History

The Willamette Valley's modern wine industry traces to 1965 when David Lett (Eyrie Vineyards) planted Pinot Noir in Dundee Hills. By 1979, Lett's South Block won fourth place at the Gault-Millau French Olympics in Paris, tying with Joseph Drouhin's Chambolle-Musigny; Drouhin bought land in Oregon two years later. The Willamette Valley AVA was granted in 1983 and now contains seven sub-AVAs. Portland wine bars (OK Omens, Ava Gene's, Olympia Provisions) all run heavy Willamette Pinot programmes by the glass. Bring a designated driver if you head south on 99W; the cellars are 30 to 45 minutes from downtown.

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★ 4.5 (51)
Portland

Day trip · 6.5 hours

Willamette Valley Wine Tour

Visit Oregon’s famous Willamette Valley, one of the best wine regions in the world for Pinot Noir, and the best Pinot Gris in the country. Sip,...

from$145Check dates

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Common allergens: Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 15 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle (750ml) entry-level Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (suggested: Eyrie Vineyards Estate, Sokol Blosser Evolution, or Adelsheim Vineyard Willamette Valley)
  • 1 bottle (750ml) mid-tier single-vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (suggested: Bethel Heights Estate, Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvee, or Domaine Drouhin Dundee Hills)
  • 1 bottle (750ml) high-end single-vineyard reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (suggested: Beaux Freres The Beaux Freres Vineyard, Antica Terra Botanica, or Eyrie Vineyards Daphne)
  • 12 small (180ml) tulip wine glasses or Burgundy glasses
  • For the food pairing board: 200g aged Tillamook or Rogue Creamery cheddar (sliced thin)
  • 100g Olympia Provisions chorizo riojano or salami nostrano (sliced thin)
  • 80g Oregon hazelnuts (roasted, lightly salted)
  • 200g sourdough country bread
  • 30g Vermont butter or Cypress Grove humboldt fog
  • 100g fresh figs or Italian prune plums in season

Method

  1. Cool all three bottles to 14 to 16 degrees Celsius for 60 to 90 minutes; do not over-chill (Pinot Noir loses aromatics below 12 degrees).
  2. Set out three numbered tulip glasses per drinker, left to right: entry-level, mid-tier, reserve.
  3. Open all three bottles 30 to 45 minutes before serving; decant the reserve bottle into a 1L decanter for the full 45 minutes (the structural tannin and complex aromatics open up significantly).
  4. Pour 60ml of each wine into the corresponding glass per person; the small pour preserves the flight format and allows tasting all three without intoxication.
  5. Have each drinker taste from glass 1 to glass 3 in sequence: visual (note depth of colour, edge clarity), nose (swirl, then short controlled inhales noting fruit, earth, oak), palate (small sip, hold across the tongue, note acid, tannin, fruit, length).
  6. Recommended tasting notes: glass 1 typically shows bright red cherry, raspberry, mild earth; glass 2 reveals more vineyard character (Dundee Hills volcanic mineral, Eola-Amity sedimentary forest floor); glass 3 carries oak integration, longer finish, structured tannin.
  7. Plate the cheese board family-style at the centre of the table: cheddar with the entry wine, salami with the mid-tier, fresh figs and aged cheese with the reserve.
  8. Encourage a horizontal re-tasting: return to glass 1 after tasting glass 3. The contrast clarifies what each level offers.
  9. Save any wine in a vacuum-sealed bottle stopper; a Willamette Pinot will hold its character for 2 days refrigerated.

Tip from the editors. The temperature is the single most important variable; cellar temperature (14 degrees Celsius), not fridge temperature. Use small Burgundy tulip glasses, not big balloon glasses, for the flight format; the smaller bowl preserves aromatics across an hour-long tasting.

Where to eat willamette valley pinot noir flight

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir flight in Portland

OK Omens ★ 4.8

$$$ Wine barHawthorne Belmont

The naturally focused wine room next door to the former Castagna space on SE Hawthorne in Portland, chef Justin Woodward's food, Willamette growers.

PourWillamette Valley Pinot Noir by the glass

WineNatural wine from Oregon and the Old World

FoodPacific Northwest small plates

TipThe bar takes walk-ins; the dining room reserves on Resy. By-the-glass list rotates weekly.

Directions Book

Ava Gene's Wine Bar ★ 4.6

$$$ Wine barDivision Clinton

The bar at Ava Gene's on SE Division in Portland, focused on Italian regional pours and Willamette Valley wines, with full kitchen access for walk-ins.

PourEtna Rosso by the glass

WineItalian growers and Willamette Valley

FoodItalian antipasti and pasta

TipOrder the antipasti as a snack with two glasses of wine; the kitchen will plate a smaller portion.

Directions Book

Olympia Provisions Bar ★ 4.2

$$$ Wine barHawthorne Belmont

The Olympia Provisions bar in SE Portland, with European wines by the glass paired to house-cured charcuterie boards and choucroute royale. Family-friendly.

PourLoire-Valley Chenin Blanc by the glass

WineEuropean wines and Oregon Pinot

FoodHouse-cured charcuterie and rustic plates

TipWalk-in seating at the bar. The charcuterie board with two glasses is the editorial pick.

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