Willamette Valley Tips & Suggestions for First-Timers

If you’re at all a fan of pinot noir, you’ve probably heard of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The state’s largest wine region is the second largest producer of the wine varietal in the United States, just behind California.

While visiting this part of the state isn’t as aggressive as trips to Northern California, there are a few things you should know about planning a trip to the Willamette Valley.

This guide is based on our travel in the valley from the perspective of a wine lover and BIG fan of the valley’s signature grape. Pinot noir, you’re a star and all that.

Quick Tips for Your Oregon Visit

Your Flight: Budget flights into Portland International Airport are quite common, especially if you’re able to watch flights for a bit. Use Skyscanner to make that happen. Love deals? Subscribe to Going.

Your Accommodations: Browse Booking.com or Hotels.com for your options. Vrbo is my Airbnb alternative.

Your Ride: You’ll need a car for this trip unless you’re hiring a driver. Book a rental car ahead of time for pickup in Portland.

Top Spots: You’re here for the wine. Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, and the Argyle Winery were our favorites.

Disclosure: Travel on the Reg uses affiliate links to keep things running around here. At no additional cost to you, I earn a lil’ commission if you make a purchase. Any income earned supports the upkeep of this site. I appreciate you!

Is the Willamette Valley worth visiting?

The Willamette Valley is worth visiting for any wine lover interested in checking out the state’s oldest wine-growing region. The majority of the wine country in Oregon is in the Willamette Valley, home to about two-thirds of the state’s vineyards.

Within the region, you’ll find nine distinct American Viticultural Areas or Willamette Valley AVAs.

Those include:

Eola-Amity Hills
Laurelwood
McMinnville
Ribbon Ridge
Tualatin Hills
Van Duzer Corridor
Yamhill-Carlton District

Yes, it’s a huge wine region. No, you won’t experience all of the best Willamette Valley wineries in one go.

You’ll just need to return a few times after that first visit. That’s what we did!

How to Visit the Willamette Valley

You’ll likely fly into Portland for your visit to Oregon and Willamette Valley wineries. From there it’s just a short drive — as in, under an hour, depending on the towns you’re targeting — from the city to terrific wine times in the Willamette Valley.

You’ll either be on a self-drive from that point forward or on an organized tour you’ve hopefully booked in advance. If you’re renting a car, it’s best to pick your rental up from the airport upon arrival in Portland.

Getting Around the Willamette Valley

You’re going to be most efficient if you’re doing a self-drive tour, as you can’t really walk from vineyard to vineyard. That means you’ll need a designated driver. It’s not that hard to do when you’re married to such a giver like Brian, who knows of my love for red wine.

If you’re not quite so lucky, you have some options, namely wine tours from Portland.

I have nothing against a good wine tour, particularly if you’re traveling in a larger group where no one wants to be responsible for the driving.

Note: Most will allow for some customization, too, and include lunch stops amongst the grapes. It sounds quite fabulous, actually.

Check out some highly-rated options below:

When to Visit the Willamette Valley

There really isn’t a bad time to visit the Willamette Valley. Summer is popular with the sun shining and opportunities to do all kinds of outdoor activities alongside your trip if you’re motivated to do so after a day of drinking wine.

Note: If you want to experience harvest season, September and October are the ideal time to visit Oregon’s wineries. The weather’s still nice, and you may even find yourself stomping some grapes while you’re at it.

I’ve never done that, by the way. What’s the foot feel on that?

Best Wineries in the Willamette Valley

We’ve had quite a bit of Oregon wine, so I’ll share our favorite wineries with you here. If you’re feeling contrary and want to blaze your own path, you’ll still likely have a fantastic time regardless, because it’s pinot noir we’re talking about.

If you want to focus your trip a bit, Dundee has the most wineries among small towns in Oregon.

Argyle Winery

Argyle Winery in downtown Dundee started out as a winery focused on sparkling varieties, which is always a delight. Today, they also offer up chardonnays and rieslings, which aren’t my ideal but no judgment, and Oregon’s famed pinot noir.

Fun fact: Their main building is the old Dundee City Hall, which may or may not be haunted. I hear it’s more likely you’ll see an apparition after your tasting, but that’s just what I hear. We didn’t experience any ghostly encounters.

Reservations are available online.

Domaine Drouhin

The Drouhin name is synonymous with wine-making, as the family has roots in the Burgundy region of France. Those roots go back to 1756, when the family purchased their first wine house.

That means the Drouhins know their stuff when it comes to wine.

It’s a no-brainer then that you’d want to visit Domaine Drouhin in the Dundee Hills, if that’s the pedigree we’re talking about here. The views are spectacular, too.

Fun fact: As you sip your pinot noir — they’re also well-known for their chardonnay — you’ll be able to see the whole of the Willamette Valley from their chateau.

Reservations are available online.

Domaine Serene

A woman sips on wine at a winery in Oregon.

We found ourselves at Domaine Serene in the Dundee Hills thanks to a wine club membership of a family friend of ours.

We bought a bottle of fairly expensive sparkling following our visit, so it must have been pretty good. This was our last tasting of the day, though, which can lead to some rash decisions.

This one’s pretty classy, and well-known in the valley’s luxury wine market. The wines here are award-winning, so you may as well order one of their cheese plates to go along with your tasting. Reservations are available online.

