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Goin'6 Pacific Northwest Wine Country Tour

Wine tasting in Washington and Oregon

Winemaking in the Pacific Northwest has reached a palette-pleasing tipping point, now that nearly 600 Washington State wineries and hundreds more along Oregon's sprawling Willamette Valley are producing varietal wines of excellent quality and exceptional value.

While a handful of Northwest cellars have attained national prominence and widespread distribution, the majority of the area's winemakers deserve to be celebrated precisely for their upstart status and local character. It may take a little extra effort on your part to find that special winemaker whose products perfectly align with your tastes, but it's precisely this journey of discovery that can find you enjoying a private tasting in the living room of a respected local grower.

To keep things simple, we've divided the tour stops along state lines, but the reality of the situation is less cut and dried. Washington and Oregon's shared border includes the highly productive Columbia Valley and Walla Walla Valley AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) or Appellations as they're commonly called, so it pays to study the map when charting your course. Also keep in mind that many area vineyards have limited tasting hours or tastings by appointment, so you'll probably want to plan in advance.

Washington

For the casual taster, the Pacific Northwest's consummate tasting room experience awaits less than a half-hour's drive northeast of Seattle. Here, in the charming town of Woodinville, the region's finest winemakers have gathered to showcase their very best vintages in close proximity to the region's largest population center (smart for them and convenient for you!)

Famous for its Rieslings, Chateau Ste. Michelle is the Northwest's landmark winery. It operates a year-round tasting room in Woodinville as do other prominent wineries like Columbia, Silver Lake, and Novelty Hill and Januik. The Betz Family Winery is another award-wining label, only you'll have to visit during a special event or one of the winery's designated release weekends. And just to show that Woodinville has more to offer than great wine, it's also home to the celebrated Herbfarm restaurant — sumptuous proof that this quiet little town is a true food and wine destination.

Now before getting completely swept away by Woodinville's considerable allure, you should note that virtually all of the grapes that go into these fine wines are imported from the state's arid eastern region. Here, in the rain shadow of the mighty Cascade Range, modern irrigation techniques have helped make growing conditions ideal, with long summer days producing some amazing fruit. Not surprisingly, you'll find hundreds of excellent wineries located here at the source.

At 185 miles wide and 200 miles long, the Columbia Valley is a kind of Super-AVA that covers a huge swath of southeastern Washington and encompasses many smaller sub-appellations. These growing regions come with colorful names like Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, Snipes Mountain, Walla Walla Valley and Wahluke Slope. Deciding on which ones to visit is the hard part. At least one prominent critic considers Yakima Valley to be Washington's most underrated winemaking region thanks to its well-established vines, while the remote Walla Walla Valley has earned a reputation for producing the state's best merlots and cabernets. But visit any message board discussion of eastern Washington's wineries and you can benefit from the vigorous debate about the relative merits of one tasting experience versus another.

To help plan your tour of the region, it makes the most sense to choose a base of operations that's close to your preferred tasting stops. The 130-mile stretch between Yakima and Walla Walla takes you through the state's greatest concentration of vineyards, with the Tri Cities of Richland, Pasco and Kennewick providing a convenient mid-point in the heart of winemaking country. And, while not part of an officially recognized growing region, Spokane is also home to a number of wineries and tasting rooms that allow you to enjoy yourself without ever leaving the city.

Oregon

Follow the Willamette Valley south from Portland all the way to Eugene and you'll cross through a scenic 100-mile stretch dotted with winemaking operations that are typically family or grower-owned. While modest by California standards, these intimate Oregon wineries easily take on the character of the men and women who put so much of themselves into each bottle — a big part of what makes an Oregon wine tour such a memorable experience.

Because they sit west of the Cascades, Willamette Valley vineyards avoid any rain shadow effect. This means a wetter and cooler growing season than what you'll find in the Columbia Valley, and ideal conditions for producing some of the world's most celebrated Pinot Noirs.

The Eyrie Vineyards in McMinnville (about 30 miles southwest of Portland) is often considered the gold standard here. Given the performance of its prized Pinot Noirs in worldwide competitions, the winery is a fitting host for the International Pinot Noir Celebration that takes place every summer. In the nearby Yamhill-Carlton and Dundee Hills AVAs, other Pinot Noirs with a wide following include those from Ken Wright, Cristom, Domaine Serene and Domaine Drouhin, just to name a few. But Pinot Noir isn't the only grape in town. You'll find exceptional Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay on display as well.

While the north end of the Willamette Valley boasts the greatest concentration of vineyards and many of the state's most prestigious labels, don't hesitate to work your way south. You'll find plenty of outstanding wineries like Benton-Lane to keep your interest as you approach the Valley's other population centers, Salem, Corvallis and Eugene.