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We are excited to present our new Daily Pairings Menu filled with fresh, local seasonal ingredients that pair perfectly with our latest wine releases. Our Estate Tasting Room is open daily from 11 am - 6 pm. Please join us soon!

Celebrating Halloween is always a scary good time at our Estate, south of Salem. This weekend we enjoyed hosting many of our Wine Club Members and Owners during our annual Murder Mystery Dinner! This year, our members dared to join us at the Mayor's mansion and enjoyed a custom New Orleans inspired menu created by Winery Chef, DJ MacIntyre paired with our latest wine releases. Little did they know, there would be more than wine pouring during their dinner...but maybe even a little blood.

Today, many team members are enjoying the fun of the holiday and dressing up for our guests who join us for a tasting. Introducing our new Tasting Room Associates: Rosie, John Wayne, Elvira, and Ms. Marilyn Monroe. We look forward to seeing all of our ghoulish guests dressed up and enjoying some of our classic Oregon wines!

View of Winery on the eve of the Solar Eclipse
Photo Credit: Janis Miglavs


Guests view the start of the Solar Eclipse. Photo credit: Scott Cassidy


Founder, Jim Bernau with daughter Emi at the admissions booth. Photo credit: Scott Cassidy


Dr. Mark Cheung gives presentation, "The Sun in a New Light." Photo credit: Scott Cassidy


Customers viewing the Solar Eclipse in North Carolina with 2015 Solar Eclipse Pinot Noir.

On Monday August 21st, 2017 over 1,200 guests gathered in the newly constructed Hillyer Amphitheater at the winery, south of Salem to witness the Great American Solar Eclipse as it crossed, in totality over the Willamette Valley.

This was the first coast-to-coast solar eclipse to occur in nearly a century with our vineyard in the direct path, creating an ideal viewing location.

Eclipse viewers filled the amphitheater, toasts of Frizzanté in hand to witness the solar eclipse. As the partial eclipse began at approximately, 9:06 am guests all united in amazement as we reached totality among the vines. Cheers erupted throughout the viewing and at 10:17 am, we all gazed up at the eclipse, which reminded us all at Willamette Valley Vineyards how important the sun is to the growing cycle of our vines.

As the eclipse concluded its path over the Willamette Valley guests celebrated with wine tasting, including sampling the 2015 Solar Eclipse Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, live music, educational seminars hosted by Dr. Mark Cheung, and food pairings. 

Our Solar Eclipse Pinot Noir was sourced from the sub-AVAs in the Willamette Valley. Only 615 cases were produced of this bottle-numbered wine. Our Solar Eclipse Chardonnay was sourced from our three estate vineyards in the Willamette Valley. Only 315 cases were produced of this bottle-numbered wine meant to commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Thank you for making this truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!


Total Solar Eclipse over the East Block at Willamette Valley Vineyards. Photo credit: Scott Cassidy



Founder, Jim Bernau with the commemorative bottles of the 2015 Solar Eclipse Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Photo credit: Scott Cassidy

We are excited to present our new Daily Pairings Menu filled with fresh, local summer ingredients that pair perfectly with our latest wine releases. Our Estate Tasting Room is now open daily, 11 am - 6 pm and Thursday - Friday, 11 am - 8 pm until September 8th  Please join us soon!

Caprese Salad

Black Garlic Hummus

Fish Street Tacos

Steelhead with Curried Cauliflower

Mortadella Sandwich

BBQ Bacon Burger

Grilled Lamb Pita

Summer Harvest
Jar Salad

 Mason Jar Orange
Pot de Créme

Species of Birds Sighted:
26

White-crowned Sparrow: 13
American Goldfinch: 6
House Finch: 5
Song Sparrow: 5
Wilson's Warbler: 4
Chipping Sparrow: 4
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon): 4
European Starling: 3
Spotted Towhee: 3
American Crow: 3
Tree Swallow: 3
Turkey Vulture: 2
Violet-green Swallow: 2
Brewer's Blackbird: 2
Bewick's Wren: 2
Anna's Hummingbird: 1
Northern Flicker: 1
American Kestrel: 1
Pacific-slope Flycatcher: 1
Black-capped Chickadee: 1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee: 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 1
House Wren: 1
American Robin: 1
Black-throated Gray Warbler: 1
Western Tanager: 1

As the spring sun rises over our Estate vineyard in the Salem Hills, so do 26 different species of wildlife birds! On Sunday, May 7th, the Salem Audubon Society joined us to learn about our sustainability efforts during a Birds & Wine event. Members hiked two miles through the vineyard with Viticulturist, Ashley Lindsay, to identify native species inhabiting our vineyard and our Kestrel nesting boxes. These birds help create a balanced eco-system in our vineyard by controlling pest populations. Each year we introduce new birds from Cascade Raptor Center, which is a nature center and wildlife hospital focused on raptor rehabilitation. 

More information regarding our stewardship efforts can be found here. 

Dan Kent of Salmon Safe, one of the Northwest's leading advocacy and certification groups for environmental sustainable practices, and our Founder Jim Bernau testified before the Portland City Council yesterday. Their testimony encouraged Portland to become the first city to earn Salmon-Safe certification. 

Portland Major Charlie Hales wrote in a release, "Portland is a city of rivers, and our economic well-being and quality of life is interwoven with the health of the Willamette, Columbia, and connecting watersheds that are home to native-endangered salmon." 

Twenty years ago, several winemakers, including Bernau began working with Kent of Salmon Safe to implement sustainable practices in their vineyards to improve soil health and prevent harmful water run-off damaging to wildlife. This organization has now grown to approx. 350 vineyards from British Columbia to the southern Oregon border committed to protecting our environment through their farming practices. Salmon-Safe also helped inform the development of the Oregon wine industry's LIVE certification program and the two continue to work together to this day.