The Dregs

WINE COUNTRY TOUR SUGGESTIONS

1. Quick Trip
If you’re interested in the shortest trip to a winery from Portland, that of course would consist of a visit to Urban Wineworks. If you want to say you have been as far as Yamhill County, go down 99W to Rex Hill, which is just before Newberg and just over the county line. On one side of the road you will discover Rex Hill Winery with its beautifully terraced picnic lawn area and delicious wines. The other side of the highway features Chehalem Winery, which is open to the public only twice a year, Memorial Day being one of those rare opportunities to indulge in their spirits. Drive time there: less than half an hour.

2. MAC Attack
The City of McMinnville is home to a number of wineries, most of which are not very far from the city’s tree-lined, historic downtown area. Visit Panther Creek Cellars, the newly formed R. Stuart & Company, and the hallowed cellars of Eyrie Winery all within a few blocks of each other. Each winery is within walking distance of downtown and another great stop – the Hotel Oregon, where visitors can enjoy featured Oregon wines in either the cellar or rooftop bars. For a second stop try Walnut City Wineworks, the one-stop-shop for a number of newer virtual wineries (i.e., those who share production facilities and equipment, yet who also produce some innovative wines). Drive time up and back on 99W: about an hour each way from Portland.

3. Eola Hills Oenology
The Eola Hills, situated roughly west and a little north of the City of Salem, create the elevation necessary to support the best winegrape viticulture. Some wineries draw their grapes from the area to create wines that reflect the unique soil and ecosystem caused by the region’s geologic makeup. These vineyards include: Bethels Heights Vineyard, Cristom Vineyards, and Witness Tree Vineyard. Also worthy of note in the Salem area is Evesham Wood Vineyard & Winery. If you want to make a loop after touring the first three wineries, then continue west to 99W and turn north. There, Amity Vineyards greets you just outside the town of Amity. Following 99W back to Portland leads you past a number of Yamhill County’s finest wineries, including both Erath and Lange Vineyards off of Worden Hill Road, leading west from Dundee. Drive time through Salem to Witness Tree/Cristom: about an hour. Total loop: allow two and a half hours just for the driving, but not bad when you make a day of it.

4. Sedimentary Journey
There are a growing number of vineyards and wineries located in the western edge of Yamhill County. Established on sedimentary soil types such as Willakenzie and Laurelwood, these vineyards produce grapes that make wines of distinctive flavors. Popular stops in the vicinity of the town of Gaston include Elk Cove Vineyards, Kramer Vineyards, Patton Valley, and a little further south, Willakenzie Estate. Follow 26 west to Forest Grove and turn south on 47 to Gaston: about an hour. For extra winetasting, take in a couple of Washington County wineries on the way out of Portland or coming back. Some definitely worth stopping for include Beran and Raptor Ridge.

5. Have You Ever Really Done Dundee?
The Red Hills of Dundee are home to a bevy of fine wineries. Drive south on 99W to Dundee from Portland. In Dundee you will find the Ponzi wine bar. Even though the Ponzi winery is in Washington County, its presence here in Yamhill County is worth a visit, considering they feature a number of local wineries in the tasting room. Drive a block further south on 99W and turn right on Worden Hill Road. You will find Cameron Winery on your right, one of those wineries open only a couple times a year. Winemaker John Paul will no doubt be on hand to pour some succulent selections. Further up Worden Hill Road there is a sign for Lange Winery off to the right. Do not be detered by the distance, it is well worth the few miles over gravel roads to sample Don Lange’s wine and his wit. Back on Worden Hill, stop in at Jim Maresh’s Red Barn tasting room. In addition to making his own wine, the Maresh vineyard has long supplied grapes to many of the better known Oregon wineries like Rex Hill. Culminate your Dundee experience at Erath Vineyards Winery, known for consistently great capped with a great view. Dick Erath has been making delicious value wine for longer than many of his fans have been legally drinking. The drive to Erath and back to Portland, not counting the stops, runs approximately an hour.

6. Bring Your Wallet
If you have managed to hang onto the Dot.com killing you made in the market, you are going to want to hit only the most expensive, crème de la crème, Oregon wineries. The trip hops from here to there, with some drive time in between, but since most likely you will be chauffeured around, you’ll have time to swoon over the elixirs you’ve tasted along the way. Take 99W to Newberg and then follow North Valley Road west to Beaux Freres Winery. Mike Etzel, the winemaker and principal at Beaux Freres, is the son-in-law of Wine Advocate (critic) Robert Parker, but that relationship has probably meant Mike has had to toe a higher standard to attain the accolades he has received for his wine. Mike’s wine may be the best value for a $50 plus per bottle Pinot Noir. To play out this comparison, follow the backroads from Beaux Freres to Carlton, where you will find Ken Wright Cellars not too far from the train station. Both these wineries are only open once or twice a year to the public and Ken Wright sells only future bottles of wine, rather than actual bottles of wine, since demand is so great for his wine creations. There are a few more Carlton wineries to visit, as long as you are there, and The Wine Shopp on the corner offers some expensive tastes, if you haven’t cleaned out your bank account so far. Notwithstanding the price, the wines offered are among the tastiest from Oregon. For a final stop, make your way back toward 99W to Domaine Drouhin. Again, a stop that is rarely open, this winery is owned and operated by the important French negociant, Joseph Drouhin. No expense has been spared on the gravity-feed winery, and the wines reflect the best of French viticulture and winemaking – the additional cost of which is reflected in bottle price, but which is good to the last drop.

7. Bishop Creek Cellars - Newberg
Be sure to drop by Bishop Creek Cellars' tasting room in Newberg on your journey north on 99W. Conveniently located in the heart of wine country, Bishop Creek Cellars' locale invites experienced tasters along with novice sippers to try several vintages of Pinot noir and Pinot gris. You can even try your hand at blending your own creations with syrah, merlot and cabernet sauvignon tapped straight from the barrel!

NOTE: Some of these wineries may not be open every weekend, so we recommend you call ahead.