Walnut City WineWorks

It’s not a stretch to say that McMinnville is the hub of Oregon wine touring; a couple of dozen wineries to experience, fine dining, great lodging, museums, and rich history all conspire to offer visitors a great getaway. The surrounding farmland is populated with vineyards galore, giving shutterbugs loads of photo opportunities.

However, I’ll let you in on a secret: All that is McMinnville can be found under one roof at Walnut City WineWorks. Not that you can sleep there, mind you, but visitors will get to know a variety of wine labels and taste a host of varietals from a number of Willamette Valley’s appellations — all in this one setting. The place is historical, too: The red building housing the wineworks was the home of a walnut-processing facility before morphing into the Walnut City WineWorks in 1999.

John Davidson and John Gilpin, the creators of Walnut City WineWorks, launched the winery to display their vineyard’s fruit. With more than 200 acres of premium wine grapes — most of them pinot noir — John D. and John G. coined the motto “Growing great wines from the ground up.” And speaking of great wines, it’s not too often that you can visit a tasting room and experience a bounty of varieties under different labels. Among those represented are Walnut City WineWorks, Bernard-Machado, Robinson Reserve, and Z’IVO Wines. Make no mistake, pinot noir is front and center for these various brands, but there’s room enough for chardonnay, viognier, cabernet sauvignon, and pinot gris for visitors to enjoy. All this production is under the watchful eye of chief winemaker Miguel Lopez and a bevy of assistant winemakers and cellar rats.

Walnut City WineWorks is not a custom crush facility. To gain entry, you must be a vineyard owner. Once admitted, participants can take advantage of equipment, space, and expertise in a collaborative environment.

In this unpretentious space, visitors can taste, savor, learn, and laugh.