Local Wineries

A quaint winery where the tasting room is in the same building as where the owners live. My daughter Flora and I enjoyed the attention of the host and the coziness of the vibe. Like most wineries in this area, they focus on whites and Pinot Noir; grapes that can tolerate our climate.

Go here for the personal interaction with a down-home feel.

When my wine posse, David and Travis, and I arrived at Pete’s Mountain Winery, we weren’t expecting much. While we appreciated the vine covered hillside, the buildings looked like a modern winery should… nothing wrong with that, but also nothing interesting either. With the sounds of The Who on the tasting room speakers, they offered us bold red wines; the kind that don’t grow around these parts. They can because this winery has some land in Eastern Washington to supply the other half of their wine supply.

Go here for the fantastic wines.

When one of my eight sisters came to town, I talked some other sisters who live in the area into a wine tasting at Villa Catalan, and had an great time. Stunning grounds and landscaping that hint at their European inspirations. Definitely go during the warm weather, to enjoy walking around the grounds, but if you go during the cooler weather, you can enjoy their wines in their lush greenhouse.

Go here for the lovely visual experience.

I’m saved this winery for last for a reason; they do natural wines. Allow me to explain what I mean with a story.

While visiting a friend of mine in Barcelona, he drove me south along the coast toward Valencia to a twelfth century monastery and winery. There, the people would gather the grapes and through them into a large, tile-lined pit … grapes, stems, leaves, bugs and all. A month or so later, they would uncork a hole made at the bottom of this pit, and fill bottles with the freshly made wine. Yeast is a natural fungus that transports in the air, settling on everything, including the grapes, and the weight of the grapes on top, crushed the grapes on the bottom, releasing the juice for the natural yeast to eat and convert to alcohol. In these environments, the yeast competes with bacteria, making the wine in some years better than others.

Modern wine makers don’t like to take such chances, and give yeast a better start by adding sulfur dioxide. While the Romans used this technique, they may have picked it up from the Egyptians, but I digress. When I make make my wine, I use about 3 grams for every 50 pounds of juice, but that minuscule amount gets rid of the bacteria that would turn the wine into vinegar.

Some people have complained of headaches they ascribe to the sulfites in the wine. France has started lowering the sulfite limits (which is why you might find those wines have a bit stronger, almost skunky taste) but some wineries take this further and embrace the natural process completely, like The King’s Raven. While enjoying the wonderful view and experience, keep an open mind as you taste a wine made from nothing but grapes.

Go here to try natural wines made with all Oregon ingredients.

Down McLoughlin Boulevarde, next to a replica of the Statue of Liberty (really), is a fun jazz club with a good selection of wine. Portland has some great jazz talent, and they often wind up there. I especially love the variety I find on Thursday nights. The food is … well, Olive Garden-level, but the wine and the jazz is on fire. They often ask for a donation or cover charge around $10 or so.