Oregon Wine country trip for wife's 40th b-day

Hello,

Looking to take my wife to Oregon wine country for her 40th b-day. Need some tips or help in finding great place to stay and wineries to visit. Never been to this region before...help!

Oregon Wine country trip for wife's 40th b-day

Maybe the first thing to say is, don%26#39;t expect Napa or Sonoma. ;-) You might even consider staying in Portland, since the best of Oregon%26#39;s wine country is less than an hour away, southwest of the city. If you%26#39;re looking to stay in the vineyards, Black Walnut Inn and Youngberg Hill are most often mentioned. Oregon in McMinnville would also be worth a look.

Black Walnut is in Dundee, the heart of wine country, set on a hillside near a couple of Oregon%26#39;s better know wineries, Archery Summit, Domaine Drouhin, and Domaine Serene. These three wineries all make highly rated, and very high priced pinot noirs, but are definitely worth a stop. Youngberg Hill, also in McMinnville, was rated by Sunset Magazine a few years ago as the best place to stay in Oregon%26#39;s wine country. Nice place, but a little more of a drive to other wineries.

Other wineries to consider (in no particular order): Adelsheim, Scott Paul, Penner-Ash, Cuneo, Carlton Winermaker%26#39;s Studio, Willakenzie, Eyrie....... And there are many more. The best, however, are boutique places that taste by appointment only. If you%26#39;re interested in those, ask, and we can come up with some recommendations.

Oregon Wine country trip for wife's 40th b-day

Ooops! That should be Hotel Oregon in McMinnville......

Thank you so much for this info!!! It gives me a good starting point.

We like Archery Summit, Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, Ponzi, Sokol Blosser and the Scott Paul ';Audrey'; Pinot Noirs. We recenlty had a very nice bottle of the Archery Summit wine with our 25th anniversary dinner in Laguna Beach.

Where are you going to dinner? We enjoyed a very nice, elegant meal at the Joel Palmer House, I have heard great things about the Painted Lady. Tina%26#39;s or Dundee Bistro are both nice choices for lunch before starting out your wine tasting. Happy New Years and have fun! :)

I agree with mistleto, who happens to live very close to our Oregon wine country.. it is no Napa or Sonoma.

And I agree that Portland, being so close and an easy drive , would be the best place to stay for the night.

Black Walnut is so beautiful, and Hotel Oregon is very different from the Black Walnut but has its own charm in its original building and atmosphere..but nothing like the Black Walnut as far as luxury.

You don%26#39;t say when you will be here, that makes a big difference in the Wine area as well as where you might want to stay.

Trust the Oregon locals though, while I have lived here for over a year, they always give me good advice still!

syrahgirl, when you come back to Oregon, you will have to go to the Painted Lady and see for yourself how good it is..

I%26#39;m glad i could find postings on Oregon wine country. I%26#39;m also trying to plan a trip over Labor Day 2007. I was hoping to see Portland for a few days and then on to wine country for a few days.

I%26#39;m open to any and all suggestions on where to stay, where to eat and what vineyards to visit.

Thanks.

dmbsocal and TravelandTannins (like the screen name),

With more details, we could be more helpful, but I think you%26#39;ll find that two days in wine country will be sufficient. Most wineries open late morning and close between 4:00 and 5:00pm, but are close enough together that you can easily fit 4 - 6 visits into an afternoon. The question remains, do you want to stay in wine country or Portland? Good dining and lodging options are relatively limited in wine country, but there are lots from which to choose in Portland.

Steiger Haus B%26amp; B in McMinnville is always the best deal and is the best-located inn in the region. Walk to main drag but is located in quiet neighborhood short walk away. Good breakfast, nice rooms. I hav been staying there for over 10 years as a professional wine writer. You should also not miss the wineries in the Eola Hills region; most visitors only see the wineries in the Dundee area. I highly recommend Cristom and Bethel Heights in the Eola Hills area, about a 1 minute drive from McMinnville.. Portland is a world away, traffic-wise. But if you do stay in Portland, I recommend Heron Haus, in the NW neighborhood, close to downtown, and eat at Serrattos or Le Pigeon on East Burnside, next to the renovated Jupiter Hotel.

Welcome to the forums WineMan! How great, that you are a wine writer!

Glad you suggested Serrato, I love that place! :)

Tuscany Grill isn%26#39;t bad either, both on NW 21st, next to each other..

Welcome Wineman:)

I am down in McMinnville at least several times a week. This week, all week. And I drive past the Steiger Haus each time and have wondered about it. The location is interesting...sort of on the edge of campus, so in a mix of older homes and some student quarters.

Baker Street Inn looks very nice. I have not stayed there, but it looks nice and the location is great for wandering the downtown. It is on Baker, between Washington and 1st, and truly about a block from where all the nice shops and restaurants are. It sits on a main road, but sits back and is sort of secluded. I had been past it dozens of times before I realized it was there.

Another place right in town is A Tuscan Estate on Evans.