1. Overview
Explore the emerging sparkling wine scene in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, famed for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This guide covers some of the best wineries, dining, and accommodation options within an hour’s drive from Portland.
Oregon, on the bubble.
Fact checked by Elizabeth MacLennan
The Willamette Valley is known for its sought-after Pinot Noir and increasingly, for Chardonnay — two main base grapes used to make Champagne. Now, after decades of quiet development, local winemakers are creating traditional méthode champenoise wines and creative pét-nats with an “only-in-Oregon” feel, priming the state to become a leader in sparkling production. Since many of these bottles are small-batch or limited releases, the ideal way to try them is to visit.
Read on for some of the best options, all within an easy hour’s drive from Portland.
2. Newberg
Sip: Start in this small university city on the Willamette River, home to ROCO Winery and its cofounder, Rollin Soles — the first person to champion age-worthy sparkling wines in Oregon. His bottles feature the perfect amber color and the yeasty aroma akin to true champagne-method wines. Try the sparkling flight for a selection from multiple vintage years, all disgorged specially for guests: an unusual opportunity to taste the wines in their first moments.
Dine: Downtown at the Painted Lady, owners Allen Routt and Jessica Bagley prepare beautiful plates of seasonal fare and curate a varied wine list that includes several Oregon sparklers.
Stay: Head next door to the exclusive-use Painted Lady Guest Cottage, or to the nearby Allison Inn & Spa for tranquil rooms and an extensive treatment menu.
3. Dayton + Dundee
Sip: Drive 15 minutes southwest and you’ll reach these two vineyard-heavy townships in the Dundee Hills AVA. Domaine Serene is synonymous with the Oregon wine-country experience, featuring a grand, Tuscan-style clubhouse in the Dayton countryside. In 2018, the winery opened a new facility devoted solely to its expanding white and sparkling program, which includes a “multi-vintage” brut, a brut rosé, and a demi-sec, with several new styles anticipated in the coming years.
Sokol Blosser‘s wood-paneled tasting room delivers notes of brioche in their rosé and blanc de blancs, while the Bluebird Brut emphasizes fresh, bright citrus. Two emerging sparkling producers are Mellen Meyer and Corollary, both showcased in pop-up tasting spaces at Winter’s Hill Estate.
Dine: Outside Dundee, Furioso Vineyards pairs wine with wood-fired pizza inside a striking glass-walled tasting room.
Stay: The hilltop Black Walnut Inn features elegant rooms, vineyard views, and a seasonal tasting menu.
4. Carlton
Sip: This former logging town is often called the wine capital of Oregon. The star attraction is Lytle-Barnett, the joint venture of four prominent wine-industry figures; taste their méthode champenoise wine on pour at the Carlton Winemakers Studio. Lytle-Barnett winemaker Andrew Davis founded the Radiant Sparkling Wine Co., an incubator that has helped launch many smaller producers in the region. Another leader is the biodynamic Soter Vineyards known for its beautiful rustic-minimalist tasting room. (Try the brut rosé affectionately known as “Soter pop.”)
Dine: At Soter’s MSR Kitchen, chef Clayton Allen (formerly of Clyde Common, in Portland) focuses on ingredients sourced from the property’s farm.
Stay: Sleep in repurposed grain silos at the countryside-chic Abbey Road Farm.
5. Portland + Elsewhere
Sip: Some up-and-coming sparkling wines have emerged from Portland’s urban winery scene. The team at Division Winemaking Company were the founders of the trendsetting Southeast Wine Collective, hosting operations for many small winemakers (plus a wine bar and restaurant) at their Portland headquarters. The wine bar closed in 2020, but Division’s new winemaking facility and tasting room is under construction; until then, appointments are available for private tastings. Landmass, whose wines occupy a sweet spot between natural and traditional, is located an hour east of Portland on the riverbank of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Co-owners and life partners Melaney Schmidt and Malia Myers offer méthode champenoise brut, sparkling rosé, and a collaboration series with fruits from various Oregon vineyards.
In the northern Willamette Valley, Kramer Vineyards has been family-owned since the ’80s and has a diverse sparkling wine program that began with its Müller-Thurgau — first crafted in 2001 by owner and founding winemaker Trudy Kramer (mother of the current winemaker Kim Kramer) and remains a best-seller.
Dine: Named for the iconic forest of Shakespeare, Arden, in Portland, is a nature-lover’s dream with seasonal cuisine, natural wine, and grapevine installations adorning the raw-concrete walls. The wine list’s credibility comes from owner-sommelier Kelsey Glasser, formerly a co-owner of the cult local wine bar Thelonius. Be sure to try Arden’s house blanc de noirs, produced on-site as a staff collaborative project.
Stay: The trendy Society Hotel offers two branches in the area: one in Portland, and another in Bingen, Washington, which serves as a great home base for exploring the wines of the Columbia River Gorge.
