Country Mouse vs. City Mouse…read more One of the hallmarks of a great relationship is knowing your partner almost better than you know yourself. You can predict what they'll order off a menu, things that make your love go off the reservation and most importantly the little things that make them happy. You also get to indulge in a fair amount of gentle teasing and mockery. My husband is Mr. Outdoorsman and I'm more of a city girl. So when we have those open ended conversations about our 'dream home' he tends to visualize a large plot of land in the country and I'm leaning towards a condo in the city. As we were driving through the picturesque wine country, part of me was enjoying the view, but the other part was afraid he was going to start pulling house flyers. It is beautiful, but I need lots of people, restaurants, museums and close proximity to an airport. I was introduced to the pinot noirs of this small vineyard almost ten years ago and it was love at first sip. They are not mass produced or marketed, so I will go months without seeing their label in restaurants or grocery stores. They are 100% estate bottled, so all grapes come from their 51 acres. After meeting the owner at the Bite of Portland this summer, visiting their vineyard went to the top of my wine country wish list. But first we visited St. Innocent just up the road. Imagine a modern French chateau with chandeliers and million dollar views with a tasting room that has probably appeared on the pages of Sunset Magazine. Then we visited Witness Tree, and I mean no disrespect, but the tasting room looks like a converted double-wide. My husband started tittering as we drove up. He loves to tease me about living in a trailer out in the middle of nowhere. This place is the perfect example of putting all your love and resources into the product rather than being overly concerned about appearances. The tasting room is perfectly fine, but the staff is amazing. Of all the wineries we visited, this was by far the best experience. It didn't feel like a rote explanation as she introduced each wine in the flight. The wine is stellar and so we left with several bottles and membership to their wine club. And the property is beautiful so I just might have to reconsider the whole city/condo thing. Score one for the country mouse.

Small tasting room and winery with an interesting history. The statuesque 250 year old oak at the…read moretop of their property is their namesake. They feature a nice pinot noir, called Hanson. I will let the other reviewers do their spin on the wines, since I am just an observer. But Mr. B was quite impressed with the Hanson wine. They have a dessert wine called Sweet Signe. A light pink, it is deliciously different and not that sweet. Even I tried that one and was pleased. All their wines are estate grown.

As always, my experience at Piluso Vineyard was the highlight of my day. Sandy is a skilled…read morevintner, as well as a genuinely nice person. Her husband, Pinky, is pretty cool, too. The samples I had were all outstanding. Evidence of this is on the bottles, which have more medals than a five-star general. This boutique winery is a must-see if you're in the area.

Beautiful, peaceful vineyard, garden, and tasting room. Sandy, the winemaker was lovely, helpful…read moreand enthusiastic. Honestly I could have taken home a bottle of each wine we tasted and been quite happy. Her port, Madeline, stole my heart. It tasted like the ports my friend would bring back from her visits to Portugal. Full of flavor, a true sipping pleasure. Madeline is the best use of a Marechal Foch I've experienced. I can't wait to go again and share this lovely destination with friends and family.

The staff were really nice and helpful getting my disabled partner inside. We did swine flight and…read morelarge charcuterie board, very tasty. We like all the wines we tried and both loved the Riesling. An amazing view, awesome architecture, great food, fabulous wine and wonderful staff.

The winery is in a nice spot and the views are amazing. But there are other places around that have…read morethe same views and the wines are much better. The wines are too acidic for our taste, the club member parties that we went to were not worth the money (Costco foods, nothing fresh). And the owners live at the top of the hill and have almost hit us coming down and turning onto Van Well without stopping.

This is such a special place that offers a unique experience that you can never find at a large…read morecorporate winery. We were treated to a private wine and food pairing in a gorgeous space. Michael was the chef, and his presentations rival any Michelan rated chef. We had a four course tasting menu, and 5 wines, with bonus desserts at the end.  Every course was beautiful and delicious. Michael explains each food course, while our host Jessica explains the wine it is being prepared with. There wasn't a course that wasn't anything less than exceptional. However, if we had to choose, the real standout was the corn with winter mushrooms. The presentation looked like corn on the cob, but underneath there was a delicious creamy polenta, that surrounded by seasonal mushrooms.  We were informed that Chef Michael changes the menu regularly so no two experiences will be the same.

An exceptional experience from start to finish. The food was outstanding, the wine selection was…read morethoughtful and perfectly paired, and the ambiance struck that perfect balance of warm and elevated. Our host was incredible and made us feel genuinely welcomed. Truly a memorable experience. Highly recommend!

My first trip to the Pacific NW, and the Willamette Valley. This wine stop was definitely one of…read morethe highlights. Gorgeous setting with spectacular views of Mt Hood in the distance. Fortunately we went on a perfectly sunny day. The wines were amazing, and the sommelier pouring for us was very knowledgable and entertaining. I didn't even really know wines could be made certified organic, but I guess that makes sense, just extra work on the vineyard to maintain it. I particularly loved some of the wines on their other label, Haden Fig. It was a perfect afternoon, made even more memorable by the gorgeous pair of horses they had in their field, Gypsy horses I believe. Highly recommend stopping in and seeing for yourself. Thanks for the great time!!

If your looking for a nice little hidden gem in West Salem. Take a moment to find this wonderful…read morevineyard. Certified organic wines. If you truly enjoy the essence of wine they really have mastered the art. The staff is passionate and knowledgable with an educational approach to their craft. I can't wait to make it back in the warmer months.

Such a great time, beautiful property, the owners were super nice and accommodating and we will…read moredefinitely be back

Love the location and great people! The location was so…read morevery relaxing and peaceful. Employees all very attentive and the winery dogs love to get their pets!

Just fabulous! This place is a hidden Gem!…read more Beautiful, relaxing great food amazing wine. The ambience is unbelievable.. come and check it out. Just love it.

Friendly staff, beautiful landscape, fantastic wine! So pleased with this spot as a quiet comfy…read morespot to hang out with friends.

Although the setting of the winery was lovely, the wines were a huge disappointment. The fact that…read morewe were the only ones there should have given us a clue, especially since right down the road at Illahe the parking lot was packed. The three of us have visited many Oregon wineries and while it is understood that the palate may be individual, it is hard to get around the fact that not one of the samples from their tasting was drinkable by any of us. The published ad was evidently a paid promotion by the winery, for the venue rather than the wine. Don't waste your time and money, since the tastings were $20 for each of us and all had to be dumped.

Wow, what a hidden Gem, great wines, beautiful venue and live music…read more You want to get away and it is not expensive. Visiting from Carlsbad CA, this would be a regular place for us, if we lived up here.