Wine Region
The town of Independence is located in the the pristine and beautiful Willamette Valley, Oregon’s famous wine country. During your stay here, explore the Willamette Valley AVA, and acclaimed Sub-AVAs: Eola-Amity Hills AVA, the new Van Duzer Corridor AVA, and the newly designated Mount Pisgah, Polk County Oregon, with over a hundred vineyards, each with its own personality but all within a quick drive of the Independence Hotel. Discover what gives Oregon’s Pinot Noirs, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blancs and Chardonnays world class status, while talking with the knowledgeable and down to earth winemakers that help produce such flavorful grapes.
Winery Listings, Maps, and AVAs
Eola-Amity Hills AVA
“With muddy boots on our feet and world-class pinot in our hands…” the Eola-Amity Hills AVA within Oregon’s Willamette Valley is producing some of the most highly acclaimed and sought-after wines in the world. The rise in status of the Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays is thanks to its completely unique blend of geology, soil, and climate, as well as the creative spirit, and well-honed craft of its winemakers.
The Eola-Amity Hills AVA includes over 30 wineries and 100 vineyards, with gentle slopes and dramatic skies, visiting a tasting room in this AVA generally produces both great wines and incredible views.
Willamette Valley Wines
The Willamette Valley has hundreds of outstanding wineries within a 60-minute drive of The Independence, where you can meet the passionate vintners who create the wines you love. Explore the distinct regions within the Valley and make sure to bring some of Oregon’s Wine Country home with you. The Willamette Valley Wineries Association’s site has helpful information about the Willamette Valley including AVA maps and links, detailed itineraries, interviews with winemakers, special events and activities, and even wine tasting playlists for a soundtrack to your excursion.
Van Duzer Corridor AVA
Receiving recognition as an AVA in 2019, Van Duzer Corridor, is among the newest sub-AVAs located within the Willamette Valley, and lucky for our exploratory guests, it is just minutes from The Independence Hotel.
Van Duzer Corridor gets its name from a gap in the Coast Range that that sucks cool air into the Willamette Valley from the Pacific Ocean. The cool air slows ripening and helps maintain acidity and give grapes thicker skins, which increases color concentration, aromatics, and tannin potential, giving wines from this region bright, fruit flavors, increased aromatics, and acidity unique for the Valley.
The unique climate provides for more diversity in varietals, with 6 wineries and 18 vineyards, you can try them all during your stay.
Willamette Valley Visitors Association
The Willamette Valley Visitors Association supports travel and tourism in our Willamette Valley, spreading the beauty of the Valley far and wide.
In addition to comprehensive information on wineries in the region, their site has an event calendar, great ideas for outdoor adventrues, cultural highlights and regional attractions as well as an itinerary builder and interactive maps.
From river trips, to food trails, scenic drives, and holiday features, this site has it all. You can also order travel guides in advance of your trip.
Tasting Rooms
With an abundance of treasured tasting rooms just miles from The Independence Hotel, it is difficult to choose among the many special wineries and tasting rooms to feature. Each has delicious wines, gorgeous views and fantastic stories to tell. We’ve highlighted a few of our favorites that are nearest to us, many whom we partner with for packages and guest experiences.
Bethel Heights
Established in 1977, Bethel Heights is one of the pioneers of the Eola-Amity Hills region and has been owned and operated by the same family since the beginning. Consistently producing high scores and rave reviews, Bethel Height’s wines are not to be missed. Gnarly old vines, geologically complex hillside soils, direct impact from Æolian winds – all conspire to create highly energized wines with firm backbones, depth of character, and distinctive personalities. Visit their tasting room to enjoy breathtaking views and their warm hospitality, perched on a bluff overlooking their estate vineyards and the surrounding valley
Cristom Vineyards
Cristom Vineyards began as a collaboration between an engineer and a biochemist who each possessed a deep-rooted respect for the land, the natural winemaking process, and Pinot Noir. 25 years later, their tenured viticulture teamis producing elegant, dynamic wines, recognizable by our hallmark style of whole-cluster fermentation by native yeasts. With frequent recogntion for their wine and a breathtaking tasting room, Cristom is a guest favorite to visit.
Eola Hills Wine Cellars
Eola Hills Wine Cellars was established in 1986, just a few years after Tom Huggins convinced a handful of friends and family to help him convert a 35 acre wheat field into a vineyard. More than 30 years later, Eola Hills has flourished! The delicious wines are only part of the experience at Eola. Visit the winery for wine country events and experiences – from bike rides and yoga to concerts and comedy tours. They always have something fun happening!
