Oregon’s Wine Route

Day 1

Start your wine odyssey in Ashland [3], where Shakespeare and fine restaurants make good companions for wine exploration. Near town is Ashland Vineyards [4], famous for the white wine Shakespeare’s Love, and Weisinger’s Vineyard [4], which produces fine gewürztraminer and cabernet sauvignon.

The area’s best wines, and the greatest concentration of wineries, are over the ridge in the Applegate Valley. High summer heat here enables the production of red wines such as cabernet and Syrah as well as some California-style chardonnays; check out the wines at Valley View Winery [5] or Troon Vineyard [5].

Spend the night at the Ashland Creek Inn [6], a luxury inn right on the water, and dine at Peerless Restaurant [7], known for its wine cellar and dedication to regional foods.

Day 2

Travel north toward Roseburg [8], central for the wines of the Umpqua Valley. Abacela Vineyards and Winery [9] is noted for the many varieties of wine grapes it grows, offering unusual-for-Oregon varietals such as tempranillo, dolcetto, and sangiovese.

Henry Estate Winery [9] is one of the state’s oldest and has lovely gardens that make an excellent picnic destination. The wines range from full-bodied pinot noir and merlot to refreshing Riesling.

Girardet Wine Cellars [9] produces a range of wines, such as chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and pinot noir, and also makes wine from more unusual grapes such as baco noir and Marechal Foch.

Drive 38 miles up the North Umpqua River [10] for the region’s best dining and lodging choice, the historic Steamboat Inn [11].

Day 3

Continue north to Eugene [12], at the southern edge of the Willamette Valley [2], Oregon’s primary wine-growing region. Here the weather is cooler than the Umpqua and Applegate Valleys, favoring the production of pinot noir and chardonnay, the grapes of France’s Burgundy valley, and pinot gris from northern Italy and the French Alsace region.

Near Eugene, be sure to stop at King Estate Winery [13], with a hilltop tasting and winemaking facility near Lorane that is literally palatial.

Territorial Vineyards & Wine Company [13] has vineyards near the Coast Range but a winemaking facility and tasting room in downtown Eugene. From their estate-grown pinot noir grapes, Territorial makes a series of regular pinot noir bottlings and a fantastic rosé.

Make dinner reservations at Marché [14] restaurant, and spend the night at the Campbell House B&B [15], an 1892 mansion.

Days 4 and 5

Between Rickreall and Carlton [16], on the west side of the Willamette Valley [2], is the greatest concentration of wineries in the state. Here are the pinot noir vineyards that have put Oregon on the world wine map. With over 200 wineries in a relatively compact area, there’s no single route to recommend, so pick up a copy of the widely available Willamette Valley Winery Association’s winery map, and follow your instincts.

Not to miss, however, is Sokol Blosser [17] vineyards, perched on a hill just above Dundee. Domaine Drouhin [17], also near Dundee, is the Oregon outpost of France’s famed Drouhin family and makes excellent pinot noirs in the Burgundy style. Anne Amie Vineyards [16] makes fine pinot noirs and has a beautiful facility with one of the most panoramic views in the valley. The Rex Hill Vineyards [18] is just east of Newberg, and it is one of the closest vineyards to Portland, with premium pinot noir and a lovely garden setting.

If it seems like there are just too many wineries to choose from, consider a stop at The Tasting Room [16] in downtown Carlton, in the lobby of a century-old bank, which offers a selection of wines from many smaller wineries that don’t have their own tasting facilities. Also in Carlton is the Carlton Winemakers Studio [16], a cooperative where small winemakers share a winemaking facility and tasting room.

Stay at the Allison Inn [19] near Newberg, and plan to dine at Joel Palmer House [20], one of Oregon’s top restaurants.

Day 6

Drive north through Portland [21] on I-5 then out to the Columbia River Gorge [22] on I-84. Microclimates here create niches where cool-climate grapes like pinot noir thrive, while just up the road vineyards of Syrah and merlot, which require intense summer heat to ripen, may be planted.

There are wineries on both the Oregon [1] and Washington [23] sides of the Gorge, so don’t hesitate to cross bridges to taste wine. Across the Columbia are such notable producers as Syncline [24] and Cor Cellars [24].

Stay at the grand and historic Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River [25], and dine at Celilo Restaurant and Bar [26] for sophisticated fine dining and a wine list rich in local vintages.

Day 7

Continue up the Columbia Gorge to Pendleton, where you can book a room, then continue north toward Walla Walla, Washington [27], on Route 11. About a third of the official Walla Walla wine-growing area is in Oregon, and several tasting rooms here merit serious attention from lovers of cabernet and merlot.