Welcome to Oregon Wine Country

  TO SAY THAT THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY is a unique wine region would probably be to state the obvious. It is set among a cluster of hills atop an otherwise platter flat valley. Although the overwhelming character of the Valley is agricultural, and although the vineyards find space on the slopes, they do not dominate the landscape. The Valley stretches from the southern precincts of Portland to the Eugene-Springfield conurbation, and almost every inch of it is cultivated. Mostly, in the wine country, the dominant, and probably still the most lucrative crops are grass seed and hazel nuts, with the vineyards bringing up the rear. Having said that, wine production, although agriculture in its essential elements, is so much more than the sum of its parts. 

THE WINE CULTURE OF THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY began with an intrepid community of oddballs, brought together by the serendipity of time and space. Most of them put down roots in the 1970s, and a few in the 1980s, until, by the late 1990s, a movement was well underway. Even today, the character of the region remains dominated by smaller, artisan producers, and it is this that I feel gives the region its unique appeal. One of the great pleasures of working in the touring side of the wine industry is getting under the skin of what I call ‘The Interesting and the Obscure’, and I would love to introduce you to that peculiar aspect of our diverse and supremely individualistic wine region.

GET IN TOUCH and lets start a conversation about your wine trip to Oregon. Whether you are looking for an introductory tour, or would like to take a deep dive into the diverse culture of the mid-Valley, the Rogue River Valley or the Columbia Gorge, I have the local knowledge, and the connections, to get you through the door of a lot of offbeat and unusual venues.