Willamette Valley Vineyards
8800 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, OR 97392
Website: http://wvv.com/
Willamette Valley Vineyards was the first vineyard I visited in Oregon. I was very excited and ready for some good Pinot Noir. It is located in the Southern Willamette Valley about 20 minutes outside of Salem where we were staying. To get to the winery, my friend and I drove through a big archway up a hill by rows and rows of vines. The winery is a large yellow stucco building with a tower. It made me think of a mini fortress. The surrounding views from atop the winery are gorgeous. The history of this winery is an interesting story. The founder is Jim Bernau who purchased the Estate in 1983 and cleared away the old plum orchard to plant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris. Jim built his winemaking knowledge and skills by taking classes at UC Davis and participating in seminars between the U.S. and France. He started the winery in 1989 through shared ownership by offering shares that are traded on the NASDAQ. As a result, there are over 7,000 owners in the winery today. In addition, Willamette Valley Vineyards has grown its estate through partnerships with other vineyard owners. Today, the winery sources all of its barrel-aged Pinot Noir from the estate and farms nearly 500 acres in the valley.
Tasting bar at Willamette Valley Vineyards
The tasting room at the Estate is huge. It has a little bit of a lodge feel because of the fire pit in center surrounded by leather couches and the wood floors made from repurposed pallets from the Port of Portland. It’s a circular space with windows from ceiling to flow on 2 sides of room making it look very bright and open. The ceiling is wood paneled as well with sky light. There are two bars in the tasting room. The main tasting bar is a horseshoe shaped, wood-paneled bar to right of the entrance. Behind the main tasting bar is a lit wine display that covers the entire wall. The second bar is to the left of the room with some seating. There was a grand piano in the corner behind the bar, and tables and chairs in the center of the room.
Fire pit inside Willamette Valley Vineyards tasting room
Near the entrance was a gift and snack area to purchase items. As if all of this wasn’t enough, there is an upper floor used as a private event space that overlooks the tasting room. After our tasting, my friend Denise and I walked up in the tower to see the views from the top of the winery. Outside of the tasting room there is a large patio with tables, chairs, and umbrellas looking out on the surrounding vineyards. I can see this place being used quite often for large events.
The staff here was friendly. Denise and I tried the Estate tasting flight. We sampled quite a few of the wines between the two of us for a modest tasting fee. Although I found all of the wines to be pleasing, my personal favorites were the 2012 Bernau Block Pinot Noir and 2009 Merlot. Another cool feature of this tasting room is that it provides a daily food menu served by the Winery Chef. You can truly come in for full lunch with wine and food. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the Winery Chef hosts a four-course wine and dinner menu. If you are interested in learning more details about the winery, you can swing by at 2 p.m. each day for a complimentary tour or sign up for a private tour at a very reasonable price that includes a wine tasting and cheese pairing.
This winery has a lot to offer. It’s a nice place to hang out for a leisurely tasting either inside by the fireplace our outdoors on the patio.
View from the patio at Willamette Valley Vineyards