13818 Wed Feb 16 10:33:17 -0800 2005 16 4 Pacific Northwest 0 30257 Hello Fellow Chowhounders... I am planning a trip to Portland (from Chicago) in May and am seeking suggestions for your favorite wineries in the Portland/Willamette Valley region. A friend and I will do our own "Sideways" tour of wineries and would like to visit a nice selection. What are your favorites? Thanks in advance for your suggestions! Wed Feb 16 10:33:17 -0800 2005 0 Adam 1 30259 My wife and I spent a long weekend last Spring touring a few wineries. My three favorite experiences were in places where I could talk to the winemakers themselves. The Carlton Winemakers' Studio (A small group of winemakers who've formed a collaborative. Interesting wines, beautiful place, decent food, too.) J. Christopher/Hollaran Vineyard Wines (Really nice folks making really nice wines. I've liked everything I've tried under their J. Christopher lable.) Girardet Wine Cellars (Fascinating, gregarious, and welcoming French family who have been making consistently delicious wines for years, some of them from grapes and complex blends that no one else in the country has ever grown. Unique, consistently delicious, unique, and always a big bang for the buck.) Also, Evesham Wood makes excellent Pinot Noir. I don't know if their vineyard is open to the public, though. I recommend looking-up the vineyards you want to visit before you go. Many will gladly open to meet you, even if they aren't open to the public that day. More on Oregon wineries can be found here: http://www.oregonlive.com/wine/ Wed Feb 16 11:54:33 -0800 2005 30257 0 Sir Loins 1 30260 Adam, how far out from Portland do you want to go? Most wineries are about 25-30 miles outside of downtown, but it's a pretty easy drive. Near the Newberg/Dayton area I'd recommend Domaine Drouhin, Cameron, and Lange. If you want to go a bit further out to Carlton, definitely make a stop at Belle Pente, and you may want to try Ken Wright or the Carlton Winemaker's Studio while you're out there (neither house my favorites, but a lot of people like them). In McMinnville try Westrey and La Bete. If you want to head further south towards Salem, Evesham Wood and St. Innocent are your best bets. Remember, most of the better OR wineries don't have tasting rooms and you'll have to make appointments at almost all of these places I've recommended. Some may even tell you that they can't see you...they aren't being rude, they're just small operations that may not have the time to see you that week. Marshall Wed Feb 16 11:57:15 -0800 2005 30257 0 Marshall Manning 1 30262 I visited friends in Portland 2 weeks ago and we spent a day doing wine tasting. We started in Dundee with lunch at a local cafe which had a tasting room attached for Ponzi wines. This was not the Ponzi winery. I would skip this location next time. We went across the street to the Argyle tasting room. We tasted a flight of sparkling wines($5 for 5 tastes, which was pretty much the standard). The wines were nice, the pourer was very knowledgable, but it was just OK, location-wise. Then we went to Sokol Blosser, which was beautiful. I would recommend this one. Then we went to the Carlton Winemakers studio. Not as picturesque as S/B, but another I would recommend. My favorite was WillaKenzie, which was not on our original itinerary, but the pourer at Carlton suggested we go there. It was my favorite. The drive there was beautiful and the wines were terrific. The pourer (there must be a name for this job) was great, and even drew us a map of a beautiful route back to Portland via back roads that was worth the trip. I would not miss the WillaKenzie stop. We had a great little guidebook that was organized by area, with detail maps to each location, published by the Oregon Wine Advisory Board. The web addresses on the back are wineinfo@oregonwine.org and www.oregonwine.org. Have fun. Wed Feb 16 12:33:14 -0800 2005 30257 0 Pat Darnell 1 30263 If you happen to be coming in over the Memorial Day weekend, you're in for a treat. The vast majority of the wineries in Oregon are open to the public that weekend, including Owen Roe & Sineann. If not, here are a few worth visiting when you are in the area. Cuneo Cellars - Sat. & Sun. 12-5 Brickhouse - open by appt. J.K. Carriere - open by appt. Domanie Drouhin - 11-4 Weds.