This is a wonderful place to wine taste. The grounds are so pretty. Maria was our server and she is…read moreso sweet. They do have some snacks to purchase as well. We feel that an excellent wine tasting trip is 90% the way you are treated and the overall experience. There was another young man who interacted with us as well that was very nice and pointed us to other wineries along our route. We did enjoy their wines very much and picked up a few bottles. This winery we would definitely come back to.

We had a good wine tasting at Rain Dance Vineyards in Newburg, Oregon. Rain Dance was one of a few…read morewineries that we selected for our Willamette Valley wine tour (Oregon Wine Country). The staff was polite, welcoming, and friendly and the atmosphere was relaxing. The experience was like going into a nice home, next to a vineyard, for wine and cheese. Lovely atmosphere. Our group of eight had a Saturday afternoon reservation. We arrived and were seated before 12:30pm and left by around 1:45pm. This did not appear to be a big operation. During our visit, I saw only two lady employees tending to all the customers. Rain Dance has indoor and outdoor seating. We were seated inside. Regardless of where you sit, there are good views of the property's vineyard and garden. It's beautiful and serene. Shortly after our tasting began, a bachelorette party left. Therefore, we had the inside all to ourselves save for a couple seated by the window. The weather was pleasant so several doors to the house were left open, creating a calm, gentle breeze. We had the wines listed below. Individual bottle prices are from the time of our tasting and descriptions are from Rain Dance's website at the time of writing this review ( https://raindancevineyards.com/shop/ ). * 2022 Grand Oak Vineyard Riesling. $32 for 750-mL bottle. "Classic aromas and flavors of stone fruit and tropical flowers are lifted by vibrant acidity on the palate. This drier-style Riesling allows for so much versatility at the dinner table, but fish dishes are our favorites." * 2023 Grand Oak Gewurztraminer. $32 for 750-mL bottle. "A Rain Dance favorite! Gewurztraminer is a rare find in Oregon, especially in such a dry style. Its lively notes of jasmine, peach and spice box are perfect for Asian and Indian dishes loaded with their own exotic spices." * 2022 Estate Pinot Noir Cuvee. $45 for 750-mL bottle. "Fresh notes of cherries, pomegranate, plums, black pepper, pipe tobacco, and cinnamon." * 2021 Grand Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir. $60 for 750-mL bottle. "Bright and fresh with a complex assortment of dark cherries, raspberries, cranberries, intermingled with thyme, sage, and cinnamon." Since the time of our visit, I think the 2022 Grand Oak Vineyard Riesling and the 2021 Grand Oak Vineyard Pinot Noir have been replaced by 2023 and 2022 vintages, respectively. We also had at least two charcuterie boards ($35 each) that included crackers, roasted hazelnuts, onion jam, pork rillettes, raisins, and three kinds of cheese. The total cost for our group for everything was $336, which worked out to $42 per person. While I've been to a lot of wineries/vineyards and done a lot of wine tastings (just search my reviews), I'm still by no means a wine connoisseur. All I can say about Rain Dance is I thought all of the wines were enjoyable. All four, from the riesling to the pinot noirs, were delectable. They smelled and tasted well made and high quality. In short, I enjoyed our visit to Rain Dance and thought it was worth the visit. Rain Dance Vineyards is named after owners and founders Celia and Ken Austin's Rain Dance Ranch. The ranch was established in 1991 and the vineyard was established in 2009.

Honestly this is a great spot to visit in Oregon Wine Country and be able to taste a lot of great…read morestuff from a dozen or so wineries in a nice environment. It's also great that the Studio offers a perfect space for making wine - in some cases startups but often winemakers that are between other gigs or just have small enough production that it doesn't make sense to build out a space of their own. I have visited many times and know a number of winemakers who have utilized this space over the past 20-ish years, and I'm a fan. They hosted a release party this August for McCollum Family Vineyards which was great and the wine was fantastic plus C.J. and Elise McCollum were amazingly gracious hosts. J.C. Somers winery has returned to the Studio in 2026 and makes some of the better wine you'll find anywhere, Jay Somers has been making world class wine in Oregon since the 1990's but currently makes a couple thousand cases on his personal label available at the Studio. Definitely stop by for a tasting if you're in the area, a cool place to visit and some great wine to be tasted/purchased.

