Planning a visit to Willamette Valley

We are planning a trip to Willamette Valley this fall, and as this will be our first time there, we are looking for some advice. Does anyone have a favorite place to stay that is very affordable (under $150 a night) and also located within an hour's drive to the area, if not in Willamette Valley preferably in Portland or just outside? We have several favorite wineries that we want to see, but would also love suggestions anyone has for small wineries that shouldn't be missed!

[Jenise]

Joy, there are a lot of good options right in McMineville and the drive in and out from Portland can be dawdling cuz there are more people than road for it, so I'd reccomend you stay close in. There's also a great hotel with major character right in McMinneville that you should consider--McMennamin's, or something very close to that. It's part of a tiny Oregon-Washington chain of small hotels that picks up old properties and preserves them by turning them into local places. Each room is named and individually decorated. There, you'd be within walking distance to several wineries, good coffee spots and bakeries, and some of the areas best restaurants including the iconic Nick's Italian which is practically next door. Most of the rooms don't have private baths but some do--book soon! McMinneville also has a Best Western that's pretty basic but allright, and the Red Lion near Dundee is nicer but pricier, though still might be within your range.

Places not to miss: the tasting room in Carlton. Go there at lunchtime and have some fabulous meats, cheeses and pickles from the deli, or some great sandwich plates. While there, for like a buck a taste, you can get generous samples of really good local wines made by boutique wineries too small to have their own tasting rooms.

What are your favorite Willamette wineries? Might help us in making reccos.

What Jenise says. The drive from Portland to the valley can be a bummer.

Another good option is Wine Country Farm B&B just out of Dundee. We've found the rooms first class and the breakfasts great and prices start at only $150. But reservations generally need to be made well in advance.

www.bedandbreakfast.com/oregon-dayton-w ... armbb.html

Thank you for all the great recommendations! I will definitely look into those. Some of our favorite Oregon wines that we get here in NE are Bergström, Soter, Willakenzie, Aberrant Cellars, and Owen Roe.

Thank you for all the great recommendations! I will definitely look into those. Some of our favorite Oregon wines that we get here in NE are Bergström, Soter, Willakenzie, Aberrant Cellars, and Owen Roe.

Joy,
Another option for lodging is to stay in Beaverton, which is near to 99W, the highway that'll take you in to Dundee in 30 min without having to enter Portland. I can't offer an recommendations on lodging there, as I stay at my aunt and uncle's house in nearby Cedar Hills when in the area, but I can vouch for the ease of the drive, which I do whenever I'm in the area.

Mark Lipton

p.s. I'll also put in my two cents for the Carlton Tasting Room, as well as Scott Paul and Domaine Drouhin.

Mark, how are the dining options in Beaverton? One of the joys of being in the Willamette Valley is the large number and variety of excellent restaurants.

IMO, no visit to Oregon would be complete without a visit to Eyrie (the vineyards I mean.) Domaine Drouhin, Bethel Heights, St. Innocent and Evesham Wood are also great stops.

Cheers,
Bill

[Jenise]

Big fan of St. Innocent here; haven't been to the new tasting room but understand it's excellent. Also love Evesham Wood--very Burgundian in style. And probably my favorite tasting room experience from our last visit down there for friendliness and generosity but more importantly for the discovery of really outstanding wines that I previously did not know existed: Dobbes. The reverse of Dobbes is wineries that charge a lot (like $20) for a tasting, don't forgive a cent of that against the purchase of a bottle and act like it's a huge privilege for you to be allowed into their sacred space, like Domaine Serene. I mean, Domaine Serene has produced some of the best Oregon pinots I've ever had but boy is their tasting room a turn-off. Would never send anyone to Penner-Ash, either.

Oh, might also mention two more critical things. One, beware of area wine maps. They are deliberately NOT to scale, making some truly out-of-the-way wineries look more accessible than they really are. Ponzi now has a tasting room in Dundee so no need to source out the actual winery, but their winery would be a case in point: looks like it's just on the edge of town, but it's more like an hour's drive. Two, beware of wineries with parking for tour buses, like Montinore. You have the taste to like Bergstrom and Soter: wineries that cater to tourists aren't making what you/we want.

