Think outside the box. Focus on the triangle.
The Willamette Valley may stretch nearly 150 miles from Eugene to Portland, but the heart of Oregon wine country beats strongest in a much smaller area. Between Newberg, Yamhill-Carlton, and McMinnville lies a triangle, not just of geography, but of experience. It is compact enough to navigate with ease, yet expansive in its flavors, character, and hospitality. Whether you are after biodynamic Pinot Noir, farm-driven meals, or design-forward lodging, this route delivers it all.
For a visitor, the valley can feel sprawling. But here’s the trick: land in Portland, drive 45 minutes to Newberg, and work your way through the triangle. No matter where you stay, each stop is under 30 minutes away — and each one offers something distinct.
NEWBERG: The Gateway to Oregon Wine Country
Newberg is the perfect place to begin your journey. Coming from the Portland Airport, it is the first town of the Willamette Valley you will hit. A mix of rural charm and evolving sophistication, this town boasts over 100 wineries and tasting rooms, plus a growing food and art scene.
Where to Stay
The Allison Inn & Spa is the crown jewel of Newburg. Tucked among 35 acres of hillside vineyards, it is the region’s only full-service luxury hotel. From spa treatments infused with local lavender to suites with vineyard views and fireplaces, every element is polished yet rooted in Oregon earthiness.
Where to Eat
Start your day with breakfast at Katy’s Kitchen, a Filipino American bakery operating out of a food truck. Open only Fridays and Saturdays, Katy’s changes up her lineup weekly, which includes ube crinkle cookies, calamansi tarts, and vibrant fruit-stuffed brioche. It’s not just delicious, it’s joyful.
Caffee Cat is the spot for a reliable latte and light breakfast. For a leisurely coffee, head to Chapters Books & Coffee, a cozy independent bookstore, where you can sip your latte while perusing curated titles across genres.
For dinner, Forage delivers elevated Northwest cuisine with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients with a relaxed, refined vibe. Enjoy flavorful dishes paired with wines from the Oregon-centric wine list. Or take a seat at the chef’s counter at the Jory Restaurant at the Allison Inn & Spa and indulge in a multi-course tasting menu featuring regional flavors.
Wineries to Visit
Rex Hill Winery
Rex Hill Winery was founded in 1982 by Paul Hart and Jan Jacobsen. Originally a hazelnut farm and roastery, and later a pig farm, Paul and Jan planted more than 17 acres of Pinot Noir on the 38-acre property that makes up the Rex Hill Estate Vineyard. In 1987, they purchased the Jacob-Hart Vineyard, which had formerly been an old turkey farm. Both vineyards are Demeter Certified Biodynamic, LIVE Certified, and Salmon Safe, and Rex Hill is a certified B Corporation. An exceptional way to enjoy the Rex Hill wines is with a private, four-course tasting menu by Chef Billy Brownlee at The Somm’s Table, located inside the tasting room.
Privé Vineyard
A micro-boutique gem with appointment-only tastings, Privé Vineyard was started by Tina and Mark Hammon in 2000. In 2020, Piper Underbrink and Ben Stalker acquired the property. Piper, originally from Minnesota, had opened an urban winery and then a distillery in Park City, Utah. She and Ben were drawn to Oregon for the outdoorsy lifestyle. The Privé Vineyard, with own-rooted vines, is home to Le Nord, the northern vineyard, which sits at approximately 600 feet in elevation, and Le Sud, the southern vineyard, which sits a bit lower at 500 feet elevation. The West Wind Vineyard in Ribbon Ridge AVA was added in June of 2021. Privé focuses on producing single-vineyard and single-block wines.
ROCO Winery
ROCO Winery was founded by Oregon sparkling wine pioneer Rollin Soles who first came to Oregon in the 1980s. Rollin was one of the first people to see the potential of sparkling wine in Oregon. He worked at Argyle until 2013, the same year he made his first RMS Sparkling wine. In addition to elegant sparkling wines, ROCO Winery produces structured Pinot Noir.