-Sun., also offers private tours Carlton Winemakers Studio - 11-5 daily, it's a co-op of 10 winemakers including Andrew Rich...and it's right next door to Cuneo! Although they're not a wineries, I highly recommend stopping in at least one of the fantastic wine shops/wine bars in the area too. Many of then hold daily tastings of some of the finest wine Orgeon & Washington have to offer. My favorite is the Oregon Wine Tasting Room at the Bellvue Market. It's just south of McMinnville on Hwy 18. Wed Feb 16 12:37:56 -0800 2005 30257 0 food junkie 2 30284 As a non-drinker, I have to recommend J.K. Carriere because the winemaker, Jim Prosser, is quite a hottie (he's also very nice, and if my wine-drinking friends are to be believed, very good at making wine). And for what it's worth, in December Outside magazine named him one of the "25 Coolest People Now". Another B&B recommendation is Springbrook Hazelnut Farm. JK Carriere is in one of the outbuildings and it's also right next to Rex Hill and across the highway from Chehalem. A friend stayed there and highly recommended it, and it is actually a working hazelnut farm. I think that Memorial Day weekend is a good time to tour the wineries, and from what I've heard nowhere near as crowded as places like Napa. A lot of the wineries are open by invitation the weekend before Memorial Day--you could contact them to see if you could get invited along with the high rollers. For food in the area, I'd recommend Tina's and Red Hills in Dundee and of course Nick's Italian Cafe in McMinnville. I'd strongly suggest that anyone in the area avoid Alfie's in Dundee. Link: http://www.jkcarriere.com/ Wed Feb 16 22:25:53 -0800 2005 30263 0 Nettie 1 30264 Adam, What kind of wines are you looking to try and price range? Pinot Noir mostly? If so, do you like the typical NW style or more along the NW "burgundian" style. If you give us a couple more details on what your preferences are in re: wine, driving, scenery, I am sure the forum can come up with some excellent suggestions. Personally, I love the Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, Beaux Freres to Carlton tour. Wed Feb 16 12:55:47 -0800 2005 30257 0 Sully 2 30266 This is actually my first winery tour and I want to have a broad experience tasting wines across different price points and within 50 miles or so from Portland. I also want to learn more about the wine making process and would like to visit some wineries that offer winery tours. I am planning to visit between 8-12 wineries during my visit. I am a researcher by nature, so if in addition to recommending wineries for us to visit, you are aware of any internet resources, that would also be much appreciated. I have been using the following resources: http://www.oregonwine.com http://www.willamettewines.com/index.shtml http://www.avalonwine.com/ *Also, what are your thoughts on the following wineries: Sokol-Blosser, Argyle, Torii Mor, Patricia Green, and Maysara?* Thank you all very much for your suggestions and advice! This is truly a great message board. Wed Feb 16 13:14:05 -0800 2005 30264 0 Adam 3 30268 As to the wineries you mentioned - Sokol is a pretty place to visit but the wines are only marginal; Argyle makes one or two nice pinots; Torii is a nice stop as is Patty Green (warehouse). I'm not familiar with Maysara. Be warned, Oregon's 2003s are high in alcohol so they're pretty jammy with not a lot of backbone. For a little taste of a lot, try Oregon Wines on Broadway downtown where you can try tastes or glasses of a nice cross section of Oregon wines. Wed Feb 16 13:30:40 -0800 2005 30266 0 Hunter 3 30270 here is another link for you to try: http://winesnw.com/ If you are doing 8-12 wineries, I would recommend doing it over 2 days, with a stay down in wine country at a local b&b. http://www.winecountryfarm.com/ Wed Feb 16 13:50:33 -0800 2005 30266 0 sully 1 30267 Hey Adam, have a great time when you come and visit! Wine country out here is lots of fun, not pretentious and really accessible. I've linked a very useful site below. Go there and at the bottom is a link so that you can get a free 144 page guide that is very handy for notes and such and fits in your pocket. On the site is all that info and much more - interactive maps, new info, bulletins and newsletters, B&B info, tour info., who won what awards, etc. The tours can be a great way of getting to all the places you want, without anyone having to