Visiting OR/WA from London

We are planning a trip to Oregon and/or Washington this summer. Ideally we would like to base ourselves for two or three nights within easy reach of a few wineries, preferably within walking distance, or alternatively within walking distance of some tasting rooms as we don't want to drive the whole time. (We had a cool time in Healdsburg, CA last year)

Any suggestions? One of the places we have looked at is Dundee - any experiences?

Paul
I did think of sending you a private message on the UK forum, to suggest you posted the same request here. I'm guessing Bob Parsons may have beaten me to it!

Anyway, welcome to both wine fora and hopefully you'll get some very useful inside info here.

No inside knowledge from me, except for one winery in Woodinville, Washington State whose wine has impressed me for it's restraint is Columbia Winery. A good benchmark at the more elegant end of the spectrum. I'm not sure how well it's placed logistically.

regards

Ian

In OR, the winegrowing area is pretty small, so basing yourself in Dundee or McMinnville is fine, with lots of wineries nearby either town. Even staying in Portland would be fine if you had a car: many wineries are only about 20-30 minutes out of town. They are a few wineries in walking distance in both Dundee and McMinnville, but neither are really set up for this kind of visiting. The car is king! And pinot is definitely the focus. There are nice restaurants in both Dundee and McMinnville.

WA is a trickier proposition, as the vineyards are in eastern Washington, and are fairly spread out. Walla Walla is a good base for many wineries, although some are only open on the weekends. Syrah is a focus here. Red Mountain is another interesting area (about 1.5 hours west of Walla Walla), with fewer wineries and an emphasis on bordeaux blends. Again, weekends or appointments are best. It's about another 4 hours west to Seattle from here. The suburb of Woodinville, 30 minutes north of Seattle, is another hotbed of wineries. Again, many are only open on weekends, but most are open with an appointment. More and more are open every day in the summer, though.

So it really depends how much driving you want to do in Washington. A nice scenic drive is from Portland up the Columbia River valley to Walla Walla (about 4-5 hours), and then back to Seattle (another 4-5 hours). But it might be better to have 4-5 days to do this route well (includsing non winery time). If you have less time, then cut out Walla Walla, and visit the Wilhamette Valley and Woodinville.

In terms of walking, Walla Walla is the only option where there are wineries within walking distance. It's a cute little US town, for what it's worth, with some nice restaurants and hotels, as wine tourism is increasingly important here.

Both OR and WA have some great website for visiting these wine regions, with lots of maps, lists of wineries, etc. Googling will provide much information.

Both are fun destinations!

I'm guessing Bob Parsons may have beaten me to it!

Well I might have done if I had not been busy all weekend. Think John has given a great heads up here, now where is Jenise and the Chef?!!

I suspect the Chef will still be celebrating the Saints win over the Cardinals and probably trying to book himself a trip to the Dome next weekend.

In terms of walking, Walla Walla is the only option where there are wineries within walking distance. It's a cute little US town, for what it's worth, with some nice restaurants and hotels, as wine tourism is increasingly important here.

What John said. There are more than a dozen wineries or tasting rooms in the small downtown area, all easily walkable, and many are quite good, IMO, including Cayuse (though they may not be open for visits by mere mortals anymore), Seven Hills, Sapolil, Stephenson and Morrison Lane. Some other excellent wineries, such as Buty, are a short drive away (just five to ten minutes or so) either at the airport or on the eastern, western or southern outskirts of town. The revitalized downtown is very pleasant and some terrific restaurants have opened in the past five years or so.

One note of caution -- in the summer, Walla Walla can get very hot (100F or above at times) though it is dry heat. In Western Oregon, temperatures are usually cooler, though even they get hot days now from time to time, probably due to global warming.

[James Roscoe]

Western Oregon is not experiencing hotter summers due to global warming. Global warming is a myth. The farmers in western Oregon made a pact with Satan. Wait until That bill comes due!

Western Oregon is not experiencing hotter summers due to global warming. Global warming is a myth. The farmers in western Oregon made a pact with Satan. Wait until That bill comes due!

Thanks for your insights, Pat ... err, I mean James.

[James Roscoe]

Western Oregon is not experiencing hotter summers due to global warming. Global warming is a myth. The farmers in western Oregon made a pact with Satan. Wait until That bill comes due!

Thanks for your insights, Pat ... err, I mean James.

Paul, you've already gotten some good advice here and I'd echo most of it. IMHO, if you're looking for an experience most resembling what you found in Healdsburg - an attractive town with walkable wine tasting and dining choices, in WA/OR, you're most likely to find that in Walla Walla. As has already been pointed out, though, WW is a half day's drive from either of your likely airports (Portland or Seattle). If you'd like to minimize time in the car, then you may prefer flying to Portland and sticking with the Willamette Valley. Weather there in the summer would be cooler than in WW but also relatively more humid. Think a slightly warmer version of the south of England and you wouldn't be too far off. As Bruce warned, WW can be very warm, with mid-summer average high temps in the low 90's (F, of course) and 100 not that rare. On the other hand, as Bruce also said, it is quite dry and so perhaps not as uncomfortable as those numbers might imply. Still, lodging that offers a swimming pool might not be a bad idea Woodinville is a bit of an oddity. It hosts a fair number of quality wineries and so if tasting is the main object, may be worth a visit. If it's a wine country experience you're looking for, not so much. It's an ex-rural place in the process of morphing into suburban Seattle/Bellevue where marketeers seem to have chosen the winery locations - close to the customers but not to the grapes, almost all of which come from several hours' drive away, east of the Cascades.

If you're having a hard time making up your mind, let me suggest another tie-breaker: do you have any strong preferences on varietals? In the Willamette Valley, Pinot Noir is the predominant red (so much so, whatever's second rates barely an asterisk); Pinot Gris and Chardonnay are the main whites, probably followed by Riesling. In Eastern Washington (where WW is) you tend to get grape varieties that require more heat to ripen. Historically but increasingly rarely there was Lemberger/Blaufränkisch; Cabernet and Merlot dominate in terms of plantings but more recently the trend has been towards the Rhones (Syrah, in particular). For whites, the ubiquitous Chardonnay is still king and there is a lot of Riesling planted but again the Rhones (primarily Viognier) are on the rise. Of course this list isn't exhaustive and you'd find other varietals in both places but if you have strong preferences, you might let that help guide your choice.

[Jenise]

Good responses everyone. Mark makes some good points: if you're a burgundy guy, choose Oregon. You're right about Dundee, also there are good tasting rooms in downtown McMinneville (fun place to be on foot) and several that are easy to walk to once you're parked at the main intersection of the small town of Carlton, about 5 miles away. If Syrah and Cabernet are more to your liking, come to Washington. You can do some decent tasting in the Seattle area as some mentioned (Woodinville is on the outskirts of Seattle), or make the 200 or so mile trek to Walla Walla--a beautiful place and quite picturesque, but still a small American farm town.