The Pacific Northwest has become an increasingly popular wine destination. Oregon’s pinot noir was hailed as the nation’s very best in 2012. The world’s most influential wine publication, “Wine Spectator,” recently spotlighted 10 wines from Washington and Oregon on its annual top 100 list. From the Columbia River Gorge to Willamette Valley and even Puget Sound, come explore the Pacific Northwest’s finest.
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Stoller Vineyards, just 32 miles southwest of Portland in Dayton, Oregon, is a great place to start your Pacific Northwest winery experience. This picturesque vineyard features a new solar-powered tasting room with 4,000 square feet of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a magnificent landscape. The winery offers private tours allowing guests to explore the entire property, including the LEED Gold Certified winery and cellar. Following the tour, enjoy a hosted tasting, including a wine flight paired with an assortment of locally sourced cheeses.
You might even want to base your stay here as the vineyard offers three wine country vacation homes for overnight stays. Each includes luxurious amenities, spectacular vineyard vistas, a welcome bottle of award-winning SV Pinot Noir, as well as a complimentary tour and tasting.
The Willamette Valley is considered to be the heart of Oregon wine country. Explore it by taking a drive through the scenic back roads from the towns of Woodburn to Turner. The entire region is dotted with vineyards, berry farms and hop fields. At Silver Falls State Park, about 20 miles east of Turner, you’ll find an idyllic spot to enjoy a bottle of vino and a picnic lunch alongside of one of 10 different waterfalls.
Once in Turner, take time to explore Willamette Valley Vineyards, named one of the top 100 wineries in the entire world. The winery is known for its amazing pinot noir, but there are a number of tasty wines to try, including chardonnay, riesling and pinot blanc. Complimentary tours and tastings are available at 2 p.m. daily.
In the north end of Willamette Valley in Newburg is Adelsheim, one of Oregon’s founding wineries, with its first vineyard planted back in the early ’70s. Today, the estate includes 11 of the best vineyard sites in the valley, set across nearly 230 acres. Adelsheim is also known for its pinot noirs and offers private wine tastings in the dining room paired with regional, in-season cuisine. Vineyard and winery tours are available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, with reservations recommended.
The Columbia River Gorge, which divides Oregon and Washington, is not only known as one of the most spectacularly scenic areas in the nation, it’s also one of the top wine regions. You’ll find a number of wineries on both sides of the river, including the southernmost region of the Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) which extends to the eastern portion of the Gorge and the Columbia Gorge AVA, clustered around Lyle, Washington, which features about 15 wineries.
On the Oregon side, drive the 35-mile Columbia Gorge Fruit Loop from the foothills of majestic Mount Hood through orchards and vineyards along the riverbanks. Stop in at Phelps Creek Vineyards in Hood River for a tasting of the daily wine flight featuring chardonnay as well as pinot noir. Just down the road, Cathedral Ridge Winery offers a range of tasting and tours by appointment. For the ultimate experience, the “Connoisseur Tasting” includes barrel tastings, cellar tastings, reserve and current wines, as well as tours from a cellar master guide who takes guests through the past, present and future production of the wine. Wines are served with a gourmet food platter.
On the other side of the Gorge in Goldendale, Washington, the sprawling Maryhill Winery is a popular destination winery set atop a bluff overlooking the Columbia River and Mount Hood. It features a 3,000-square-foot tasting room — and if you’re here during the summer, you can even take in a live concert at the 4,000-seat outdoor amphitheater.
Ever heard the term “wiking”? If you haven’t yet, you will soon, particularly if you like hiking and good wine. Oregon is known for its wine country and as a paradise for hikers. As these increasingly popular activities can be done together, it’s been given the name “wiking.” The Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association has held a number of hiking/wine tasting trips with the opportunity to take in the incredibly lush Columbia River area scenery. The adventure includes tastings at four wineries and a picnic lunch complete with wine pairings. Keep an eye out for trips during the late spring and summer months.
Those who want to stay closer to Seattle will find over 100 wineries throughout the Puget Sound. The majority are located in Woodinville Wine Country, just 30 minutes northeast of the Emerald City. Nearly all the wineries here grow their grapes in the warm, arid climate of the Columbia Valley in Eastern Washington, but at these more intimate boutique wineries you’ll be more likely to have the winemakers themselves pour you a glass of their finest blend.
Adams Bench is a unique Woodinville winery that offers an Old World wine country feel where winemaker Tim Blue welcomes tasters into a firelit tasting room with fabulous cabernet sauvignon and cab blends. It’s open most Saturdays by appointment only.
Sample wines from 40 different wineries within a single mile in the Woodinville Warehouse District. While it isn’t exactly romantic, the wines truly deliver, and most tasting rooms are staffed by the winemakers themselves. Sparkman Cellars, Guardian Cellars and Darby Cellars often have a barbecue going out front, too. Here you might even watch the cofounder of Stevens Winery mashing syrah grapes just a few feet away from the pouring station.
Though less well-known than California wine and less fancy than the Bordeauxs and Chiantis of France and Italy, the wines of the Pacific Northwest have their own charm, a lack of pretension, and easy drinking qualities that make them perfect for both new wine drinkers and connoisseurs alike. And with proximity to big cities like Portland and Seattle, flights and lodging are varied and affordable. So hop on a plane or in your car, and head northwest for some wonderful wine this season!
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