Category Archives: Oregon

Erath Winery

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Erath Winery

Erath Winery

9409 NE Worden Hill Rd, Dundee, OR 97115

Website: https://www.erath.com/

Erath Winery was the last stop of my visit to Oregon wine country. It was such a nice way to end my stay. One of the most striking attributes of this winery is the gorgeous view. From the winery and parking lot, there is a view of vineyards that seems to stretch on forever. It was fall, the vineyards were green and lush, and the sky was blue. We couldn’t ask for a better day.

View of rolling vineyards from Erath Winery

View of rolling vineyards from Erath Winery

Erath has been making wine in the Dundee Hills for over 40 years, the longest of any other winery in the area. Original owner Dick Erath was a wine pioneer in Oregon. He started making wine in his garage in 1965 and studied at UC Davis in California. He bought his first vineyard on Chehalem Mountain in 1968. While living in an unheated cabin with his family, Dick started planting 23 varieties of grapes. He made a discovery from those plantings that Pinot Noir really thrives in this region. Between 1969 and 1972 Dick continued his experiments with wine, helping to bring French Pinot clones to the Dundee Hills and producing his first commercial wine. Then in 1976, he started Erath Winery. Within ten years, the winery grew to produce more than 35,000 cases that are now distributed internationally. In 2006 St. Michelle Wine Estates purchased the winery and committed to upholding Erath’s winemaking style.

Indoor tasting bar at Erath Winery

Indoor tasting bar at Erath Winery

Beyond the beautiful views and history of the winery, this place has some really lovely wines and a very comfortable atmosphere. Inside the wood paneled tasting room has a country feel. There are two sections with tasting bars and a few tables and chairs for guests. The tasting room was pretty busy when I visited, although I didn’t feel crammed in. There was ample space to move around. The staff was inviting. It was such a nice day that my friend and I opted to do our tasting outside in the shaded patio area that looks out over the vineyards. A server came out to explain the tasting options and walk us through each glass that was poured. The unique part of my tasting was the homemade flavored popcorn that they serve to pair with the wine. This was the first time I ever had a pairing like that. The popcorn flavors brought out some of the nuances in the wine. I loved their Quail Run Pinot Blanc and various Pinot Noirs. The Pinot Noirs continuously receive 90+ scores from wine magazines.  They also poured a Sweet Harvest Pinot Blanc dessert wine. It was a very relaxing setting. We took our time sipping each wine and greatly enjoyed ourselves.

White Rose Estate

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White Rose Estate

White Rose Estate

6250 NE Hilltop Ln, Dayton, OR 97114

Website: http://www.whiteroseestate.com/

My number one recommendation when visiting any place for the first time is to ask the locals where to go. They won’t usually steer you wrong (at least in my experience), and that’s how I often find some of the gems I wouldn’t have known about otherwise. White Rose Estate is one of those very pleasant surprises that my friend Denise and I encountered based on a recommendation from a couple of locals. The winery is located atop a hill in the Dundee area just up the road from Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, and Vista Hills Vineyard. The location of this winery provides absolutely breathtaking views of the surrounding area. I had never heard of the winery before I visited, but as soon as I stepped out of the car and saw the view I was drawn in.

The view of Willamette Valley in the distance from White Rose Estate

The view of Willamette Valley in the distance from White Rose Estate

The current owner of White Rose Estate, Greg Sanders, purchased the farm house and property in 2000. The vineyards had been planted in 1980 and became well-known for the quality of their fruit. Other wineries like St. Innocent, Panther Creek, and Torii Mor had purchased grapes from the site and labeled them “White Rose Vineyard” on their bottles.  A gravelly road leads up the hill to the winery. Between the parking lot and the tasting room is a wide open grassy area with lounge chairs looking out over the rolling rows of vineyards directly out in front. I could sit and relax for a long time taking in the views of the Willamette Valley down below. Despite the fact that it was an overcast day, my friend and I still took a few minutes to snap some photos and breathe in the fresh air.

Front of White Rose Estate

Front of White Rose Estate

The exterior of the winery is a gray wood paneled building, nothing flashy. The entrance to the winery is flanked by green trees and shrubs to give it more life. There were two big barn style doors leading into the tasting room and a welcome mat at the entry. The interior was dark with black walls, wood floors, and wood paneling on the ceiling. The lighting was rather dim.  The doors were kept open to let in some natural light.  There were a couple of wine barrels for decoration off to the left and a wine bar to right.  The wine bar could easily accommodate three small groups of people at a time. There was also a small station to left of the wine bar with water and cup, and to start off the tasting the server gave us some club soda to cleanse our palate. It was a nice touch.