be the designated driver...because someone should be, ya know? Some of the places I have been that are usually open without reservations (best to check, though) and that have delicious and interesting stuff to taste: -Cuneo (some interesting Italian varietals (I like the Sangiovese) which is nice after a day of pinot (which I love, but still), some interesting imported Italian foodstuffs for sale- and if you go there, do Carlton Winemakers studio next door) -Domaine Drouhin (old vines, lovely wines, gorgeous property) -Torii Mor (nice little Japanese Garden at the tasting room, nice property, a very nice inexpensive non-oaky Chardonnay [and I HATE Chardonnays]) -Archery Summit (some nice high end stuff, the high tasting fees are worth it) -Domaine Serene -Anne Amie (used to be Chateau Benoit, though the wine isn't bad (I like the Yamhill pinot), the view on a clear day is fabulous - this is a great place to have a picnic lunch on their outdoor tables, if you do not eat in a restaurant...) -Sokol Blosser (nice property and tasting room, I like their dessert Riesling in the frosted bottle, right off of 99) And, if you can't get to all of the wineries you want while you are here, you can go to these places to taste and purchase some great local stuff: http://www.oregonwinesonbroadway.com/ (downtown) http://www.linerandelsen.com/ (west side) http://www.greatwinebuys.com/ (east side) (BTW, I miss the Wine Discount Center on Elston in Chicago. When I was really poor and living in Chicago in the early 90's it was the only way I could afford to buy decent wine.) Link: http://www.oregonwine.org/ Wed Feb 16 13:29:21 -0800 2005 30257 0 Jill-O 1 30276 I love the Oregon wines! The Willamette Valley Vineyards is very pretty and they make some nice wines there. A few of my favorites are: WillaKenzie: Pinot Gris Broadley: Pinot Noir, we just had a bottle of this at our V-Day dinner! (94 in Wine Enthusiast) Raptor Ridge: Excellent Pinot Gris here! Tori Mor: Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, both excellent! I haven't been to any of these place yet except the Willamette Valley vineyard, but the wines are excellent! I also have a list of favorites for Southern,OR if you're ever in that region! Cheers! ***kim*** Wed Feb 16 18:19:15 -0800 2005 30257 0 kim c 2 30282 Willamette Valley Vineyards is owned by, imho, one of the least honest winemakers. On top of that I think their wines are very, very average at best but everyone's taste in wine is different. However, they are shamelessly promoted by their "owner/stockholders." Full disclosure, are you one of them? Wed Feb 16 20:24:49 -0800 2005 30276 0 johnagain 3 30295 ...and you can buy their wine at Costco for about $12/bottle. It's not rotgut but it is certainly not worth more. Thu Feb 17 12:43:08 -0800 2005 30282 0 Jill-O 3 30337 Hmmm.... maybe maybe not! The property is gorgeous here, tho, set up on the hill and the tasting room is very pretty with lots of extra goodies. Maybe not the best wine in OR, but worth a stop, IMO! Paschal in Southern OR also has a gorgeous tasting room and I love their Pinot Gris. The Dobbes Family Pinot Noir was also very good that we purchsed there. Abacela (So Or) produces some wonderful Syrah and Granache. I found these wines at The Cannery Cafe in Astoria, OR. Cheers! ***kim*** Fri Feb 18 13:46:47 -0800 2005 30282 0 kim c 3 31492 Actually, a correction to the comments on Willamette Valley Vineyards. The winery is owned by shareholders. Not one person. The winemaker is a staff member. The current winemaker at WVV is Forest Klaffke. He served as the Assitant Winemaker to Joe Dobbes, Jr. when Joe was still at WVV. So, he was promoted from within. Have you tasted the WVV Estate Pinot Noir? The Karina Vineyard, Freedom Hill or Hoodview Pinots? Extremely well made wines! The 2003 and 2004 Pinot Gris is right up there with many other tasty Oregon Pinot Gris. Also the 2001 Chardonnay...excellent! Many Oregon wineries are finally working with clones that are suited for Oregon, rather than those meant for California. And before you ask, no I am not a shareholder. Link: http://PDXWineauxs.com Sun Mar 27 18:32:09 -0800 2005 30282 0 Kathy 1 30287 Cameron, Ken Wright, Ponzi, A to Z, Owen Roe, O'Reilly's, Patricia Green, Bethel Heights, Tony Soter, St. Innocent, Raptor Ridge, and Brick House. Wed Feb 16 23:52:46 -0800 2005 30257 0 Omnivore