Bring your Hat- Dundee Hills in the Willamette Valley Wine Weekend
Sunset View from the Black Walnut Inn
Day 1 Arrive at the Portland airport and head south to the beautiful Willamette Valley. We stayed in the Dundee Hills AVA just outside of the adorable town of Newberg. It will take about an hour to get to the Black Walnut perched high in the hills overlooking lavender fields, vineyards and the Cascade mountains with a perfect view of Mt Hood. The Black Walnut is a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ nine room villa that includes a gourmet breakfast daily and chef paired special dinners on the weekends. We did a 3 course dinner and wine pairing on the back terrace of the villa for our first night after a long day of travel.
Day 2 After a delicious farm to table breakfast we were ready to hit the trail. I am an animal lover and love to get on horseback to explore if biking isn’t an option. The Dundee Hills is not the place for a tipsy cyclist so I found a Sip and Saddle wine tour that filled our thirst for nature and our quest for the good juice. This was an amazing experience on Tennessee walking horses. They glided through the hills smooth as glass. Our guide was an expert rider and took us to three picturesque hilltop wineries. We stopped in for a tasting at Whiterose and Winterhill arranged as part of our package. I have been in love with Oregon Pinot Noir over all others with few exceptions ever since. After a quick shower we closed out our day with Dario at Rosmarino Ossetia Italiana. He is the owner and wine importer for the famous local restaurant that sponsors a 5 course wine paired Italian dinner. We were blessed to get reservations at his newer location downtown Newberg. Cars used to line the highway waiting to get into his previous spot. A “must do” when you visit.
Day 3 Started off with yet another mouth watering breakfast and coffee overlooking the vineyards. This day we were on our own, hiking through the vineyards making our way to the Bella Vida tasting room where we made fast friends with our host that would later end up seeing us stranded roadside and driving us back to the hotel. Note *Pay it forward kindness will always return to you. Before that happened though we hit 3 other wineries Torii Mor, Knudsen and Furioso. We found the good juice at each one, enjoyed a very different experience and view. It was an active day of hiking and Uber rides which ended at another local favorite the Red Hills Market. A must stop for foodies in a casual setting with wood fired pizza, wine and craft brew. It was a treacherous walk back to the inn and we could not get an Uber so without an option we started to walk. That is when we were spotted by our wine angel from Bella Vida. We will see you again soon
Day 4 I can get used to this breakfast thing 😊 Today is our last full day and we wanted to be pampered so we booked a custom Tesla wine tour with Roger. He was so professional and got with me weeks in advance to learn our tastes to plan the perfect day. Our first Stop was Natalie’s where we met Boyd the owner wine maker for a tasting. They had different varietals here and a great price point. You can feel the love and care taken at this boutique winery. Next we headed to Solena where Roger surprised us with the most amazing charcuterie board to pair with their wines. The tasting room and view were gorgeous. Next we visited Cramoisi a new vineyard that hadn’t yet completed their tasting room for a picnic table tasting in the vines. Again we were with the owner herself. Sophia. The pride and joy of this place overflowed into her wine. Grateful that we stopped there. Lastly we went to one of the biggest and well known vineyards. Alexana. Beautiful wines to end our magical day.
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