The Pacific Northwest Wine Tour

On the way to our first vineyard we enjoy a beautiful countryside drive and will make a stop for some exquisite french pastries!

Then our first experience is a legacy winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It was one of eight wineries honored at the inaugural Wine Advocate Extraordinary Winery Awards in New York City. Receiving the only non-regional award for the Americas, it was named the Extraordinary Winery “Under the Radar” for both continents, “poised to become the next great thing.”

The second winery is just 15 minutes down the road with its unbelievable views! The tasting room is light, airy and inviting, and features Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a seasonal selection of varietals with chef-curated appetizers to accompany each wine! A family owned vineyard, their daughter took over the reins from her father to continue the family’s destiny. As a little girl her interests in science, and the vineyard and cellar, led toward her now prominent role in the family business. She graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science, and then traveled to apprentice with several well-known Burgundian and Italian wine producers.

Driving a few miles down the road through beautiful countryside we stop in the little town of Newberg. At this time we pick up our eBikes and enjoy oer afternoon “vine shopping“ via bike!

It is a wonderful experience to take a ride through the countryside and visit 3 local, exceptional wineries to make a great trip an even more memorable adventure! In this option we can have lunch in one of the wineries or pick up something to go, and even stop by one of the local fruit stands for some fresh picked fruit and/or vegetables, and have a great picnic along the way!

Duration: 1pm to 4:30 pm (if we end up not going on an eBike experience)

After lunch we traveled to 3 more exquisite wineries!

At a quaint historical farmhouse that has been lovingly and carefully renovated is the Tasting Room of our next vineyard whose brand was named for the four daughters of the Blacks, the original founders, of the vineyard, Today it is owned by Bill and Carol Foley and produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc recognized nationally and internationally for their attributes including balance, elegance, richness and complexity. Bill Foley is the Chairman, CEO and Governor of the The Vegas Golden Knights, the National Hockey League’s 31st franchise. They practice sustainable farming and maintain a well-tended, delightful to experience, vineyard.

Moving on..

As we understand it, it is the temperate cool climate of the Willamette Valley which creates the perfect environment for exquisite wines. Being situated between Oregon’s Coast Range to the West and the Cascade Mountain Range to the East, the Willamette Valley is protected and experiences a long and late growing season. These conditions happen to be perfect for the Pinot Noir the region has become famous for!

The Tasting House of this winery was developed with materials like the siding, roofing, lumber and fixtures being repurposed from portions of the previous winery and incorporated into primary design features of the new Tasting House! The tables, bar and even siding were built using repurposed rafters that were a part of the original cellar building! This brings a unique ambiance to the space – a sense of history, yet newness!

Our Next Vineyard

The family purchased their 30-acre hillside property because it laid on the same latitude as the legendary vineyards of Burgundy.The rolling hills, all east-facing, with varying degrees of elevation gives an interesting complexity and dimension to the wines they make! Over the past 33 years, they have continued to develop their own recognizable profile, their niche, all the while with great respect for the land and it’s bounty! If we’re lucky, we may even be able to enjoy live music here while enjoying our tasting experience! The owner is an avid singer and songwriter as well as being the Executive Winemaker!

The first day is coming to an end in the little town of Dundee and appropriately so we will be staying overnight at the Hotel Dundee!

Wrapping up our first beautiful “Vine Tour” day we drive to one of the areas nicest overnight accomodations. Situated in a perfect location the hotel can boast one-of-a-kind rooms with luxurious touches as well as 4 On-Site Tasting Rooms to experience wines from a variety of the area’s vineyards. Also, it is within a short distance of some additional Tasting Rooms and some of the finest culinary choices for a delicious dinner!

Day 2 awaits us with an opportunity to do something extraordinary!

If you have never been Hot Air Ballooning, this is your opportunity! Just 10 minutes up the road we would check in with our hot air balloonist and take a one hour flight over the Willamette Valley. During that time, you’ll see the winemaking hills of the Willamette Valley, the twisting Willamette River, 10 mountain peaks on a clear day and several other balloons flying around you. It’s hard to do justice to the majesty of the scene but we think you will be impressed.

The next stop will be a very popular local eatery for a well deserved bite after our Balloon Flight experience, or if you decide not to do the hot air balloon ride, this would be our breakfast place before traveling out of town and onward to our next adventure!

The next vineyard offers a few unique alfresco wine tasting experiences such as a seated fireside outdoor experience and a Wiking Experience based on availability. Wiking is wine tasting while hiking and this Vineyard offers the opportunity to enjoy hiking through the vineyard trails sipping delicious wine while taking in the incredible views of Willamette Valley!

The Tasting Room of this vineyard serves a gourmet cheese and charcuterie board to compliment the wine tasting experience.

The Willamette Next Valley Vineyard

Located South of Salem, Oregon, this Vineyard is planted on an old volcanic flow. They call the soil here “jory” and the family who first farmed the hillside found the ancient volcanic, iron-rich soil to be ideal for plums, which they dried into prunes. The first wine grapes were planted in 1983 by the owner, an Oregon native who dreamed of creating world class Pinot Noir. We will enjoy wine and food pairings here in unique wine pods or “wine igloos”!

A drive back to Portland will complete this 2 day adventure and with some great wine purchases during our Vineyard we pay our guest a farewell, well till we meet again on another fabulous Out West Adventure Tour!