A BLONDE VINTAGE

Planning a trip to the Willamette Valley? Well, if you’re a local of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, a wine traveler looking to explore everything the Willamette Valley has to offer, or if you’re new to the Oregon wine scene, this is also the guide for you! This is the ultimate Willamette Valley travel guide which includes Willamette Valley boutique hotels, wineries and restaurants perfectly positioned for a day exploring Oregon wine country. Below I’ve rounded two of the best Willamette Valley boutique hotels and winery destinations to enjoy, from larger wine producers to boutique spots, there is the perfect balance of it all to give you the best impression of what Oregon wineries have to offer. Book mark it. Share it. Send it to relatives visiting the area. But most of all, enjoy it. Cheers!

WHERE TO STAY IN WILLAMETTE VALLEY OREGON

The Independence Hotel – Willamette Valley

The Independence Hotel is a boutique retreat located right along the Willamette River and situated in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley Wine Country in Independence, Oregon. It’s the perfect hotel for a couples getaway, family adventure or girls weekend in Oregon Wine Country! And, if you’re planning a weekend getaway with friends or family, definitely plan on booking the Indy Squad Suite at The Independence Hotel! The layout provides for a large patio overlooking the city’s amphitheater, an expansive six-bunk bedroom with two bathrooms, a kitchenette, wet bar, plenty of closet space and a spacious lounge room. The Independence Hotel knows that the difference is in the details by including little touches of amenities in the Indy Squad Suite that make it stand above the rest. From the dual vanity’s in each bathroom and the high end local bath amenities to the quality bedding and row of lit vanity mirrors for getting ready, there is no shortage of amenities that will make your stay as comfortable and luxurious as can be!

In the evening, plan to enjoy dinner and cocktails at the The Independence Hotel’s onsite restaurant, Territory. Inspired by the bounty of the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on fine artisan cuisine and fresh, local ingredients, Territory offers its guests a top-notch, one of a kind dining experience on the banks of the Willamette River. Aside from the food, their brand new atrium, offers guests refuge to the elements while providing views of the river. Stunning!

Not sure what to order at Territory? Some favorites include the Territory Sprouts, Cobb Salad, Northwest Salmon and the Rib Eye! And do NOT forget about dessert! Make sure to try their house made Cheesecake which is delicious!Recently, my girlfriends and I enjoyed a girls weekend in Oregon Wine Country at The Independence Hotel and you can read all about it here!

A five minute walk from The Independence Hotel is downtown Independence, it’s relatively small, but the charming main street has cute shops, restaurants and features a handful of local breweries, including The RIVER.

The RIVER is the newest spot from Gilgamesh Brewing featuring hand tossed pizzas, sandwiches on handmade bread, delish craft beers and even craft cocktails made from local spirits! Founded by brothers Mike, Nick, and Matt Radtke, Gilgamesh’s first location–called The Campus–is located on Madrona Avenue in South Salem and the second location The Woods is located in West Salem, The RIVER is their third location.

p.s. We made ultimate use of our Cozy Earth Pajamas over our Girls Weekend. I couldn’t resist gifting my sweet friends these super soft, made from bamboo pj’s to love and enjoy. I mean, they are one of Oprah’s favorites for a reason!

NEARBY WINE TASTING 

During your stay at The Independence Hotel take advantage of the local, expert concierge at the hotel to book your tasting appointments and consider visiting the following nearby mid- Willamette Valley wineries.

St. Innocent Winery was named after winemaker and founder Mark Vlossak’s father, John Innocent Vlossak and specializes in crafting wines that respect the quality and tradition of the Old World in the Willamette Valley. With a strong belief that Pinot noir is uniquely capable of capturing a sense of the place it is grown, and the character of the vintage, St. Innocent offers a exclusive Sip and Savor tasting experience which showcases their various Pinot noirs paired expertly with small curated bites. A highly recommended experience, you will thoroughly enjoy the expression of each wine in complement to the provisions. Make sure to not miss their Oregon sparkling flight, expertly crafted méthode champenoise from Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.