The tasting bar at White Rose Estate

The tasting bar at White Rose Estate

The staff welcomed us immediately as we walked through the doors. There were only a couple of other people in the tasting room at the same time as us, so we were able to take our time sampling the wines. I quickly became a fan of their fruit forward style Pinot Noirs. My favorites were the 2011 Luciole Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2012 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, and 2012 Winemaker’s Cuvée. They were well balanced with nice fruit and spice and a silky finish. Our server was very knowledgeable and gave us a lot of information about where the grapes for each wine cam from.  My one small complaint about our tasting was that there were little fruit flies buzzing around during tasting because the doors were open. The server explained that as soon as they open the doors the flies come around. It was a little distracting. Nonetheless, my friend and I both ordered some wines for home. Overall we really enjoyed this winery.

Emerson Vineyards

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Entrance to Emerson Vineyards tasting room

Entrance to Emerson Vineyards tasting room

11665 Airlie Road, Monmouth, OR 97361

Websites: http://www.emersonvineyards.com/

I ended my first day of wine tasting in Monmouth, Oregon at Emerson Vineyards.   My friend Denise and I turned onto the driveway from Airlie Road to a small gravel parking area behind the owner’s home.  There was one other car in the parking lot.  To the left was the owner’s residence.  To the right was a building that looked like a large garage with a wooden sign that said “Tasting Room Open” pointing to the entrance.  Vineyards surrounded the buildings on both sides.  It was so calm and peaceful looking out at the rows of vines.

Emerson Vineyards tasting room and warehouse

Emerson Vineyards tasting room and warehouse

We walked through the door labeled Emerson Vineyards into a large, open warehouse.  Straight ahead there were some barrels lined up on the right and a forklift.  In the corner directly to the right of the doorway right is the tasting area.  Tom, the owner, greeted us from behind the small, wooden bar that accommodates three people standing.   To the right of the bar is a large chalkboard with a list of the current wines.  Beneath it was some stacked-up boxes of wine.  An older couple was sitting on some stools to the left of the bar talking to the owner.  It was apparent that they had been to the winery before and were from the area.  They invited us in as if we were neighbors stopping in for a visit.

If it isn’t immediately evident from the residence on the property, this is a family operated winery.  Tom Johns is the owner who lives on the property with his wife Jane.  His prior career was in the medical industry.  Tom’s son Elliott is responsible for growing the grapes and making the wine.  The winery is named after Tom’s grandfather Emerson Waldo Fisher.  While we were sampling the wines, Tom’s granddaughter came running in excited to tell her grandfather that she just came back from shopping with her grandmother.

We stepped up to the bar and Tom pointed out the wines that were open.  We started with a white Pinot Noir that I have never tried anywhere else.  We also tried a Viognier, Pinot Gris, a couple of Pinot Noirs, and a big, powerful red blend called Big Brother Red.  My personal favorites are the Avelina Pinot Noir and Big Brother Red.

View of the vineyards behind Emerson's tasting room

View of the vineyards behind Emerson’s tasting room

I was looking out at the vineyards through the window behind the bar as I was sipping my wine thinking “this really is the life”.  Although, I understand from everything I’ve learned about winemaking that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication.  I felt that Emerson’s wines were really expressive of the terroir as the French call it, or the environment from which the grapes are grown.

As we were finishing up our tasting we asked for a recommendation for dinner.  Tom highly recommended a place called The Bread Board about 15 minutes away in Falls City that is popular with the locals.  While we were getting directions, one of the owners of the restaurant walked into to the tasting room to pick up some wines on his way to the restaurant.  He struck up a conversation with us and then headed out with his cases of wine.  We later ran into him at the restaurant.  It was an excellent recommendation!

This was really a great way to end the day and I’m so glad we stopped into the winery.  Even though my friend and I were new to the area, everyone welcomed us like we were part of the community.  Tom made our experience fun and interesting sharing some stories about the area.   I will remember my experience while drinking the bottles of Emerson wines that I brought home with me.