For many of us, the upcoming holidays mean planning menus to feed the masses and figuring out how to seat the liberal cousins far enough from the conservative cousins to avoid informative but lengthy debates. What better way to compliment both these tasks than with a few bottles of Oregon wine at the dinner table and some stress-reducing miles on the bike? Doing your homework on vineyards and vintages will certainly help you find a suitable pairing for Grandma’s candied yams, but to really know what you’re bringing to the table, why not get out and taste some wine? Oregon wine country, stretching south of Portland through the Willamette Valley, is brimming with rambling vineyards, stately tasting rooms, cozy wine bars, and lovely views—all accessible on two wheels.
If you live in or near one of the tasting room laden small towns, like Newberg, Dundee, or McMinnville, to name just a few, or near the vineyards, say in the hills of Carlton or Dayton, you can freestyle it—hop on a bike and pedal to your wine-loving heart’s content. If you shadow Hwy. 99 through Yamhill County, you will run into a tasting room about every 3.9 seconds as you ride though the downtown area, and be sure to cruise 3rd Ave. in McMinnville to try a flight then refuel in one of the numerous local cafés.
When biking beyond the city limits, be advised: there will be gravel, there will likely be hills, there will be twists and turns, there might be day-drinking motor traffic, and there will be breathtaking views and historical stops. If you’re in the Salem area, Todd Roll at Pedal Bike Tours suggests riding Spring Valley Rd. from Hopewell to Bethel Heights, stopping at an old early nineteenth century church on Zena Rd. before heading north. Along the way, you’ll have your choice of a few vineyards, too, of course. Heading even further south, check out the Eugene Wine Trail, starting outside Eugene and dipping down to Cottage Grove. Along the way you’ll see several wineries including picnic-friendly Sweet Cheeks and King Estate.
If you want a little education with your wine experience, consider catching a guided or pre-plotted ride with a tour guide, like Lifecycle Adventures or Pedal Bike Tours. Pedal offers a relatively short (ten miles) ride with plenty of stops starting in Newberg and trekking through the Dundee hills. A tour offers a great opportunity to meet other wine and cycling enthusiasts and to gain a little more knowledge about where your wine comes from before it hits the glass and turns to great story-telling around the Thanksgiving dinner table. But please, ride responsibly and help us keep Oregon safe and you safe in it. Oregon wine country is known for its incomparable pinots from blanc to noir, and some of the most lip-smacking Rieslings in the world. So wherever you ride and whatever you taste, you’re sure to have a delightful experience. We sure are thankful for that.
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