RECOMMENDED: Skeptical about taking a self-guided wine tour in Newberg? Schedule a privately guided tour from Newberg with Wine History Tours. Whether you’re going solo, as a couple or with a group of friends, they’ll handle the logistics for you.
YAMHILL-CARLTON: Where the Land Shapes the Wine
The Yamhill-Carlton AVA, established in 2005, bridges the two towns of Yamhill and Carlton. Carlton was once a logging town that reinvented itself with wine. Yamhill, its quieter sister, carries rougher edges from its past. The Yamhill-Carlton AVA is a horseshoe-shaped AVA defined by ancient marine soils and natural protection from the Coast Range, making it one of the warmer and more distinctive spots in the valley. Pinot Noir thrives here with structure and depth, and the region’s approach to sustainability leads the valley in regenerative farming, pollinator pathways, and reforestation efforts.
Where to Stay
Stay at Inn the Ground, a luxury bed & breakfast built into a hillside of a working regenerative farm. The Inn is located on the 440-acre Tabula Rasa Farm which also grows 170 different garden varietals and breeds and raises cattle. The Farm practices polyculture, rotational grazing, and intentional habitat restoration. A stay at the Inn begins with a daily breakfast from the farm. They also offer farm and permaculture tours, eight miles of hiking trails through the orchards and oak woodlands, and Grounded Body, a fitness center with a fully equipped gym and tennis and pickleball courts.
Where to Eat
In downtown Carlton, Earth & Sea delivers house-made pasta, perfectly grilled meats, and ocean-bright seafood in a warm, contemporary space that flies under the radar.
Wineries to Visit
Abbott Claim
More than a winery, Abbott Claim is an ecosystem. With 170 acres of land including reforested oak savannahs, pollinator corridors, a worm farm, and ancient marine soils, the estate is a case study in regenerative viticulture. Originally planted in 2001 by Ken Wright, Anthony Beck of Beck Estates purchased the land in 2005 and expanded it. He established the new winery in 2020. Abbott Claim offers casual elegance, and the wines have density and structure with a bright lift. Estate director Heath Payne curates each tasting so that every experience is intimate and personalized.
Belle Pente
Belle Pente was founded by Silicon Valley expats Jill and Brian O’Donnell, who pivoted to wine in the early 1990s. Belle Pente, which translates to “beautiful slope”, offers classic Oregon estate wines with a European sensibility. Their 18-acre vineyard produces beautifully expressive, unfussy, and terroir-driven wines.
Kristof Farms
Journalist Nicholas Kristof grew up on his family’s fruit farm in Yamhill. After he returned to the fruit farm, he added 15 acres of grapes in 2018 alongside apples and cherries. With eight acres of apples, Kristof started making cider and then made his first wines in 2022. The result? A thoughtful, small-production winery (800 cases) rooted in journalism’s truth-seeking ethos and regenerative farming values.
Abbey Road Farm
Abbey Road Farm is an 82-acre farm, winery, and bed & breakfast owned by Daniel and Sandi Wilkens. They purchased the property in 2017 and have been dedicated to hospitality and organic practices ever since. They cultivated more than 45 acres of vineyards featuring 16 different grape varieties. In addition to classic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they have Trousseau, Gruner Veltliner, Mondeuse, Mencia, and Godello. With a practice of animal rotation across the property, a visit to Abbey Road Farm may include seeing the goat, pigs, alpacas, donkeys, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and peacocks.
McMINNVILLE: Historic Downtown, Michelin-Worthy Stays
McMinnville, one of the points on the triangle, is where small-town charm meets cosmopolitan polish. Tree-lined streets host indie coffee shops, antique stores, art galleries, and chef-driven restaurants. It’s a place that rewards wandering.
Where to Stay
The Atticus Hotel, a design-forward property, is one of Oregon’s first recipients of a coveted Michelin Key. Rooms are thoughtfully designed with local artwork and custom furnishings. It’s luxury with a sense of place. Hospitality and customer service are a top priority, from the glass of wine offered upon arrival to the cappuccino made in the morning.
