No stop to the Willamette Valley in Oregon would be complete without a little wine tasting! On the recommendations of everyone we talked to, Holly and I made two stops – Emerson Vineyards and Airlie Winery. Both places were amazing and their wines were delicious! Best of all though, the people running them were exceptionally welcoming and passionate about making wine.
Our tour at Emerson Vineyards was exceptional. We stopped by in the middle of harvest and were able to see the process first hand. Emerson is a small operation with just five employees – headed by the owner Tom and his son, their winemaker, Nina. Nina actually went to school to study winemaking and knows more about the process than everyone I have ever met. Her passion and excitement for the process was amazing! We learned about “taints” or the smells or tastes that ruin wine and got to see how they mix the grapes by hand during the fermenting process. She also talked about being a supertaster – she can taste compounds in wine that can spoil a batch almost before they are detectable by a lab and can name the varietals in different wine blends to the percent.
We also got to try this amazing fizzy bright yellow pre-wine drink that is higher in alcohol and tastes heavenly. I wish I remember what it is called. I also wish I had a jug of it right now. Or maybe a bathtub. Glug, glug, glug.
Emerson Winery also does boxed wine! I love boxed wine. Not the Franzia kind from college toga parties, but high end wine that is boxed. It lasts for about a month and I love not having the pressure to finish an entire bottle. Instead I can have a glass here and there at the end of the day. And it’s better for the environment!
Airlie winery is a place that is just meant for relaxation. There’s a beautiful patio overlooking a little lake where you can do a tasting or enjoy a bottle. We also took a walk on the gorgeous property and may have snacked on a grapes right off the vine. Holy moly – almost as good as the wine itself! Airlie is run by two women, Mary and Liz. It’s also dog-friendly with two huge pups that greet all guests.
  
We finished our time in Oregon Wine Country with a hearty meal of pizza at the Bread Board.
I realize I look less than thrilled in this photo, but the pizza was incredible! The pizzas were humongous and Holly and I stuffed ourselves silly. It was the perfect finish to an amazing day!
As always, an outtake! This is what my face looks like the majority of the time. Good thing I only need to be photogenic for a handful of shots. Holly definitely had her work cut out for her.
Outfit Deets :: Dress – Talulah  // Whirl Ring + Crescent Ring – Batsu Maru c/o // Nails – Deborah Lippman // Bracelets – By Invite Only (similar), Madewell (similar) // Key Necklace – Dogeared // Watch – Anthropologie (similar) // Earrings – Kate Spade // Scarf – Tilo //
 Thanks to Holly for the photos!
Oregon Wine Country Guide
Emerson Vineyards
11665 Airlie Road
Monmouth, OR 97361
503.838.0944
www.emersonvineyards.com
Airlie Winery
15305 Dunn Forest Road
Monmouth, OR 97361
503.838.6013
http://www.airliewinery.com/
The Bread Board
404 North Main Street
Falls City, OR 97344
503.787.5000
www.thebreadboard.net
Thanks so much for reading A Side of Sweet! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, or Twitter, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts (see sidebar).
See more of our Oregon Trip here:
Donovan Place Christmas Tree Farm
24 Hours in Corvallis, Oregon
What a fabulous setting! I didn’t know there was such a thing as high-end boxed wine, but I like it. Not that I have a problem with low-end boxed wine though. My favorite part about going to any wine country is the tour. I love to learn the process, so glad you got to do that. Happy Friday! And of course, lovely seeing you last night at the BlogHer event!
It was so great to see you too! I’m telling you, boxed wine is THE BEST!
Oh my GOODNESS. This looks like a perfect setting for wine tasting! So relaxed and personal. I can see why you got six bottles. 😉
Yay! It was such a nice present to get in the mail too! Talk about delayed gratification!
I LOVE boxed wine too! Gotta track down that brand — good boxed wine is so hard to find! Btw, cat + wine = adorbs. My two favorite things in one lovely shot 🙂
Thanks! I have similar thoughts about boxed wine. It is too hard to find! What the heck!?
Gorgeous! I need to show this to my Hubby! We need to go there!
Awesome! You definitely do!
Such a lovely post! You’ve got a great blog! Oh, I want to be in sunny Oregon sipping wine please. I had no idea you could get good quality wine in boxes- that’s amazing! It’s so great it lasts so long too. I’ll have to see if I can get that here in the UK.
Thanks so much Miranda! One of the lucky things about this area is that it’s sunny wine-sipping weather all year long here in San Francisco! 🙂
Beautiful photos Kelly! Love the dress too –
Awww, thanks Julia! 🙂
Love the dress and yellow nails!!!
Yay! Thanks Caroline!
How fun! Oregon Pinot Noirs are my favorite!! Saving your tips for a *hopefully* sooner rather than later trip.
xxChristie
Awesome! It seems like you are overdue for a trip to the Northern half of the country. 😉
EEEEE – That orange kitty! Why didn’t you bring HIM home in that vintage suitcase??
Ha! Obviously orange kitteh is wayyy more practical than 100 pieces of china!
Neat pics and I love the maxi dress you’re wearing! I always think about the wine episode of I Love Lucy when I think of a winery. Looks like you had loads of fun.
http://www.fashnbeaucoup.com
Thanks! That’s hilarious that you think of Lucy! That WAS a really funny episode!
WOW kelly, that first picture is insanely beautiful! Amazing photos, looks like such a wonderful place – and all of that sun!! <3
Awww, thanks so much Tash! You know how it is, it’s the one out of literally a hundred where I had any sort of control over the awkwardness that is usually my face!
I love this post!! I have been a regular in Napa the last little while now that we’re in SF, but everyone is raving about Oregon, so I must check it out. The suggestions of where to go were super helpful as well. Great blog!
Thanks so much Jill! Oregon wine country really is a gem and it’s not too far from San Francisco to drive if you have a long weekend! You should definitely check it out!