Tualatin Estate Vineyards

Someone had warned me that Tualatin Estate Vineyards was off the beaten path. As I made turn after turn on the rural roads outside Forest Grove, I began to understand. Where the heck is this place, I wondered (only with more colorful language). Fortunately, blue roadside signs eventually led me to the winery. And as I drove into the parking lot, my suspicions were confirmed — I was the only car there. That, my fellow WineTrail trekker, is a good thing.

A winery devoid of tour buses and crowds bellying up to the wine bar is fine by me. I love it when you have the time to chat with the wine-pouring staff and get a sense of the place and, of course, the wines. Quite often, wineries that lack visitors don’t have bad wine to blame; rather, it’s often their location off the beaten path that’s responsible. Such is the case with Tualatin Estate Vineyards, despite the fact that it’s just 30 miles west of Portland.

Tualatin Estate Vineyards’ tasting room reflects its age. Founded in 1973, the tasting room itself feels like one of those buildings you see in a B Western. I thought for sure a cowboy would ride up and park his horse. But don’t let the outer shell of a tasting room fool you. There’s a reason Tualatin’s motto is “Old vines — new vision.” Perhaps that new vision coincided the 1997 merging of Tualatin Estate Vineyards with Willamette Valley Vineyards.

Opening the door, two tasting-room pourers greeted me with a friendly “Welcome to Tualatin Estate. Are you here for some tasting?” I knew I was at the right place — especially when they brought out the Riedel stemware and gave me a generous pour of the pinot gris. From there, I sampled my way through their estate chardonnay, pinot noir, syrah, and a semi-sparkling muscat (wonderful in that July day’s heat). Riedel glasses. Generous pours. Friendly staff. What’s not to love?

Yes, I enjoyed Tualatin Estate Vineyards wines big time; I can well understand why it has collected a number of awards and accolades over the years. However, the number-one impression I took away from this winery was its relaxed atmosphere and the friendly demeanor of its staff. Here’s a bit of related WineTrail trivia : The word “tualatin,” derived from the language of the indigenous people, means “gentle and easy flowing.” Perfect.