Oregon Wine Country in a Weekend: Willamette Valley Wineries, Food & Where to Stay

Best wineries to visit

This is the lineup I’d recommend... and please head out with a private driver. Don’t try to navigate wine country on your own. There’s too much to enjoy here, and no one wants to be the designated driver in Oregon wine country. I’ve been to literally dozens and dozens of Oregon wineries and here are some of my favorites.

• Rémy Wines: For the big, bold reds that will make you rethink Oregon wine, in a casual farm-house setting that is welcoming to everyone, because fantastic wine should be for everyone.

• Domaine Willamette. For bubbles and genuinely fantastic food. Domaine Willamette is one of the wineries that really leans into a great menu to support their fabulous wines. And the view is worth snagging an outside table if the weather cooperates.

• Durant Winery: For views that are hard to believe. I’d never been a Pinot fan, until I went to Durant. They also produce olive oil and honey and have a gorgeous nursery which will send you home with lots of yard inspiration, and a few statuaries if you’re feeling inspired.

Small towns worth exploring

• Newberg doesn’t get nearly enough credit. It’s a genuine small town with serious culinary ambitions... the kind of place where a world-class meal can happen on a quiet street corner and locals still treat it like their best-kept secret. In fact, Newberg has been recognized by USA Today as having one of the best small-town food scenes in Western U.S.

• Dundee is tiny but mighty, packed with tasting rooms and surrounded by the celebrated Dundee Hills and home to two of my favorites: 1) Red Hills Market—I don’t miss an opportunity to stop here for lunch. Get the tuna sandwich, seriously. 2) Argyle Winery—it’s right in town so it doesn’t have the sweeping views that so many wineries do, but its known for putting Willamette Valley sparkling wine on the global map. Argyle is a splurge but don’t skip the “All-Sparkling” flight and toast to the moment; it’s worth it.

• McMinnville is the unofficial capital of Oregon wine country. Third Street is the most walkable main street in the valley, lined with tasting rooms, restaurants, bookshops, and boutiques. Park the car and just wander. Many fabulous Oregon wineries have tasting rooms on Third Street, so it’s a great way to taste your way through some of Oregon’s best.

Standout restaurants

• Jory (at The Allison Hotel Newberg): Dinner here is a given. Order the Pinot Burger or the BLT, and get the hand-cut fries no matter what. This culinary team knows what they’re doing.

• The Painted Lady (Newberg): A full experience... a beautifully restored Victorian with inventive tasting menus that feel special without being stuffy

• Rosamarino Osteria (Newberg): Warm and rustic. Handmade pasta, Italian soul, the kind of dinner that makes you want to linger over one more glass just to stay at the table a little longer.

• ōkta (McMinnville): Exquisite, of-the-moment tasting menus steps from downtown.

• La Rambla (McMinnville): All ambiance and romance, a wine list that goes on for days, and Spanish tapas made for sharing across the table... exactly the kind of slow, lingering dinner this trip is about.

After-dinner drinks

No trip to Oregon is complete without a stop at a McMenamins, and in McMinnville that means the Rooftop Bar at the Hotel Oregon. Go for happy hour or an after-dinner drink... soak in the views over Third Street, then head back to your luxury stay. It’s the perfect low-key bookend to a day in wine country.