Recommendations on Willamette Valley - Mix of old and new world style wines

Hello,

Looking for some recommendations on a trip to Willamette. I was reading that its better to go further south out of PDX to escape the hoards of people visiting on day trips. Looking for a good mix of new world and burgundian style wines. Lodging and restaurant recos would be an added bonus.

I found a few threads but it looked like they were focused on the northern areas: Yamhill, Dundee, Chehalem.

Convince me otherwise about north side of valley.

Thank you.

I’m no expert but there certainly weren’t hoards of people a few years ago when I was in McMinnville in July…there was a bunch of good wine and food, though.

thank you.

Gene, with the whole COVID thing going on, almost all the wineries are by appointment only. In addition, if you stay in McMinnville and focus on wineries toward Carlton or the Eola Hills, you won’t see any of the hordes.

The restaurant scene in McMinnville isn’t back to full strength quite yet (I don’t think Thistle is back open and Valley Commissary is permanently closed), but there are a number of good options. La Rambla for Spanish-style food, Pura Vida for Central American, Pizza Capo is very good, Nick’s Italian Cafe is back open, as is Bistro Maison. Community Plate has very good breakfasts and lunches. The city closes Third St (the main drag where all the restaurants are) every weekend for the summer, so there are lots of outdoor dining options. Another place with a nice vibe and a few food carts in Mac Market out in the Granary District. It’s close to most of the wineries (and breweries) in town. People swear by Flag and Wire coffee out in the Granary District as well.

Our Brewery is in the Granary District, just down the street from Eyrie. We are closed right now, but a number of our beers are on tap at Mac Market until the end of June when we take back out kegerator and start fixing up the Brewery for some Fall events. I’m more than happy to host a visit as well.

As far as wineries are concerned, doing Beaux Freres, Patty Green and Brickhouse would be a nice trip to Ribbon Ridge. North, but closer to town, you have Belle Pente, Lemelson, and Soter, and in Carlton you have Flaneur, Big Table Farms, and the Carlton Winemakers Studio (with a number of very small wineries). In McMinnville, we have Goodfellow, Eyrie, and Winderlea/Brittan all within walking distance of each other. There are also a number of more commercial tasting rooms on Third St. Later this summer, a new wine bar called Hi-Fi will be opening on Third St. It looks like it will be a first class upgrade (from a wine and ambiance perspective) over anything else on Third. The will be pouring Martin Woods wines, along with a very strong selection of European wines. Going south from McMinnville, you could visit Cristom, Bethel Heights, and Board darling Walter Scott. Brooks and Grochau (and Vincent I believe) are also in the Eola Hills and could warrent a visit. There are hundreds of wineries up here. The ones I listed are ones that I feel are more on the AFWE side of things, but there are alot of other that are more full throttle as well.

Down towards Salem, you should also consider St. Innocent and Evesham Wood.

Haha, thanks for correcting our spelling!

Suggestions on places to stay? I’m trying to put together a trip for two couples next month that takes us from Portland into Willamette, then down the coast to Bandon (sneaking in a couple of rounds of golf with the other husband). The Allison is fully booked, so other suggestions would be appreciated.

The Atticus in McMinnville?

The Atticus is a good recommendation. For groups larger than two, consider the Third St. Flats.

In the upscale range also is the Black Walnut.

www.blackwalnutvineyard.com

Amity Flats is also worth considering. Amity is not the rollicking metropolis that McMinville is, but the Franny Beck wine tasting room is right below.

Thanks. I think the Atticus and Third St. Flats both were booked for the time frame we’re looking at. Any insights on Bella Collina?

Peter, you just saved me. We’re making a road trip from California to Seattle this August, and wanted to make a stop in the Willamette Valley to taste. I’ve been struggling (truly) to find accommodations the last 24 hours. Places are booking up minute by minute, have very specific child age requirements (older than 6, 8 or 10 - always varies, but ours are 3 and 5). I’m not above staying in a Best Western or Holiday Inn Express…but they’re not my first choice. Just booked the largest apartment in Amity Flats - a great value considering the space. Should be a great homebase…!

THANK YOU!

So more less like Napa and Sonoma but we are reopening. I liked that everything here was appointment only. Made for a much more pastoral experience but likely not great for some businesses.

Thanks for all the tips.

Yes! love the wines from both of those wineries.

So our plans have morphed a bit now. We’ll be heading down from Seattle on Monday morning, July 19, and going all the way over to Salishan on the coast for two nights.

My local club’s sommelier suggested Domaine Serene for a visit; no wine geeks (other than myself), so it’s more about the overall experience. What do y’all think? Is this a good choice or do you have some other places you’d suggest we consider (in lieu or perhaps in addition to Serene)?

Domaine Serene is perfect if you’re coming by helicopter or are looking for the quintessential Napa Valley experience. IMO, any of the wineries mentioned above would be better choices. Hell, stop at Argyle. Their still wines aren’t my favorite (a little too much oak and lack of precision for me), but their sparkling wines are very good, and all non-wine geeks love sparkling wine. It’s right on the way too.

I’ll take that as a “pass” for DS. How about Stoller? It seems more easily accessible on our route, and I’m familiar with their wines (helped set up a wine dinner with them several years back at my club in Dallas).

What I’m thinking is that we are going to want a nice view, comfortable place to enjoy the wines, hopefully have someone knowledgeable and friendly assisting us on a few flights with some food (chees or charcuterie would be nice) to accompany for an hour or two.

Stoller works just fine.

Starting at $550/per person

“Packages start at $550 a person, but customers are encouraged to think big and make that flight even more expensive.

“The sky really is the limit when personalizing this experience, and fully customized options are available and welcomed by request,” the company said.”

Yikes.