Valley View Winery
Valley View Winery, in the Applegate Valley, defines tradition. The winery’s name was retained from the original Valley View Winery, founded by pioneer Peter Britt in the mid-1800s. He’s the same Peter Britt whom the hugely popular Britt Music Festival honors.
The father of current owners Ann, Mike, and Mark Wisnovsky moved west from the East Coast in the early 1970s. In 1972 he planted 12 acres of premium wine grapes, creating one of the earliest vineyards in Oregon. A few years later, the Wisnovsky family obtained a license to sell wine, and the tasting room officially opened in 1978. Now, 30 years later, the remodeled tasting room offers plenty of space to accommodate wine tasters, a well-stocked gift shop, and lots of elbow room for guests attending the winery’s many events; hence the room’s name “The Pavilion.”
Valley View Winery has the distinction of employing one of the longest-tenured winemakers in Oregon; John Guerrero has been at its winemaking helm since 1985. With its case production around 7,000 per year, it’s interesting that the volume of Valley View wine produced is half that of the year 2000, when it produced 14,000 cases annually. However, consumer taste has moved toward finer wines, and Valley View Winery has adjusted to meet those demands. To this end, Valley View Winery produces a number of wines under its flagship label, Anna Maria Wines, named after the Wisnovskys’ mother. Although Valley View Winery produces a number of different wines, including dessert and port-style wines, it concentrates on cabernet sauvignon, merlot, viognier, syrah, and tempranillo.
The spacious Pavilion provides an inviting place in which to pace yourself as you work through the many reds and whites. In between samples, take time to explore one of the finest winery gift shops in Oregon.
However, if you do escape the Pavilion to the great outdoors, consider grabbing a picnic table on the generous grounds. You’ll find the perfect spot for viewing the surrounding hills and estate vineyard. It’s also a great location to reflect on family and history. The current generation of Wisnovskys honors the history of the valley and the legacy of their parents. It’s one thing to read about the concept of family roots on the Web or in a magazine article, but it’s quite another to experience this tradition in person. There’s much to gain by a visit to Valley View Winery; put it on your list of must-see wineries.
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Valley View Winery was featured in WineTrails of Oregon as part of the Applegate Valley WineTrail on page !
