Take in the beauty of autumn by visiting one of these wineries with beautiful views

The wines are lovely, too

There are so many wonderful area wineries to visit, but come autumn it’s especially lovely to visit those where one can enjoy beautiful fall landscapes along with a tasting. Here are some favorite wineries with beautiful views that are an easy drive from downtown McMinnville.

A firepit with chairs placed around it. They sit on a cement patio. It is surrounded by carefully landscaped plants and a vineyard. There is an expansive view of rolling hills and lush vegetation. It is all bathed in golden sunlight. — *Golden hour at Resonance Wines. Photo by Andrea Johnson.*

Resonance Wines

West of Carlton, off of Meadow Lake Road, the modern tasting room for Resonance Wines perches high on a hillside amidst the sweeping canopy of an Oregon white oak forest. The wines, made in the Burgundian tradition from Willamette Valley fruit, are exceptional, but the hillside tasting room’s dramatic southerly view of vineyards, farms, pastures, and the deep green of the Coast Range beyond them, is equally impressive.

A sunset view of a vineyard. There are trees and rolling hills in the distance. You can make out Mount Hood in the far distance. The sky has soft clouds that take on the pinks and oranges of the sunset. — *Sunset at Durant. Photo by Airen Vandevoort and courtesy of Durant at Red Ridge Farms.*

Durant Vineyard at Red Ridge Farms

A short drive East of McMinnville, just past Dayton, Durant Vineyard is a destination for Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir, but the property is a beautiful destination in its own right as well. Enjoy a tasting from an adirondack chair looking out over the Dundee Hills or get some garden inspiration wandering through the on-site nursery. The dynamic gardens feature decorative hedges and a koi pond, and fragrant plantings of rosemary, lavender and other culinary herbs. The property is also home to 17 acres of olives and Oregon’s first commercial olive mill. Every November they hosts the Olio Nuovo Festival, celebrating the pressing of their own olives as well as those brought in from California.

A goldleafed tree is in the foreground and bare grapevines are in the background. There is a golden hue to the image. — *This golden hue should not be missed. Photo courtesy of Youngberg Hill.*

Youngberg Hill

Up and up and up you’ll go; the driveway up to the tasting room at Youngberg Hill is a steep one, but make it to the top and you’ll be rewarded. The view from the winery and inn just west of McMinnville is an incredible one. Grab a seat on the porch of the tasting room and enjoy the sweeping eastward views of the estate vineyards, the Yamhill Valley, and on a clear day, the Cascades beyond. It feels like you’re closer to the clouds above than the landscape below. Youngberg is also a great destination for events. Home to the annual Drink Pink Rosé Festival, they regularly host live music, and a variety of tasting options for their diverse bottlings of Pinot noir, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Grenache, and Chardonnay.

A long table is set up with wine and water glasses and small plates. A light fixture that looks like bubbles is right above it. The table is in front of a large window that overlooks a sprawling view of lush trees and greenery. The hills are in the distance. — *A gorgeous view from the tasting room at Corollary Wines. Photo by Josh Chang, Foundry503.*

Corollary Wines

A newcomer to the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Corollary Wines is making a big statement. Winemakers Jeanne Feldkamp and Dan Diephouse launched the winery in 2017 to share their passion for traditional-method sparkling wines. Corollary exclusively makes bottles with bubbles using Willamette Valley-grown fruit. Their new tasting room, opened in May, makes an equally bold statement. It’s a coral red indoor-outdoor structure perched on a ridgeline with a striking view of the winery’s own vineyard to the east and the Coast Range to the west. They’re dedicated to exploring the form of sparkling and a winemaker tasting (available by appointment only) includes diverse pours from delicate and classic sparkling Pinot Blanc from Winter’s Hill to juicy carbonic maceration rosé of Momtazi Vineyard’s Pinot Noir.

The sun has set behind rolling hills. The sky is orange. There is a valley with silhouettes of trees and mist has settled into the valley. — *This is the time of year when things get moody. Catch the vibe at Brooks Wine. Photo by Andrea Johnson.*

Brooks Wine

Located due east from downtown Amity, the tasting room at Brooks Wine has an incredible outdoor deck that overlooks the vineyards and the rolling terrain of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. The winery makes lauded Pinot noirs, but is also of particular note as a destination for tasting cold-climate dry and medium-dry Rieslings, including a sparkling version. Brooks is also one of only a few wineries in the area that offers a full menu that you can order from to accompany your tasting pours. Besides the snacks and charcuterie boards on offer at many wineries are a seasonal selection of about six plates, each designed to accompany a specific wine. In early fall the menu includes housemade lemon ricotta agnolotti with the last of the season’s warm weather flavors —chives, cherry tomatoes, basil, and zucchini—to accompany the 2021 Orchard Fold Riesling; and a mortadella-stuffed muffaletta sandwich as a suggested pairing with the 2021 Temperance Hill Pinot Noir.

Emily Teel (she/her) writes about cooking and dining and develops recipes on behalf of national brands. Mom to a toddler, she’s also an avid gardener and loves to forage for mushrooms and berries in the Pacific Northwest.