Do you like trying wines from all different wineries? Do you…read morelike trying the same varietal but from different wineries / different nearby vineyards to see how they differ? Do you like supporting small winemakers / wineries? IF you answered YES, to any of the above, go see Whitney! She's a wealth of knowledge and tidbits about the wines and owners. So fun trying all the different wines.... and we found a GSM that is absolutely sublime. Oh... and a White Pinot Noir (Pinot Noir Blanc) was the surprising new wine I'd never tried before today. It was so good that I had to buy a couple bottles. Note: Walk-ins allowed and welcomed, and 2 people can share 1 tasting. Plus...they have a vending machine of charcuterie snacks you can buy to go with your tasting.

Most reasonable tasting $25. Most are $40. Beautiful property…read more We sat Al fresco. The first wine was tart, a brut rose. Also with an orange tinge color. Mary Louise was our server. We saw palm trees growing. Palm trees in Oregon who knew. A Mullar-Thugau varietal was a first for us. A German grape. A very nice summer wine. The rest of the flight was also nice. We chatted up the club details. We may join. Worth a stop. Mark & Nancy.

Very nice spot overlooking the valley to come taste wine. Not to mention they have various drinking…read morefestivals here throughout the year that you don't want to miss. I came here for Bubblesfest this year and it was totally worth the raging day hangover. A friend of mine is a member here so we go for a tastings every few months. The ambience is chill yet elegant and the staff is always knowledgeable and eager to please. I've only had one wine I didn't like here and it was from the year they had the bad fires. Always a reliable, tasteful yet not snooty, place to have a glass, bottle, or tasting.

Nice place. Great wines. The Valentines chocolate and wine pairings are wonderful. Thanks for all…read moreyou do.

I attended the third Thursday in Dundee and this was a featured location. It's in an older home but…read morethe inside is cute/cozy and the staff were very welcoming. They have seating indoors and the outdoor seating looks great for those sunny days. They also have merchandise to be purchased which is great if you're traveling and want to take home a souvenir! I tried a few wines but they weren't really for me.

I was invited to join a new wine club member for a comp tasting over the weekend. It's a beautiful…read moretasting room and the perfect size for just enough people. The staff is great and wander around the room engaging the guests in conversations, unlike other rooms where you get your pours and maybe a little education on what you're drinking. I really liked the Rose and our entire party made sure we didn't leave there without a few bottles. The cheese board or what they call, the Provisions board came in two parts and was outstanding. Big board came with fantastic cheeses, crackers and the dried figs were to die for. The 2nd part was filled with almonds, hazel nuts and huge green olives. I am looking forward to my return with my friend to cash in on the club members complimentary tastings for 4 guests/month.

Impressive winery that produces about 3500 cases annually. This is a unique boutique experience…read more Fell in love with the 2016 and 2018 Oregon Pinot Noir. Bought some for home. The dusky goose got its name from the owners love for hunting the now protected dusky goose. This was the first tasting where each of the four pours were in front of you. Usually it's one by one. But it worked. Breath taking views from the winery.

Today we took advantage of the beautiful weather and drove to Methven Family Vineyards. It was…read moreworth the drive. We saw that their Reserve had been selected the best Pinot Noir in Oregon. It was very good, but we considered the Estate Cuvee to be the best of the five pours we received. You get four pours for $15 - and the pours are not skimpy. You are allowed to bring your own food. They have the tables spread out for social distancing. There is ample area to sit out of the sun. It was worth the drive, but the tasting room in Dundee may be our repeat visit to enjoy these exceptional wines.

Oh My God!!!... this is the biggest GEM of Dayton. Great staff and amazing wine... not only…read moreunderpriced for the quality, but the wines were also super complex. Our favorite was the Gamay Noir. Please ask for Amanda! She was so knowledgeable and accommodating! We loved her. We'll be asking for her next time!

Secluded and tucked away for the best kind of relaxation!!!! ... with wine!…read more Lots of seating and they do recommend reservations as they can get busy. We booked for the the indoor seating in case it rained but it was so beautiful outside! We opted for an outdoor table with views. The wine was delicious, staff was friendly and attentive. The wine tasting menu is very reasonable. We very much enjoyed our visit and will be returning.

