By Liza B. Zimmerman
For decades this distinguished wine region outside of Portland, in Northern Oregon, has been a destination for wine lovers. While the Pinot Noirs and the Gris are great, and only getting better over time, the area is also emerging as a hot bed for brewing and distilling.
None of this comes as a surprise for the Willamette Valley, as Oregon has long also long been a craft-beer (and booze) destination. Distinguished distilleries—such as Aviation Gin—have long made inroads in the area. However, in the past couple of years a notable number of new distillers and brewers are hanging out their shingles in this beautiful part of the country. So, I had to take a closer look.
Rye, Absinthe and Single-Pot Whiskey Oh My
Take a couple tired of the corporate life and give them a slice of land—with goats and chickens—back in 2015. Kate Coulter and Colin Fisher still have corporate jobs in order to finance the Killdeer Distillery where they pour Rye, Absinthe and gin off their porch, next to their home. The somewhat seemingly scary name actually refers to refers to the small birds that make a sound similar to the word “Killdeer” that nest on the couple’s property in the spring and early summer.
The couple believes that they are one of perhaps 35 distillers in the state of Oregon. For now, they just sell their products direct-to-consumer but plan to distribute their spirits. They currently charge $10 a head for tastings with limited seatings. Their gin has lovely notes of juniper and coriander. The blended rye tastes of toasty caramel and has a long finish. The prices are also extremely reasonable at about $25 for vodka and $45 for Rye. They also make a delicious Absinthe with bitter green notes and are working on an Amaro program.
Branch Point is another great stop on the distilling trail. Located in the heart of wine country, in the town of Dayton, this establishment opened its doors in 2016 and had its first release in 2018. The tasting room features chairs outside in nice weather and is covered over in the winter. Mini cocktail and seasonal craft cocktail flights are on offer for $20 to $25. The seasonal selections change every few months. My favorite of the seasonal was the Harvest Moon, made with TRIT Whiskey, Lillet Blanc, apple Brandy, Green Chartreuse and bitters.
The owner, Steven Day, is actually a neurologist and distilling is his passion. His approach to spirits’ production is to “let the grain show through.” He adds that he hopes the tasting room will give wine country visitors another tasting option.
Other Discoveries
I adore Vietnamese food and will seek it out at every opportunity when I can find it. So, on a rainy day in Northern Oregon, I headed straight to Pho Brothers. The narrow restaurant is located in a strip mall, but the food does not fail to impress. The beef Pho is savory, fat-studded and complex. The grilled pork over rice as addictive.
There is no place in wine country like the Jory, the demonically good restaurant in the Allison Hotel. Sadly, Jody Petite, the brilliant wine director, who headed up the establishment is less present on the floor these days. The restaurant’s prix fixe menu is usually stunning. The night we stopped in for supper the menu featured a citrus salad with panna cotta, a savory ravioli swimming in broth and an incredibly tender Wagyu short rib with Chanterelles.
While I did enjoy the Freeman Gin—which is all-female owned—in a cocktail Petite put together, one local one was the stunner of the evening. Paetra—a brand that looks and tastes straight of Germany—was a stunning find. The winery’s young owner, Bill Hopper, studied in the Pfalz region of Germany and his wines taste airlifted out of Germany. Petite poured us a 2016 that had all the beautiful mineral and petrol flavors.
So, I went to find Hopper myself the next day. He only makes 1,000 to 2,000 cases a year so his wines are hard to find. What is more he is one of the few American winemakers to have studied in the Pfalz. His first vintage was 2014 and he decided that Oregon was the place to be in terms of growing conditions. He also makes a delicious Pinot Blanc with beautiful acidy and is playing around with red wines. He half joked that everyone should buy red wines from a white winemaker as the whites are so much harder to produce well: at this point I honestly believe him.
Way to Start, and Finish, the Day
The Allison aside, there have historically been very few luxury properties to stay at in the Willamette Valley. I still remember going to the International Pinot Noir Festival some years ago and bunking in the dorms at Linefield University in McMinnville: which is fun for a flashback for a few nights but not the way most of us want to take on a week in wine country.
So, discovering the Setting Inn, an eight-room property, just outside of Newberg, was great. Many of the rooms have picture windows of the beautiful valley and its vines. Fire pits and swings dot the outside area and the in-house breakfast is an all-local affair.
Olympia Provisions’ dried sausage comingles with Oregon bubbles and fresh pastries. The property also has its own wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon created by winemaker Jesse Katz at its sibling location in the Napa Valley. It is a great place, to start, and end a wine country road trip
