Phillip Z.
Yelp
Do you notice an uptick of Willamette Valley wineries showing up at your local bottle shop? The secret is out! Today, Oregon has more than 700 wineries in total, making it one of the top 5 wine producing states in the US. Of course, everyone is familiar with the big wine business of Napa. But lately Willamette Valley is getting its time in the spotlight. Located just 50 miles south of downtown Portland, Willamette Valley is an easy day trip. The region is perhaps best known for its prized Pinot Noir, but it's also producing plenty of cool-climate varieties such as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.
There was no doubt that Argyle Winery would make our list of best wineries. If you love sparkling wine, this is your stop. This was the very first reservation I made on my trip. The winery is located right in the middle of the little town of Dundee, in the heart of Willamette wine country. The modern winery has a wide variety of outdoor seating as well as indoors.
Argyle was founded in 1987 by vintner Rollin Soles, with a belief that the cool-climate of Oregon's Willamette Valley was ideal for producing sparkling wines. Their winemaking program now includes sparkling wines, Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Rieslings, which have earned much acclaim. No other American winery but Argyle has earned recognition in Wine Spectator's "Top 100 Wines" in three wine categories: red, white and sparkling. We opted for their "Pop Flight" ($30 per person), which included 4 different sparkling wines.
As someone who rarely drinks sparkling, with the exception of New Year's and celebratory occasions, I couldn't believe just how different each sparkling wine was from the next. Our wine server did a fantastic job explaining not just the flavor profile of each but the sparkling bubble patterns (small streams of bubbles vs. forced heavy bubbles that can sometimes be pumped in vs the natural product of fermenting). It was like a chemistry class -- you know, with alcohol. Maybe I would have done better in that class if alcohol was involved?
Advanced reservations are highly recommended and can be made on Tock. We were amazed at how busy the place was, even on an early afternoon on a Friday. Guess happy hour came early for more than a few people!