How to Take a Wine Tour in the Willamette Valley
Rolling hills of vineyards, subtle yet complex Pinot Noir, charcuterie boards, what’s not to love? Oh, right, the driving. Taking a tour of Oregon’s wine country makes the logistics easy. Instead of drawing lots with your friends over the dubious honor of being the designated driver, a knowledgeable guide takes care of the transport and, often, the itinerary. I’ve visited the Willamette Valley many times but recently did my first van tour. Here’s what to consider before booking, plus tips for making the most of your trip to wine country.
The views are great at Furioso Vineyards
How it works
Wine country tours come in different flavors, but here are the broad strokes. A guide picks you up at your house or hotel in a comfortable car or passenger van, drives you to three wineries in the Willamette Valley for tastings, and then drops you back. Most companies offer door-to-door service from the Portland metro area. If you’re coming from farther away, especially from Washington, check with the company about pick-up and drop-off before booking your tour.
Expect to spend most of the day on the wine tour. You’ll probably leave Portland around 10 AM and return by dinner time. If you have limited time, I’d suggest visiting fewer wineries so that you have time to relax and enjoy the experience.
MonksGate Winery was a wonderful discovery on my tour
What’s included
When you book a wine country tour, most companies offer transport, a guide, water, and lunch. The guide will take care of logistics like winery reservations.
Tasting fees are not included in most tours. Since wineries often waive these fees if you buy a certain number of bottles, it makes things easier not to include them in the cost of the tour. You can find all-inclusive tours that cover tasting fees and other perks like food pairings. This type of tour will be more expensive than a standard one.
The tasting room at de Lancellotti Vineyards feels like a family dinner table
Cost
The cost of wine tours varies based on the type of tour and number of people. As a general estimate, expect to spend around $200 per person on a standard tour (not all-inclusive). If you have a larger group, say 8-10 people, it will be significantly cheaper for each person than a 2-person group.
Some tour companies charge a per-person fee that covers the whole day. Others charge an hourly fee, generally around $80-150/hour. Either way, larger groups can help keep the costs down. Tips are not automatically included, but they are appreciated. Think around 20% if you enjoyed your tour.
Tasting room fees in the Willamette Valley are usually in the ballpark of $40 for each winery. If you end up buying bottles, the tasting fees might be waived.
The cozy tasting room at MonksGate
About the Willamette Valley
Oregon’s wine country is the Willamette Valley, which starts about an hour from Portland. This area between the Coastal and Cascade Mountains has a cool climate and mild, rainy winters. You’ll hear a lot of comparisons to Burgundy, France, which is on the same latitude and shares some climate patterns. While I don’t deny the similarities, I find them a little exaggerated. I love wine from both Oregon and Burgundy, but they each have a unique character.
The Willamette Valley’s main grape is Pinot Noir, which you’ll see on just about every tasting flight. Expect it to be dry, light-bodied, and fruit-forward. Great Oregon Pinot tastes of cranberry, cherry, and herbs with an underlying earthiness. The white wines get less press but are just as worth trying. Willamette Valley Chardonnay tends to have crisp notes of apple and lemon, great minerality, and a light hand with oak. The Pinot Gris tastes of ginger and pear with enough body to keep it interesting.
The wineries
Wine tours visit between two and four wineries. Having three stops is a good balance between sampling what the Willamette Valley has to offer and not overdoing it. As Oregon’s wine country gains prestige, the tasting rooms are getting bigger and more opulent. At larger wineries, the space and the service feel more like upscale restaurants than family farms.
My favorite places in the Willamette Valley are the low-profile tasting rooms in spaces that look like (and often are) converted garages. The wines are at least as good as the big names, and the winemaker is often in the tasting room when you visit. Plus, there’s a decent chance of a winery dog or two hanging around. If you take a wine tour, guides are great resources for finding tasting rooms based on what you enjoy in wine.
My new buddy
Tour recommendations
My friends and I had a great time on our tour with Hidden Vineyards Valet. Our guide, Jonas, had excellent suggestions for hidden gem wineries, as well as a familiarity with the big names in the Willamette Valley. The tours include three vineyard stops. Two are small and under the radar, the type of place where the winemaker will probably serve your tasting flight. The third is in a bustling and palatial tasting room of one of Oregon’s famous wineries.
By reviews and recommendations, here’s a couple more tour companies to consider:
Backcountry Wine Tours focuses on lesser-known boutique wineries with reputations for quality.
Wheels N Time has experienced guides who provide thoughtful help with itinerary planning.
Our trusty steed from Hidden Vineyards Valet
Other tips
Drink water. Wine tastings are more about quality than quantity, but your body will still thank you for staying hydrated.
Have a plan for lunch. Most wine tours either provide lunch or include a lunch stop, which might be a winery that serves food.
Take your time. The Willamette Valley is a beautiful area where vineyards cover rolling green hills in front of the Chehalem Mountains. The wines are complex and offer many intriguing comparisons between them. You won’t want to hurry through the visit.
The Willamette Valley is divided into 11 smaller regions called nested AVAs. Visiting more than one of them on your wine tour is a fun way to compare how subtle differences in growing conditions change the nature of the wine.
Enjoy your wine tour in the Willamette Valley!
With love,
Emma
More about Oregon wine
Check out my Oregon wine tasting intro guide.
