Oliver Springs Vineyard was our favorite stop on our small wine tour through Willamette Valley, a.k.a. Oregon Wine Country. Husband and wife founders and owners Jim and Stephanie Houchins are nothing short of fantastic. The wines we tasted were excellent. After meeting Jim and Stephanie, I could really see the passion they had for wine and their vineyard. Oliver Springs is truly a labor of love for them.
According to their website ( https://oliverspringsvineyard.com/ ), their first vintage year was 2016 and they "are currently producing approximately 300 cases a year, making [them] a micro-boutique winery."
Our tasting consisted of the following wines:
* 2021 Chardonnay
* 2019 Estate Pinot Noir
* 2021 Estate Pinot Noir
* 2019 Kieta's Block Pinot Noir
* 2019 Sasha's Block Pinot Noir
The tasting, regularly $25 per person, included a sheet with tasting notes. Stephanie conducted the tasting and Jim assisted. Jim also took us on an educational and informative tour of the vineyard. Oliver Springs has multiple grape clones, which are cut and grafted from the same mother vines. I'm no wine expert/connoisseur, but I believe the general thought is clones produce more consistent, higher-quality wines.
The Kieta and Sasha Block Pinot Noirs were named after two of Jim and Stephanie's huskies. A third husky, Mosey (Mozzie? I'm not sure how to spell it.), joined us for our tasting and vineyard tour, which added to the experience. :)
Oliver Springs is a small operation. I believe the vineyard is only about 3.5 acres. I know it's not Stephanie's full-time job and I guess probably not for Jim either. They're open on weekends by appointment only. Our group of eight visited on a Saturday morning around 10:30am. We left shortly after 12:00pm. They have a relatively small, simple, clean, and modern building with a tasting room inside. Unlike many other wineries, this one provides an intimate, get-to-know-the-owners type wine-tasting experience.
Several of us ended up ordering wine afterwards. The wine cost anywhere from $42 to $50 per bottle. As is customary, they have wine clubs you can join as well. See my pictures or contact them for more info.
If you're putting together a list of wineries to visit in Oregon, I highly recommend Oliver Springs Vineyard. read more