8 Best Sights in Southern Oregon, Oregon

The name derives from an archaic Spanish word meaning "to plant grapevines," and that's exactly what this winery's husband-wife team started doing in the late '90s. Abacela has steadily established itself as one of Oregon's most esteemed wineries. Hot-blooded Spanish Tempranillo is Abacela's pride and joy, though inky Malbec and a subtly floral Albariño also highlight a repertoire heavy on Mediterranean varietals, which you can sample in a handsome, eco-friendly tasting room where you can also order light appetizers to snack on.

About 12 miles north of Medford on the way to Crater Lake and near the area's two famous Table Rock hikes, Kriselle offers tastings in an airy, contemporary wood-frame bar with spectacular vineyard and Cascades Range views and spacious patio. The winery produces one of the best Sauvignon Blancs in Oregon, along with a superb Cabernet Franc. On weekends, Kriselle serves pizzas from its wood-fired oven.

In diminutive Gold Hill, about 15 miles east of Grants Pass, one of the Rogue Valley's most established vineyards stands out as much for its elegant wines as for its setting—the tasting room is inside the former Rock Point Hotel, which dates to 1865. In this grand building or out on the breezy patio, you can sample Del Rio's finest bottles, including an age-worthy Claret Bordeaux-style blend, a heady Rhône-style Syrah, and some of the most appealing rosés in the valley.

Southwest of downtown Medford amid a bucolic patch of fruit orchards, this winery and tasting room adjoins a stately 19th-century white-clapboard farmhouse surrounded by flower beds and vegetable gardens. Inside the tasting room you can sample and buy EdenVale's noted reds, a late-harvest dessert Viognier, and a first-rate cider produced with estate-grown pears.

One of southern Oregon's earliest wine-making stars, this picturesque estate sits alongside the Umpqua River about 15 miles northwest of Roseburg and turns out exceptional Pinot Noir and Alsace-style Pinot Gris, along with some European wines less often seen in the United States, such as Müller-Thurgau and Veraison. The winery hosts a number of events, including a Cajun blues festival each June.

Just a short drive east of downtown, this long-established winemaker occupies a leafy hilltop with broad views of the surrounding mountains. Specialties include a fine Malbec, a well-respected Viognier, both conventional (crisp, minerally) a Barile dessert wine, and a nicely balanced Tempranillo. The winery also rents out a stylish one-bedroom cottage with a kitchen and hot tub for overnight stays.

A trip to this peaceful hillside winery in the Applegate Valley offers the chance to sample organic fresh and aged cheese produced with milk from the winery's dairy goats. Enjoy a platter of cheeses along with homemade charcuterie while you relax on the patio, sipping the exceptional estate wines, including Malbec, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, and Chardonnay.