Evesham Wood

Most Oregon wine country lists include Salem’s Evesham Wood, known as one of the best wineries in the Willamette Valley. The winery has been producing delicious pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris and lesser-known German varietals since 1986.

The winery is also known for the ambiance. Tastings operate out of their wine cabin or wine caves. This sounds like enough of a good time, but visitors are also welcome to book picnic lunches on the vineyard grounds.

Reservations, including picnic times, are available online.

The Eyrie Vineyards

The Eyrie Vineyards in McMinnville is a classic in the Willamette Valley, and a must for wine-lovers looking to have a taste of where it all began.

The first Oregon pinot noir grapes in the Willamette Valley and the first pinot gris grapes in America were planted here in 1965. Eyrie was founded just a year later by David and Diana Lett, a husband and wife team.

By the late 1970s, the vineyard was competing with the best pinot noirs in France and the world over.

Eyrie is still a family affair today. The Letts’ son, Jason, has taken over as head winemaker. Reservations are available online.

Grochau Cellars

The winemaker here, John Grochau, was introduced to wine as a 20-something on the bicycle racing circuit.

Apparently, he had time to drink a lot of French wine while racing for a French team during that time. He fell in love with the varietals he tasted in Champagne, Burgundy, and the Loire Valley.

He brought that passion back to Portland, his hometown, where he learned about the craft as a wine seller in the restaurant industry and from other winemakers in the region.

His wines at Grochau Cellars, open since 2002, are both traditional — you’ll be trying pinot noir and pinot blanc while you’re there — and showcase more whimsical blends.

The wines are very food-friendly, too, a nod to his experience working in restaurants. Reservations are available online.

More Willamette Valley Wineries

I’m telling you it’s impossible to try all that Oregon’s Willamette Valley has to offer with one visit alone.

Here’s a taste of wineries in the region that I hope to taste soon enough, including a few in south Willamette Valley:

Amity Vineyards (Amity)
Ken Wright Cellars (Carlton)
Archery Summit (Dayton)
De Ponte Cellars (Dayton)
Domaine Willamette (Dayton)
King Estate Winery (Eugene)
Alexana Winery (Newberg)
Ambar Estate (Newberg)
Iris Vineyards (Springfield)
Terra Vina Wines (Wilsonville)

Best Restaurants in Oregon Wine Country

If you’re on an organized tour, they’ll likely have a lunch set up for you somewhere, which is quite nice.

If you’re on your own, though, you have all kinds of options among the best restaurants after a day of wine tasting:

If you’re with a group that can handle share plates, La Rambla in McMinnville offers up delicious tapas and sangria. They’re well-known for their paella, too. It just takes 45 minutes to prepare. Reservations are available online.
Tina’s Restaurant in Dundee has been around since 1991, feeding diners what they’ve dubbed “wine country cuisine.” Think truffled mushrooms, seared salmon, and fruit cobblers. Reservations are available via their contact form.
If you’re looking for a more casual meal to close out the day, Nick’s Italian Cafe is a McMinnville classic. I don’t mean burgers and brats. I’m talking fresh pasta and wood-fired pizza. Who doesn’t want to carb load after a day of wineries?

For fans of a picnic lunch, the Red Hills Market in Dundee is a popular option. You can certainly eat in while you’re there, but their varied sandwich menu is perfect for takeout.

Where to Stay in the Willamette Valley

We were on a day trip from Portland on our visit to the Willamette Valley, so we weren’t overnighting near the wineries. As with most anything I recommend, book any accommodations in advance of your visit.

Unless you have a last-minute change in plans, there’s no reason for you to be booking lodging the day of tastings. You’ll likely end up with fewer options and overpaying.

Those funds you save with better planning are more useful for a few bottles at your favorite wine stops.

If you want to browse your options in wine country, check out the map below:

With More Time for Oregon Wine Country

An image of Mount Hood at a vineyard in Oregon

If you’re on an Oregon road trip, there are a few more wine regions around the state, per the Oregon Wine Board. Let’s take a look:

Portland: Urban tasting rooms await travelers seeking Portland wine country in Multnomah County. The wineries here are as quirky as the city itself. Hip Chicks Do Wine is a great place to start to get to know Portland wine tasting experiences.
Columbia Gorge: The Gorge wine region is the perfect place for travelers already exploring the Columbia River. Try The Gorge White House in Hood River for historic farm vibes, mountain views, and hard cider on top of delicious wines.
Rogue Valley: The Rogue Valley actually boasts Oregon’s first winery. Take that, Willamette Valley! While the original location is harder to pinpoint, visit the sequel in Jacksonville at Valley View Winery.
Umpqua Valley: Just north of the Rogue Valley, the Umpqua Valley rewards winemakers who work for their grapes. They have to contend with three mountain ranges here. See the best of what they do here.
Walla Walla Valley: You’ll need to head off the beaten path up to the northeastern corner of the state for Walla Walla wine grapes. It’s worth it for Watermill Winery in Milton-Freewater. Head over the border into Washington for more sips.

Love pinot noir? Plan a trip to the Willamette Valley.

There’s just no way around it. If you love pinot noir as much as I do, you’ll want to prioritize Willamette Valley travel. That doesn’t mean that’s all there is to drink there.

You can have your fill of pinot gris, pinot blanc, sauvignon blanc, and merlot while you’re at it. I’m sure we’ll be back to work our way through some of the wineries we missed on previous trips. There are SO many!

Love wine travel? Here are a few more suggestions:

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