Wine Tasting in Willamette Valley
If I haven’t made it obvious by now, Brandon and I are pretty big winos. In fact, one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Oregon was just to sample some of their fantastic wines.
After making the beautiful drive from the coast, we stopped off at King Estate Winery, located about 30 minutes from downtown Eugene. The views from the winery are gorgeous and I can imagine they are even better in the fall when the leaves are changing colors.
Even though it was cloudy the day we were there, we were still able to enjoy lunch and a couple of wine flights on the patio. The food was good but it was the Pinot Gris that stole the show.
From there we made the drive towards the Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg, where we had booked a room for the night of our anniversary.
We were told that this is the nicest place to stay in the area and I believe it. The Inn is meticulously kept and the rooms are spacious and cozy with comfortable beds, gas fireplaces and huge garden tubs. My personal favorite was the patio that opened right up to a lush green walking path for Coco.
The locally handmade soap and slippers were a nice touch too. I love it when a hotel provides slippers. :)
That night we had dinner at their restaurant Jory which happens to have a separate vegetarian menu. We ordered a seasonal salad with two entrees, one quinoa and one farro risotto. They also surprised us with two amuse bouches, mushroom soup and raspberry sorbet. Everything tasted extremely fresh and the service was excellent.
When we got back to the room we discovered two mini chocolate cakes that the hotel had left for us. I thought that was such a sweet surprise! We ordered a few hot teas and ate them in bed.
I would have loved to stay for longer so that we could have taken advantage of their beautiful spa but I’m still thankful for the one night we spent. The location is perfect for wine tasting and the service was impeccable. We would go back in a heartbeat!
The next morning we reluctantly checked out of the Inn and went to the Woodshoe Tulip Festival nearby in Woodburn. The festival runs from March 18-May 1 and features 40 acres of vibrant tulips. It’s also pet friendly so we were able to bring Coco with us while we walked around to look all of the different colors.
By that time we had worked up an appetite for wine tasting. The first winery we visited was Stoller Family Estate in Dayton. I had never heard of their wine before but we were blown away by how good it was. We must’ve tasted eight different wines and they were all incredible.
The tasting room is stunning too. The entire front of the building is a glass door that opens up to a breathtaking view of the vineyards and an oak tree with a tire swing. I could have sat there all day.
Next up was Sokol Blosser Winery which was located just down the road from Stoller.
Sokol has a nice picnic area so we stopped at Red Hills Market to pick-up a few things for lunch to enjoy with our tasting.
I really wish we had more time to spend in Oregon’s beautiful wine country. Everyone was so friendly and the wine was awesome. Here are a few more vineyards that were on my list to visit, in case you get a chance to go:
Do you have any favorite wines from Oregon?
This looks lovely! I want to do more wine tasting in northern california. My friend is having a wine tasting at her apartment on Saturday night which i’m really looking forward to!
Wine tasting FTW ;)
Your photos are beautiful. I especially enjoyed the pictures of the fields of tulips, and the close up shots of the multicolored ones were simply magical.
Thank you, Jerliyn! I was pleasantly surprised by how well those pictures turned out too. I wasn’t thrilled about the cold and cloudy/rainy weather but I think it helped photography-wise, at least. :)
I hope you have a nice weekend!
I’m a big wino too, and I love Oregon pinot noir — I would love to go wine tasting there! And those tulips are so beautiful — you got some gorgeous shots, Sarah! I know where to come for places to go when I visit Oregon next! Hope you have a great weekend!
Thanks, Marcie! I hope you have a wonderful weekend too! :)
What a beautiful area! I’m envious of your guys trip. It looks magical.
So much fabulousness in this post, Sarah! Wine country sounds like so much fun, the food looks delicious, and the hotel sounds so lovely! I would love to visit Willamette Valley sometime. Happy Anniversary!!
Oh my goodness, that all looks amazing! Those tulips are incredible, plus those vinyards! I’m totally letting you plan Riley and I’s trip next year lol. Not that we aren’t having a blast in the keys right now! Happy anniversary!
Love the tulips! I have the Williamette Valley on my travel do to list! Thanks for sharing your trip!
Thanks Michelle! You’re going to love it! :)