Redgate Winery
Redgate Vineyard is a small, family owned winery crafting small lot, artisan wines reflecting the terroir of Redgate Estate. Located in Independence, just 1 mile from the Willamette River and a short drive from The Independence Hotel. With frequent music and events, Redgate is a popular place to enjoy wine and time with friends. They also serve gourmet pizza in their tasting room during events.
Left Coast Estate
Family-owned, LIVE sustainable certified vineyard producing award-winning Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc. Visit Left Coast’s tasting room and be surrounded by beautiful gardens and old growth oaks with gourmet wood fired pizza that our guest’s rave about.
Left Coast is guided by two defining principles: a passion for making world-class wine from all Estate fruit and a deep connection to the land. Each bottle is crafted to represent the unique terroir of their 490-acre estate.
USA Today voted Left Coast Oregon’s Top Tasting Room of 2017 and they were most recently voted top 100 Best fan-favorite destinations in Oregon 2019.
Cubanismo
At Cubanisimo Vineyards, they are proud of their Cuban heritage and combine this pride with their passion for Pinot to create beautiful wines from our luscious Willamette Valley fruit. Visit their tasting room to enjoy great wines and fabulous panoramic views of the vineyards with the gorgeous backdrop of Salem and the Cascade Mountains.
Airlie Willamette Valley Winery
Women owned and operated, meticulously crafted wines, dog-friendly and a destination winery! Customers come back again and again to live the “airlie experience” – a picnic, a stroll in the vineyard or relaxing on the deck with friends. We’re not just a stop along the way, this is a place to relax and stay! Airlie has been producing some of Oregon’s most exceptional wines that are Certified Sustainable, Salmon Safe, and in a dog-friendly setting
Illahe Vineyards
Illahe makes their wine as naturally as possible from soil to bottle. They work by hand on small lots with age-old techniques and materials. As one of Oregon’s few horse-powered vineyards they use a team of Percheron draft horses to mow and deliver grapes to the winery at harvest.
They are focused on making quality Pinot Noir and white wines that express the vintage and their varietal characteristics and it shows in their wine. Their tasting room enjoys expansive views and is well worth a visit. Their 1899 pinot noir is made without electricity or modern machinery, including getting it to distribution, which Illahe does by canoe, launching from Riverview Park steps from The Independence Hotel.
Van Duzer Vineyards
Located on a scenic hilltop, Van Duzer Vineyrds benefits from the unique microclimate created by Oregon’s Van Duzer Corridor, a break in the coastal mountain range that allows cool maritime breezes to flow into the Willamette Valley. These conditions and Van Duzer’s signature winemaking style result in wines with bright fruit character, generous complexity and a pleasing balance. Family owned, the estate winery and vineyards practice sustainable farming and have been endorsed as LIVE and Salmon Safe.
Johan Vineyards
Johan Vineyards is a certified-Biodynamic estate vineyard and winery, located in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA. As winegrowers, they have a very intimate connection to their site and their winegrowing is guided by the objective to authentically interpret their farm’s identity through the creation of their wine. They offer daily curated flights of our wines and an ever-changing selection of five wines featuring current and past releases. Each flight is guided by a member of their team, who can provide insight into how our work translates from the farm to the glass. Each appointment is conducted a stones throw from our working vines and is an intimate and educational experience, perfect for those looking to deepen their connection and understanding our biodynamic and regenerative winegrowing.
Namaste Vineyards
Hand crafted, limited production, family owned. The spirit of the wine honors the spirit of the vine. With this mantra, Namaste uses only the finest grapes handpicked from their five estate vineyards to produce pinot noirs and elegant white wines. Fantastic views coupled with exceptional wines makes Namaste Vineyards a must-see location. They offer a fun and relaxing wine tasting featuring estate only wines from their 40+ year old vineyards alongside a selection of larger reds at their vineyard tasting room nestled on the rolling hills just outside Dallas, OR.
Bryn Mawr Vineyards
Bryn Mawr is a Welsh name that roughly translates to “High Hill.” Ranging from 650-890 feet on the Western crest of the Eola-Amity Hills, elevation is the distinctive characteristic of our site. As one of the steepest, rockiest, and windiest sites in the Willamette Valley, just a hundred yards can have a massive impact on sun and wind exposure, soil type and depth. Even though their vineyard is small, their variation can be as great as entire regions! Come join their family at their hilltop tasting room, enjoy the spectacular view, and taste our limited production Pinot noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, Rosé, Pinot blanc, Dolcetto, and Tempranillo. With both indoor and outdoor seating available.
