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Seattle
San
Francisco
Portland
WASHINGTON
Or eGON
CALIFOr NIA
Willamette
Valley
Napa
Valley
Willamette isdifferent fromYakima
andNapa inoneverybigway:While
producers in the two latter regions
generateabroad rangeofwines,
those inWillamette focus intensely
onpinot noir. It’saplacewherePaul
Giamatti’spinot-loving character
from
Sideways
wouldbe right at
home.Nodoubt, youwill beaswell.
TheWillamette region is spread
across 15 townsoverabout 70miles
of fertileOregon land.Winemakers
havebeenoperating there since
the 1970s, takingadvantageof the
area’swet soil,which is influenced
by theMissoulaflood.
FRIDAY
After landing inPortland,
come toWillametteon thepictur-
esque routeviaHighway 99West.
On theway, stopatTheDundee
Bistro,where salmon from theCo-
lumbiaRiver, just 20milesaway, isa
specialty.While there, checkout
next-door-neighborPonziTasting
Room&WineBar,which isownedby
oneof themoreestablishedwine
families inOregonand, not coinci-
dentally, has somegood, oldpinots
onoffer.Also takea lookat the
blownglassand sculptures inside
theadjacentTheDapperFrog.
From there, you’re close toThe
Allison Inn&Spa (openingSeptem-
ber 2009),whereyou’ll be spending
yourfirst night, and thedrive there
takesyoupast severalwineries. Be
sure to stopat Sokol BlosserWinery,
which isaparagonof greenwine-
making. Alsopull off the road for
DomaineDrouhinOregon. It’sowned
byaFrench family, and theywere
thefirst in the region to farm their
pinot noirand chardonnaygrapesas
it isdone inBurgundy.
Check in toTheAllison,where
you canexpect your room tobeout-
fittedwitha luxury soaking tuband
fireplace. If you’re curiousabout
their locallybasedmud-bathproduct
that’s infusedwithOregonherbsand
ingredients, go for it. The treatment
isa specialtyof thehotel spa.
Dinnerwill beverymuchanOre-
gonianaffairatTheJoel Palmer
House innearbyDayton. Everything
is extremely local—whichhelps
explain thedominanceof hazelnuts
andmushrooms, bothofwhichare
Oregon staples—and thefive-course
“MushroomMadness” tastingmenu
is amust for anyonewho is fungi
inclined.Of course, you shouldwash
it all downwithabottleof locally
producedpinot noir.
SATURDAY
Havebreakfast atThe
Allisonand then, beforeheadingoff
to thewineries,makea side trip to
EvergreenAviation&SpaceMuseum,
whereyou can seeHowardHughes’
famous
SpruceGoose
and 150other
historic aircraft, spacecraft, and
exhibits.
Start yourwinedaywithavisit
toTheEyrieVineyards, thefirst
Americanwinery toproduceapinot
noir that competed successfullywith
the farmoreentrenchedpinotsof
France.At lunchtime, continue tast-
ingOregonwinesatNick’s Italian
Café. The food isexcellent— try the
wood-ovenpizzas andhomemade
salumi platter—andNickhimself is
apinot aficionado.
After lunch, en route to the
night’shotel,GrandLodge inForest
Grove, be sure to stopatDavidHill
Vineyards&Winery. That’swhere
theverygood tablewinegoes for
only $10perbottleand is the favorite
of local grape lovers.Next door, Pat-
tonValleyVineyardprovidesagood
exampleof howa successful, family-
runwineryoperates.And farther
down the road,Montinorehasgood
FALL 2009
celebratedliving.com
52
Left to right, counterclockwise: A roomat
TheAllison Inn&Spa; view fromDavidHill
Vineyards andWinery; the lobby of The
HeathmanHotel; thePonzi TastingRoom&
WineBar; goinggreenat Sokol Blosser
Winery; anddinner at The Joel Palmer House