We came here as a group. I think my friend had tasting cards so that all of us got our tasting…read moreflight comped. I hadn't been to this particular winery before. It sits on a hillside with the fields of grapes splayed out before you. It's beautiful. It's literally Utopia. I wish that it remained a utopian experience. I don't know about you but I expect excellent service while at a winery. This time when we visited Utopia, albeit our tasting flights were comped, their goal at the end of the day is to get you to buy a bottle(s) or become a wine club member. So when I go limping in and ask the man behind the counter if he can recycle my glass bottle he says yes he can but then as I approach him he tells me I can just go ahead and take it outside to the white bin. From this interaction I left the tasting room and the winery host and that the winery host with the strong sensation of sour grapes. The host arrived with very good timing just as most of us had finished off our first pour which was as I recall a very fruity, like and alcohol fruit salad served very chilled. It was actually quite good. Next came three Pinot noirs. I typically do not care fore Pinot noir wines, But I will usually find at least one Pinot that pleases me. This was no exception. The first Pinot in our flight was ok. I was the wine list showed only our tasting flight. The second Pinot was a delight, it was full flavored and peppery, such a nice surprise. The last Pinot I don't think anyone liked. On to the Chardonnay. It was described to us as being aged in first oak, and then stainless steel. I would have enjoyed it more if it was only aged in oak, If you find yourself in the neighborhood, by all means, stop by. There is something on the menu for everyone. 2023 - Review # 40

This was simply a superb tasting experience. We have tasted at literally hundreds of wineries…read morearound the world and were still impressed. The wines are beautifully crafted. Clearly every step from the where on the land which clones are planted to how to farm, when to harvest, and how to age is carefully considered. When we learn something new that is a bonus, Rebecca was generous with her knowledge. She is very engaged in every aspect from dirt to bottle and cares passionately about this enterprise and her family heritage in ranching and farming. There are many seating options both inside and outside. We chose to stand at the bar because that is generally where you learn the most, as was the case here. Just do yourself a favor and make a reservation. It is the antidote to some of the larger and less personal tasting rooms and excellent in its own right.

We enjoyed our time at MonksGate Vineyard in Yamhill County, outside of Carlton. This was one of…read moreour stops on a custom wine tour in Willamette Valley, a.k.a. Oregon Wine Country. What stood out to me about MonksGate, compared to the other wineries and vineyards we visited, was the wonderful view we had during our wine tasting. We were outside, perched atop a mound, underneath trees, with a picnic table, umbrella, Adirondack chairs, and a side/end table, looking out onto seemingly endless vineyards. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was calm and serene. We also pretty much had the whole place to ourselves except for one couple with a dog. Speaking of which, MonksGate is dog-friendly. As soon as we parked and got out of the car, we were greeted by the MonksGate owner's dog, Fizzy. Fizzy is a well-behaved and well-groomed Airedale Terrier. Fizzy and the other customers' small dog, Jimmy, hung out with us during our tasting. It added to our experience. This is a family-owned-and-operated vineyard. Along with Fizzy, we were greeted by Rebecca Moore, second-generation vineyard owner. In 1998, Rebecca's parents, Ron and Linda Moore, founded the 50-acre farmland where MonksGate sits today. The vineyard itself is 20 acres. It was named "MonksGate" because monks from the nearby Trappist Abbey (Our Lady of Guadalupe) walked across the land as a form of meditation. The Moores installed an access gate to allow the monks to continue their walks. Rebecca conducted the tasting. She had an assistant with her. They were both very friendly and welcoming. Below is a list of what we had with prices per bottle at the time of our visit. * 2023 North Block Dry Rose ($28) * 2019 Classic Pinot Noir ($42) * 2021 Classic Pinot Noir ($42) * 2023 Dry Riesling ($29) * 2023 "Fizzy" Sparkling Dry Riesling ($39) There was a tasting menu with helpful tasting notes. Also, Rebecca did a great job explaining each wine as she served them. I'm not a wine connoisseur so all I can tell you is I thought all five wines tasted fantastic. I'd be happy with any one of them at dinner or a social gathering, etc. My favorite was the 2019 pinot noir. How the notes described that one: "2019 was a cooler, more 'traditional' vintage, with rain during harvest keeping flavor phenolics bright and notes on the nose floral and spicy. The palate of this wine is rife with ripe raspberries, the finish long and balanced." By the time you read this, they'll probably be sold out. We had a Saturday 3pm reservation for a group of eight. The total cost of the tasting was $252.20, which worked out to $31.53 per person. We left the vineyard shortly before 4:30pm, so we stayed just under 1.5 hours. When we left, Rebecca and her assistant started to close up shop -- we were the last customers for the day. I will say, for as nice a property as this is, I thought it was a little weird how the restroom - at least the one we used - was an outdoor porta-potty. I've done a lot of wine tastings over the years and this was the first vineyard/winery to have a porta-potty as the restroom. Not a big deal for us, but just thought I'd point it out.