Memorial Day Weekend wine tours coming up on May 29th, 30th, and 31st!
Bring your families and join the wineries of Benton County as they kickoff the summer wine tasting season with the annual Memorial Day Weekend wine tour. Get a chance to taste the latest vintage, or maybe a library release, and enjoy the comfort of our friendly tasting rooms which are usually staffed by the winemakers or their families.
In Benton County you will find the most diverse vineyards and wine-grape growing conditions in the Willamette Valley. You’ll want to plan for a couple of days for this tour that will take you through the very distinct Terroir of some of the valleys warmest south and east facing vineyard slopes near the town of Monroe, to its coolest sites tucked into the foothills of the coastal mountain range just west of Philomath and to the East of Sweethome. Each of these micro-regions has different soils and weather patterns lending a distinct character to the wines.
In the South of the county, near Monroe are the sites where the award winning Pinot Noirs of Broadley and Benton-Lane are produced. On the way you can stop by Tyee Wine Cellars, a century farm and one of Oregon’s oldest wineries with vines dating back to 1974.
From there, head north to rural downtown Philomath where you will find the Wine Vault, a regional tasting room and wine shop owned and operated by Pheasant Court Winery, and Spindrift Cellars, a family owned boutique winery. The drive west out of Philomath will take you to where some of the most rugged coastal mountain sites in the Willamette Valley are found. Here you can taste the wines of Lumos Wine Company, Cardwell Hill Cellars, and Harris Bridge Vineyard. These wineries, tucked into the scenic foothills are popular stops along the tour where you can have a picnic and taste award winning wines ranging from Pinot Noir to Ice-Wine style dessert wines.
From there head northeast to Airlie and Emerson, both nestled in the rolling hills near the town of Airlie, and then south to Springhill Cellars, another of the regions oldest wineries producing several estate releases from vines planted as early as 1978. Southeast of Albany, in the town of Sweethome, you will find Marks Ridge winery, situated in the foothills of the Cascade mountains. And finally, you can finish your tour back in the historic seat of Benton County, the town of Corvallis, where you can taste the wines of Pioneer Hopyard, and Belle Vallee Wine Cellars.
In Benton County, the tour doesn’t need to end with your time in the vineyards. Corvallis has a rapidly growing list of highly rated restaurants to enjoy, with many serving locally grown meat, produce, beer, and wine.