Where to Eat
Lunch or dinner at Humble Spirit is both grounding and elevated. As the culinary sister to Inn the Ground, its farm-to-table menu reflects the values of its parent farm – seasonality, sustainability, and subtle elegance. The connection to the land is felt in every bite.
Wineries to Visit
Ambar Estate
Ambar Estate is a small, family-owned business that lives by the ethos of fairness, social equity, and creating a collaborative environment where every person is valued and able to flourish. This is reflected in every aspect of the winery. The sleek and modern state-of-the-art tasting room and production facility are solar-paneled. Ambar has its Regenerative Organic® certification, as well as being Salmon Safe, Bee Friendly, and LIVE certified. And with packaging, they are using lighter bottles, dispensing with wasteful foil capsules, and utilizing carbon-negative natural corks. The wines reflect their meticulous farming and contemporary aesthetic.
Lachini Vineyards
Ron and Marianne Lachini met while in school at UC Davis. They moved from San Francisco and settled in Seattle. In 1998, they purchased a former filbert orchard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA and converted it into 33 acres of biodynamically farmed vines. They predominantly grow and produce Pinot Noir but have small plantings of Chardonnay and Muscat Canelli. They have a tasting room in Woodinville, but built a new tasting room on the estate. The new tasting room, a large communal space with a fireplace at one end and an open kitchen on the other, feels like a friend’s cozy living room. With large glass windows looking out on the vineyard, it is an ideal setting to enjoy a wine tasting with food pairing.
Penner-Ash
One of Oregon’s most iconic estates, Penner-Ash was founded by Lynn and Ron Penner-Ash in 1988. Lynn, the first paid female winemaker in the Willamette Valley, started making her eponymous wine in 1989 in her garage before purchasing 15 acres in 2000. The estate vineyard is perched high above the valley and is LIVE-Certified sustainable with a gravity-flow winery. Lynn retired in 2016, the same year Jackson Family Wines purchased the brand. Kate Ayres took over as winemaker, continuing the tradition of producing lush, layered Pinot Noir from both the estate and purchased fruit.
Colene Clemens
A family-run winery with panoramic views and impeccably structured Pinot Noir, Colene Clemens was established in 2005 by Joe and Victoria Stark who named the winery after Victoria’s mother.
Located where the Chehalem Mountains converge with Ribbon Ridge, Joe and Victoria planted the vineyard in 2006 on their 122-acre property. The 62-acre vineyard sits on a rocky, south-facing hillside at an elevation of 350 to 650 feet. Completely dry-farmed, they farm sustainably with organic practices.
Compris Vineyard
Meaning “understood” in French, Compris Vineyard is a brand rooted in connection to the land, the wine, the community. The 12.5-acre estate was purchased in 2020, during the pandemic, by Dru and Erin Allen. Dru and Erin came from a three-decade career in the trucking business. Transitioning from trucking logistics to organic growing, the Allen’s are focused on making wine approachable, personable, and friendly. They take a hands-off approach to winemaking, using sustainable farming and minimal intervention to let the terroir speak. The wines are all named after songs or lyrics.
Jachter Family Wines
Jachter Family Wines is a newer boutique project established by Dave Jachter who is best known for his tag line “And That’s No Bull!”. This was his tagline when he owned and operated several successful car dealerships in Oregon for more than 27 years. During his time, he cultivated a passion for wine and in addition to building an impressive cellar, he traveled around the world to taste wines and studied at UC Davis. After retiring from the car industry, Dave looked for land and purchased 120 acres. Planted to wild black and blueberries, Dave cleared the land and planted 18 acres of vines in 2018 and built a state-of-the-art winery and barrel room in 2024. He follows organic practices and dry farms, and 2023 is the first vintage of his estate fruit. Tastings are personal, often hosted by the Jachter family themselves, in the welcoming tasting room that sits over the vineyard with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Whether you stay in Newburg, Yamhill-Carlton, or McMinnville, or hop between all three, this triangle within the Willamette Valley offers one of the most complete and rewarding wine country itineraries. It is a place that values connection: to the land, to each other, and to the rhythms of season and soil.
Three towns. One valley. Endless reasons to return.