Planning a Willamette Valley Wine Trip
Within 45 minutes of Portland lies one of the finest wine regions in North America. Well known for great pinot noir and stunning views, Willamette can be either a perfect day trip or a fantastic beginning to your PNW trip!
Why Willlamette?
Famously quoted for being at the same latitude as Burgundy, France, the Willamette Valley serves some of the finest Pinot Noirs in the world. Although the valley is young compared to their European counterparts, it is gaining popularity as a premier wine destination and a fun vacation spot. In the US, Oregon Pinot Noir is starting to supplant California reds or French reds as the preferred wine of choice. Obviously, we had to visit this up and coming wine region!
Roadtrip
In order to go to the Willamette Valley, we needed a car. Thankfully, our friends were our chaffeurs during our entire trip so we just hopped in the back and set off on our journey.
Within the valley, most people recommend the North Willamette Valley because it is the closest area to Portland. There are certainly fantastic areas in the southern part of the valley, but we stuck with the Yamhill - Newberg - Amity triangle. Within this area, there are fantastic wineries serving some of the best areas!
Flight
To get to Portland, we flew on a direct flight from Atlanta. There are usually two flights a day, one in the morning and at night. Because of the time change, we took off at 9:30 and landed at 11am PCT! There are other airlines that fly with a stop to Portland and one to consider going forward...
One of the best unknown promotions is the "Wine Flies Free" with Alaska Airlines. Each person can ship a case of wine for free as long as they fly from select cities - including Portland. Although we ended our trip in Walla Walla and thankfully flew with Alaska Airlines, we were dangerous close to missing out on this great deal.
Lodging
Similar to most wine regions, there are a host of different options. From winery hotels to traditional big chain hotels, there are plenty of options. For us, because we were coming from Salem, we decided to stay at an AirB&B in the small town of Sheridan.
Staying in a converted old barn, we had a charming room complete with a cozy living room. While Mary Frances and I did not last long after arriving, we definitely had a great night's sleep. More importantly, since we stayed on a weekend, we had a home cooked breakfast! With fresh orange juice and hot coffee, we feasted with zucchini bread and quiche!
Foodie's Delight
Unfortunately, we were a complete failure when it came to finding unique restaurants or cafes. Because it was a Sunday, most of the popular spots were either closed or had limited service thus we had to find a way around it! Definitely plan ahead on your food stops as the wineries typically do not serve snacks or food. We had to settle for Dominos, but I have to say it was a terrific and tasty treat!
Click here for our full list of great restaurants and wineries throughout the PNW!
Choosing your winery visits!
First of all, this is no easy feat! With over 700 wineries, this task is extremely daunting! Here is how I began my search...
Phone a friend! We asked around and although people tasted or heard of Oregon Pinot, they did not know any wineries.
Ask a local wine shop! Definitely the most helpful tool, we asked our friend Nick at Highland Wine Shop in Atlanta. Within minutes, he produced a lengthy list as well as helpful links!
Be Flexible - Ask around when you are there! Although we were not able to go, we have several on our list because we asked our wine guide at our first winery!
Because I am a nerdy travel planner, once I compiled the list, I went to Vivino and just put in some of the wineries to see if we would like their type. For us, because we like reds, I tried to stay away from whites and lean more towards trying new pinot noir. Once I narrowed down the list to about 10 wineries, I looked at their reservation times, prioritized my favorites, and then tried to find the best times for each one based on availability and location.
Now, to find out our full list of wineries, click here to read our full Oregon wine debrief!
