Arcane Cellars at Wheatland Winery

Located along the Willamette River, Wheatland Winery requires visitors to swim across the swift current. Actually no, a short ferry ride awaits you if you are traveling east to west. Folks traveling on I-5 will take exit 263 and head west following signs to the Wheatland Ferry. Once you cross the Willamette River, it is a short hop to Arcane Cellars at Wheatland Winery. Approaching the winery through neighboring farms, you soak in wonderful views of the nearby Eola Hills.

Arcane Cellars at Wheatland Winery is a labor of love by a father-and-son team. Jeffrey Leal Silva manages the vineyard and facilities. His son, Jason Leal Silva, is responsible for making the wine. Thirty-something Jason also brings another talent to the business as a graphic artist and he’s responsible for the winery’s eye-popping signage and wine labels. Together, father and son (as well as a team of vineyard and winery assistants) produce a combination of estate wines and non-estate wines that rely on select vineyards in Oregon. In the cool of the tasting room, visitors have the difficult challenge of choosing among a host of wines to sample. In addition to Arcane’s flagship pinot noir, WineTrail enthusiasts can taste its pinot gris, pinot blanc and viognier. For those who enjoy big reds, you’ll want to taste the Wheatland Winery–labeled Bordeaux blends, and for fans of white wine, check out the unoaked chardonnay.

The name “Arcane Cellars at Wheatland Winery” might cause you to scratch your head, wondering who is arcane and what’s with the wheatland reference. Essentially the wines made under the Arcane Cellars label are small-lot low-production wines. These are single-vineyard, estate-grown wines. Wines made under the Wheatland Winery brand are larger-production wines with fruit primarily sourced from the Columbia Valley and southern Oregon.

Pack a picnic or light snack and retreat with your bottle of wine to the outside patio. With views of the nearby field profuse with wildflowers, it’s downright scenic. However, I must admit to a big regret as I headed to the ferry — I only bought one bottle of the Arcane Cellars pinot gris estate wine ($20). I should have bought a case. There’s a reason the winery took home the gold medal from the 2008 prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition for this wine.