Lane County WineTrail

Lane County is huge, stretching from the Cascade foothills to the Pacific Ocean. The county road budget must be equally huge. Although there are about a dozen wineries to visit in the Lane County WineTrail, plan three days to sample them. It’s a long way from Pheiffer Vineyards to Saginaw Vineyard, but well worth it. Here you will want to make Eugene your base camp for your WineTrail getaway. There are plenty of restaurants and nice hotels to choose from. Also, pack your sneakers and take advantage of Eugene’s numerous walking and running paths.

To this WineTrail trekker, the magical thing about Lane Country WineTrail is the mix of chateau-like settings and funky, break-out-the-tie-dyed-T-shirt-groovy wineries. This is the United Nations of WineTrails: diversity is the rule here, both in terms of the physical structure and the variety of wines to sample. And being open-minded is key to your enjoyment. You may surprise yourself and taste a Huxelrebe at High Pass Winery that will have you making reservations to the Rheinhessen region of Germany. Stranger things happen every day.

This is one of my favorite WineTrails to visit. I could return repeatedly without complaint. WineTrail Tip: plan your day to end at King Estate Winery. With its fabulous views and first-class restaurant, your biggest challenge is deciding between their pinot gris and pinot noir. Tough duty!