Palmer House for dinner one night. It's in Dayton. Have you been there?