Mark, how are the dining options in Beaverton? One of the joys of being in the Willamette Valley is the large number and variety of excellent restaurants.

The dining options in Beavertion AFAICT are pretty dire. Again, I'm hamstrung as I'm usually staying with family when there. The Ponzi bistro in Dundee is excellent and of course there's Joel Palmer House in Dayton.

Mark Lipton

Another recommendation for the Ponzi Bistro in Dundee--they serve wines from other wineries--not just their own. I enjoyed visiting Torii Mor and Lange wineries in the Dundee Hills--close to each other and beautiful views. Torii Mor has Japanese gardens. I didn't get to Dobbes on my visit but have heard enthusiam from another couple who were there. Chehalem has a tasting room in Newberg, OR or you can have a vineyard tour and tasting at the winery by appointment (group limited to ten people.) You should have a great time, Joy. You may want to spend a couple days in Portland and a few nights closer to the Willamette Valley wineries. Portland is worth a visit. I regret that I didn't get to the coast in Oregon--more reason to plan another trip to the Northwest.

Not sure if November is too late but the American Wine Society are holding their annual conference in Portland and among the sponsors are Oregon Wines, Willmette Valley Vineyard and Willamette Valley Wineries Association.

The conference has organised bus tours of Willlamette Valley over two days prior to the start of the conference that may be of interest.

See www.americanwinesociety.org for info

Jenise has it.

McMinnville is easily the most centralized in that it's surrounded in every direction by wineries, plus several wienry/tasting rooms are right there in McMinnville. Carlton is just a few minutes away. Plenty of great restaurants in McMinnville (the legndary Nick's Italian, of course, but also La Rambla tapas and lots of others on Third Street, which is a cool ambling street that is the heart of McMinnville.

The "corridor"---the infamous corridor from McMinnville to Beaverton by way of Dundee and Newberg---can be easy or can be infuriating, and you can never predict which. But if you have the ability to get off the corridor and walk around Dundee (which is about an entire five minutes if you don't stop and shop or dine anywhere) or in Newberg, which is rather a neat little old-town kinda place with some good shops and tasting rooms, then it's not so bad. Chehalem tasting room is in Newberg and it's worth a stop.

Dining in Beaverton? Er, not so much. Not at all, actually. Eating, yes. Dining, no.

Many wineries have been mentioned, but I can add Cana's Feast to the list (just outside McMinnville).

The McMenamins Hotel Jenise mentioned is officially the Oregon Hotel. On Third Street right in the heart of McMinnville, literally. Food is only so-so there, but you're within a block or so of some great restaurants. If you do want to go the coast, you're right on the route.

And for dining there is always the Joel Palmer House just outside McMinnville. Mushroom and truffle heaven there.

Depending on how much time you have and how adventurous you are, here's a thought: spend one day going down into the Umpqua Valley region, just south of the Willamette. Dynamic and slightly younger developing region with some different soil/climatic/varietal focus than the Willamette. Some great wines. Make sure you visit Abacela if you're down there. Scenery is gorgeous, different from Willamette, more rugged.

[Jenise]

Oh Hoke, we forgot to mention the rooftop bar at McMennamin's--great place to kill a sunset!

Hi Joy,

Having just toured the Willamette Valley last year, I can tell you that the recommendations given are good ones. We stayed in McMinnville and found it a great location to tour from. The best restaurant we tried in McMinnville was La Rambla. Excellent tapas and a great local wine list. St. Innocent's new tasting room is quite luxurious and they are very accommodating there. For affordable pinots, I would also suggest Carlton Cellars and if you go in for the bubblies, Argyle. The other winery that had some fine pinots was Patricia Green. Alas, their pinots were luscious but have all mysteriously disappeared from my cellar. I will have to go back again.

Thanks everyone for the fantastic ideas! Looks like McMinnville is the place to be - at least a great home base. I really appreciate everyone's suggestions and will report on all my findings!!

[Jenise]

The other winery that had some fine pinots was Patricia Green. Alas, their pinots were luscious but have all mysteriously disappeared from my cellar. I will have to go back again.

She has lots of fans. I personally find her style a bit over-extracted, but many do not.

