18th Annual Memorial Weekend in Wine Country Draws Wine Enthusiasts from Around the World
Posted: May 6th, 08
Wine Touring in Willamette Valley reaches record numbers
PORTLAND, Oregon (May 6, 2008) - Along with the growing popularity of Pinot Noir, the Willamette Valley has grown steadily as one of the top wine regions for wine enthusiasts to visit. With popular weekend open houses every Thanksgiving and Memorial Day, the Willamette Valley continues to lure wine enthusiasts from all over the world. The 18th annual Memorial Weekend in Wine Country is May 24-26, 2008, with 142 wineries and tasting rooms open to the public. Many of the wineries are open from 11-5 p.m. throughout the weekend, but some have more limited hours. For a map and listing of participating wineries and their hours, please call the Willamette Valley Wineries Association at 503-646-2985, send an email to info@willamettewines.com or visit online at www.willamettewines.com.
Sponsored by the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, the event draws wine enthusiasts who enjoy visiting some of the region’s small, family-owned wineries often closed to visitors, as well as larger wineries and tasting rooms offering new releases, barrel tasting, specialty foods and limited quantity wines.
“This is the largest number of wineries that have opened on the holiday weekend in the history of the event,” said Sue Horstmann, executive director of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association. “Requests for information about the Memorial Day weekend wine tasting event have increased 54 percent since 2006 with requests for information from 47 of the 50 states and also Japan, Germany, Pakistan, and Brazil.” When the event started in 1990 there were only 20 wineries open for the weekend event. “The Willamette Valley is growing daily with new wineries, tasting rooms and wine bars opening across the region… it is a very exciting time to be part of Oregon’s wine industry,” said Horstmann.
New Wineries and Tasting Room Locations:
A handful of wineries and tasting rooms in the Willamette Valley will either open for the first time or with a new location on Memorial Day Weekend, including:
- AgriVIno Wine Center at Abbey Road Farm, Carlton,www.agrivino.com
- Biggio Hamina Cellars at Adea Wine Company, Gaston,www.biggiohamina.com
- Brooks Wines, Amity,www.brookswines.com
- Chehalem Downtown Tasting Room, Newberg,www.chehalemwines.com
- Gino Cuneo Cellars, Carlton, 503-949-1992
- Hip Chicks do Wine (2ndtasting room), Newberg,www.hipchicksdowine.com
- Laura Volkman Vineyards, Newberg,www.volkmanvineyards.com
- Lumos Wine Company, Philomath,www.lumoswine.com
- Quailhurst Vineyard Estate, Sherwood,www.quailhurstwines.com
- Sol et Soleil Cellar, McMinnville,www.soletsoleil.com
- Viridian - Olsen Family Vineyards, Monmouth,www.viridianwines.com
- Vista Hills Treehouse Tasting Room and Vineyard, Dayton,www.vistahillsvineyard.com
- Winderlea Vineyard and Tasting Room, Dundee,www.winderlea.com
2008 Guide to Wineries Makes Planning Easy
Traveling the back roads of Oregon’s premier Pinot Noir producing region is easier with the 2008 Guide to Willamette Valley Wineries produced by the Willamette Valley Wineries Association. Comprised of wineries and tasting rooms, the WVWA works to promote Oregon’s largest wine producing region located within driving distance of downtown Portland and spanning the valley south to Eugene. The guide is free of charge and available at visitor associations, hotels and travel centers throughout Oregon, or online at www.willamettewines.com. Visitors to the WVWA website find tips about where to stay and dine, as well as other things to do in the valley. Also available is a 20″ x 28″ high resolution poster sized map showing the locations of more than 160 wineries and tasting rooms with color-coded AVA’s. The poster, priced at $12, is suitable for framing. Click on “Books & Posters” on the website.
About Willamette Valley Wineries Association
The WVWA is a non-profit industry association dedicated to achieving recognition for the Willamette Valley as a premier Pinot Noir producing region. Currently, the WVWA has 175 members representing wineries and tasting rooms throughout the Willamette Valley region - from Portland to Eugene. Memorial Weekend in Wine Country (May 24-26, 2008) and Wine Country Thanksgiving (November 28-30, 2008) are the two oldest wine touring events in Oregon. For more information, please visit www.willamettewines.com or call 503-646-2985.
