Brandborg Winery

In 2008, Wine Press Northwest named Brandborg Winery the Oregon winery to watch. That’s high praise for a winery in the little ol’ town of Elkton, population 170.

Terry and Sue Brandborg relocated from the Bay Area in pursuit of making pinot noir at the start of 2002. The winemaking wasn’t the challenge for Terry. After all, he had been making wine for a number of years prior the move and knew all about converting grapes into wine. Rather, it was relocating to a small town that posed the biggest problem. Goodbye, restaurants — hello, corner café.

A half-dozen years later, Terry and Sue readily agree that the move worked out fine. Residing on a 145-acre plot of land with a great view of the surrounding valley and growing pinot noir translates into a little heaven on earth. Although their Ferris Wheel Estate Vineyard accounts for only five acres now, expect to see the vineyard acreage increase. In the meantime, they source grapes from other local growers to make pinot gris, pinot blanc, pinot noir rosé, gewürztraminer, and several different pinot noirs. By the way, if you find yourself a little peckish during your visit, as I did, try not to think of rotisserie chicken and grilled asparagus when tasting the pinot. It leads to excessive drooling.

The Brandborg Winery tasting room is located directly on the highway that runs through Elkton. The spacious room features vaulted ceilings and an upstairs seating area with a bird’s eye view of the tasting area and generous gift shop below. Outside is an inviting patio where visitors can linger and contemplate making a move to Elkton as the Brandborgs did. If you need nibbles to nosh on with your wine, check out the deli case. Back inside, you might note that there’s more than enough room for bands to perform. If so, the Brandborgs already thought of that and host regular appearances by local artists all year around.

To some, Brandborg Winery might be up and coming. However, to this WineTrail trekker and a host of loyal fans, it has already arrived. There’s a reason why the Brandborgs make nearly 9,000 cases of wine per year. People buy it. That in itself is proof positive that Brandborg Winery is here to stay.