The other winery that had some fine pinots was Patricia Green. Alas, their pinots were luscious but have all mysteriously disappeared from my cellar. I will have to go back again.

She has lots of fans. I personally find her style a bit over-extracted, but many do not.

That's so interesting that you say that, Jenise, as I find that (within the idiom of Willamette Vly Pinot) her wines occupy the less extracted, more mannerly end of the spectrum. Granted, I've only had her low end wines, but I've found them light, vibrant and juicy.

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

The other winery that had some fine pinots was Patricia Green. Alas, their pinots were luscious but have all mysteriously disappeared from my cellar. I will have to go back again.

She has lots of fans. I personally find her style a bit over-extracted, but many do not.

That's so interesting that you say that, Jenise, as I find that (within the idiom of Willamette Vly Pinot) her wines occupy the less extracted, more mannerly end of the spectrum. Granted, I've only had her low end wines, but I've found them light, vibrant and juicy.

Mark Lipton

Wow, how different our impressions. The ones I've had were probably all the single vineyard stuff, and in blind tastings I found them blacker and sweeter than most. I probably haven't had one in 7 or 8 years, though.

[Jenise]

Okay, so just looked at some old notes on the wines. I probably haven't had any PG wines since the 2001 vintage, and from that vintage I bought four bottles of her Four Winds vineyard bottling that tasted like raw sewage. Others commented at the time that they'd had similar bottles, so it was the wine itself. Anyway, I felt pretty ripped off, which contributed greatly to the lasting negative impression I have of her wines.

Wow, how different our impressions. The ones I've had were probably all the single vineyard stuff, and in blind tastings I found them blacker and sweeter than most. I probably haven't had one in 7 or 8 years, though.

Hi Jenise,

I would say that PG wines are quite fruity and juicy, but I would not call them overextracted by any means. The single vineyard wines were quite nice and their entry level wine at the time I visited was just $22 and a good QPR at that. I bought two bottles and they did not last long. PG style is more drink now than some other wineries I visited in the Willamette valley, but I think you could definitely age them midterm. Especially the single vineyard wines.

Joy,
You should stop and see our favorite WLDG McMinnville winery owner, Linda Lindsay at StoneWolf Winery. A couple of years ago she hosted a fabulous tour of area wineries for some of us WLDGers. Among my favorites were Eyrie, Argyle, and Drouhin. We stayed at the Red Lion which was okay, nothing special, but comfortable and in close proximity to town and main road.
If you want to take a little break from wine tasting (silly notion, I know) the Air and Space Museum, which houses the Spruce Goose, makes for a nice diversion. It is beautiful country though, so just a scenic drive would be enjoyable as well.

Have a good trip! I envy you!
JuliaB

Peter May

Not sure if November is too late but the American Wine Society are holding their annual conference in Portland. ... The conference has organised bus tours of Willlamette Valley over two days prior to the start of the conference that may be of interest.

The tours are currently sold out (we sadly discovered), but an effort is underway with another operator for a tour on Thursday.

We are now planning to include a couple days in Portland as well. Any hotel ideas that are in the $150 or less a night, and close to the city center?

[Jenise]

Joy, last time I was in Portland we stayed at the Vintage Plaza (****) which I would highly recommend: historic building, beautifully appointed rooms, great location a few blocks from the iconic Heathman Hotel (Bill Clinton was staying there while we were in town, for instance) and within walking distance of many excellent restaurants and wine bars (one of which earned me my favorite compliment ever: "Bitch knows her wine!"). Might mention that the Heathman is available for the same price--around $175/per, though, on Expedia. A little less tony but for $25 less and very good (I would definitely stay again), and about nine or so blocks away is the Mark Spencer (***), which we also had a great experience at.

A consideration: check Hotwire. Nominally feeding in the dates 9/29 to 10/2, it offered me a four-star property in the same Downtown area the two hotels I just mentioned for $125 and several three stars for much less. Mind you, the rate they quote is not inclusive of their fees, but I use Hotwire a lot to get great rates when I'm perfectly okay with being anywhere within a specified neighborhood but otherwise have no particular preferences. That's how I got into the Vintage Plaza for about $100/night.