Willamette Valley Vineyards was founded in 1983 by Jim Bernau and Don Voorhies and is known for not only producing some of the best Pinot noirs in Oregon, but for also being the first crowd-funded winery in the U.S. Their approach is to grow the highest quality fruit using careful canopy management and yield balance, to achieve wines that are truly expressive of the varietal and the place where they are grown. Learn the unique story of Willamette Valley Vineyards as you stroll along a guided tour, enjoy a sit-down tasting experience or leisure patio-side as you take in the sweeping views of the vineyard and valley. They even offer a Pinot Noir Clonal Blending Experience which gives you the controls to be a winemaker, crafting and tasting your own custom blends with guidance of one of their Wine Educators. It’s during this experience that you’ll learn about seven different Pinot Noir clones and how they influence the Oregon Pinot Noirs that we all know and love.

Varnum Vintners  Owned and operated by a husband and wife team, this boutique winery makes delicious, small production wines with a focus on quality and vintage. It’s a wonderful stop along the Eola-Amity route if you’re looking for sparkling, old vine Rieslings or unique Pinots. The best part? Their wines are super ready to drink, meaning no need to wait three years before opening a bottle, you can enjoy their wines right away!Bryn Mawr’s new tasting room boasts sweeping views of the Van Duzer corridor all the way to the Cascades and Oregon Coast Range, with rolling hills in-between. It’s simply breathtaking. They offer whites and pinks which are nervy, acid-driven, and refreshingly crisp even in the hottest of vintages, and reds which are bold, edgy, and dense. Their wines are easily some of the best in Oregon and it’s a hands on family affair, which is noticed in every detail, including the quality of their wines. Make sure to try the Rosè sparkling wine!

The Setting Inn – Willamette Valley

If you’re traveling to Oregon’s beautiful upper Willamette Valley wine country, consider a stay at The Setting Inn Willamette Valley. This cozy boutique inn is located in the heart of Oregon wine country, and offers an intimate and private lodging experience, with beautiful suites and outdoor gathering spaces.

Located just outside of Newberg, Oregon, The Setting Inn Willamette Valley is a eight room boutique inn located in the heart of Oregon wine country. As soon as you arrive, you’ll settle right into the comfortable, luxurious vibe of the property; no small detail has been spared. Rooms come complete with a Nespresso machine, hot water pot, Steven Smith Teamaker tea (my favorite!), plush robes, slippers, and Lather brand luxury bath amenities. Each evening you’ll be spoiled with turn down service, a sweet surprise greeting you on your pillow and each morning you’ll enjoy a Euro meets the Northwest brunch box delivered to your room in a custom wine box. Brunch boxes included a can of sparkling Canned Oregon wine, orange juice, fresh pastries from Pearl Bakery, yummy cheese from Briar Rose Creamery, salami from Olympia Provisions and fresh organic fruit.

This trip we even got to have a sneak peek of their brand new tasting room that is going to allow guests to taste through the variety of The Setting Inn custom wines. Delicious!

NEARBY WINE TASTING 

Nicolas-Jay began as a friendship with a shared love for Oregon Pinot Noir and developed into a spectacular partnership between famed Burgundian winemaker Jean-Nicolas Meo and visionary music entrepreneur Jay Boberg. Built into the hills of Oregon wine country, Nicolas-Jay  is easily one of the best places to visit for an up-close view of the winemaking process, visitors enter the building via a ramp above the gravity-flow winemaking space. Depending on the time of your visit you’ll either see the team sorting freshly-picked fruit (Harvest season), blending or bottling wine. You might even catch some barrels being topped off. With a focus on producing only the finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from both the old-vines of their Bishop Creek Vineyard, and by sourcing fruit from expressive sites in the northern Willamette Valley, each carefully crafted wine is unique and delicious. A visit includes a 75 minute educational tasting of current release wines thoughtfully paired with Cowbell Fine Cheese in Portland and is not to be missed. This will easily be the best experience you have in Oregon wine country.

Domaine Willamette is Oregon’s first sparkling wine facility founded by Willamette Valley Vineyards, that produces méthode traditionnelle sparkling wines and has an extensive underground aging cellar. The biodynamically-farmed Bernau Estate Vineyard is located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and offers stunning views, educational tours, wine and food pairings and beautiful gardens overlooking the Dundee Hills. Plan to spend a whole afternoon sipping delicious wines while noshing on expertly curated food pairings and enjoying the ambiance. This is the perfect place to join friends, or have a romantic afternoon in Oregon wine county.

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