Eat and Drink This Holiday Season, courtesy of Mid-Willamette Valley | Local

Those who live in the mid-Willamette Valley are fortunate enough to have some of the country’s finest wines at their table each year. Here are a few family-friendly local wineries to support this holiday season as you search for the best grape variety on the vine.

Located at 2920 NW Scenic Drive in North Albany, Springhill Cellars are known for their pinot noir, pinot gris and spectacular views across the valley. The property was in use as a pony ranch before Merv Anthony bought it in the early 1960s, and wine tastings have been held in the barn since the business went commercial in 1988.

“The view is the gem of this property,” said Conner McLain, who now runs the show with his parents, Mike and Karen McLain.

Springhill Cellars produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, a Pinot Noir Rosé called “Sagnee” and a Port-style Pinot Noir.

To accompany a holiday dinner, McLain recommends pinot noir, although port-style pinot noir goes best with dessert.

Inside the barn, wine lovers are transported back in time with antique furniture and decor but brought back to the present with a huge digital projection of a fireplace on a wall. Tastings cost $ 5 per person and guests are encouraged to bring their own food or order a cheese plate from the kitchen while playing games and listening to music.

The weekend after Thanksgiving is the 30th annual German Federweisser Autumn Festival and Barn Dance from November 26-28. The cover charge is $ 5 per person, and guests will enjoy live music, games, and traditional German food and drink.

Springhill Cellars are open Friday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Located at 3111 Santiam Highway SE in Suite G in Albany, Delfino Fine Wines is owned by Claudio and Emilia Delfino, who source their wine from family vineyards in their home country of Italy right here in the valley.

“It’s a journey in the glass,” said Claudio Delfino. “It takes you wherever it comes from.”

Delfino Fine Wines started in Portland in 2018, and the couple moved the business to Albany in 2020. They wanted to start connecting with local businesses so restaurants could use their wine, but the pandemic brought them to a halt. .

Fortunately, now that restaurants are open again and people feel safer to eat and drink, Delfino Fine Wines can be found in various restaurants and markets in Corvallis, Lebanon and Albany.

They sell over 30 labels but specialize in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Rosé and Syrah. Vintage bottles are what makes Delfino Fine Wines unique from other distributors.

To accompany a holiday dinner, Delfinos recommend juicy and full-bodied American Syrah, dry and aromatic French Cabernet Franc, and Italian Montalcino Brunello, which sits right in between and evokes notes of leather and tobacco.

Delfino Fine Wines is open from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday to Friday.

Located at 810 Applegate St. in Philomath, this family-run estate offers 16 types of wines, but its most popular are Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir.

Matt and Tabitha Compton are the two owners. Matt Compton got his start in the industry as a vineyard manager at Oregon State University, and Tabitha Compton was once a horse trainer. Now their time is spent organizing tastings and events, and supporting other local businesses.

Les Comptons are focusing on three new releases for Thanksgiving: 3 Pigs Pinot Noir, Cellar Select Pinot Noir and Old Vine Dry Riesling. To accompany a holiday dinner, however, Tabitha Compton suggests a rosé or pinot noir.

“I don’t trust the books,” she joked.

She said this weekend should be pretty quiet. Since the Oregon-Oregon State football game was held over Thanksgiving weekend, business has been negatively affected due to people flocking to the game instead of the basement.

Compton Family Wines is open year round, and well-behaved children and pets are welcome.

The hours are from noon to 5 p.m. from Friday to Sunday.

Located at 26335 Greenberry Road in Corvallis, Tyee Wine Cellars offers beautiful views and numerous properties for visitors.

The cellar and the farm have been family-owned for five generations. The Buchanan family settled in the mid-Willamette Valley in the 1850s. The farm later had cows and a milking parlor. In 1974 Dave and Margy, members of the fourth generation of the family, planted the first wine grapes. They then founded the winery in 1985.

Today, the fifth generation Merrilee Buchanan Benson is the winemaker.

Tyee Wine Cellars produces two types of Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

During the tastings, visitors can look forward to a relaxed experience that allows them to roam the property and the trails and admire the more than 130 acres of oak and ash, hazelnut trees and the magnificent views. In spring and summer, Tyee Wine Cellars is a popular event venue thanks to its large space.

Winery co-founder Dave Buchanan told tastings that he selects the best wine for the meal. For example, he said that pinot gris goes well with fish. But Pinot Noir is perhaps the most versatile, he said.

“Of all the different wines, it’s almost a chameleon,” Buchanan said. “It tastes different with the food you eat. “

Tyee Wine Cellars is open from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday