We spent an interesting month in Carlton, OR. We were definitely prepared for the cold weather, but we got to experience a "100-year ice storm" which knocked out our power for a few days. It was actually happening at the same time as the disaster in Texas, but Oregon was just a little better equipped to handle it.
Unfortunately, we had friends visiting at this time, so I felt terrible that we couldn't do too much besides exploring our little town. Indy also had to get oral surgery during this time, which lead to weeks of upset stomachs and not eating. Poor pup is feeling much better, but it was a pretty stressful time for us.
Once the ice melted and the pup was recovered, we got to go to a ton of wineries in the area and even got to meet up with family! The end of our trip ended up being a lovely stay in Oregon wine country.
Favorite Wineries
Soter - The one and only winery we joined! We did the "Provisions" tasting here and were blown away by the food and wine pairings. Didn't hurt that the views were absolutely incredible as well.
Domaine Serene - The winery we will likely join once we have a home! This was actually my second visit here, but it was just as wonderful as I had remembered.
Ken Wright - This place saved us from being stuck inside while our friends visited. We had a freak snow/ice storm hit and literally all of our other tastings were canceled. It was nice to grab a bottle and we stayed warm by the fire.
Adelsheim - We went here with my cousin and her partner. The outdoor setup was great and we enjoyed the "blind tasting" of bubbles and pinot noir.
Bergstrom - We were able to go tasting inside a beautiful house since indoor dining had just reopened that weekend. It was a lovely experience and delicious chardonnay and pinot noirs.
Argyle - We did the bubbly flight, but they also have great pinot noirs (or so we've been told). I think they did the best job of being COVID friendly, but also keeping things nice and toasty in the cold weather!
Beaux Freres - This tasting room was so relaxed and wonderful. The pinot noir here was incredible!
Carlton Winemaker's Studio - This tasting room is home to a number of different smaller wineries. The all use the same facilities to bottle and sell - essentially making this a co-op. It was nice to taste multiple different producers at once!
Dusky Goose - Such a beautiful tasting room with amazing views!
We went to a few more wineries, like Lemelson, Brooks, and Knudsen, but the ones above were definitely our favorites.
Favorite Restaurants
Trellis - Jason has deemed this the best burger he's had in his life, so high praise for this place! We started with oysters and split the burger/fries. YUM!
Red Hills Market - So we actually went here 3 (maybe 4?) times. Jason loved the four cheese pizza with spicy honey & green onions. I tried a bunch of different things as well and everything at this place was excellent. Happy hour pricing is particularly good!
Carlton Bakery - The cheese, garlic & black pepper eppi bread was insane!
The Horseradish - Jason got a special "PB&J" grilled cheese with pork bell, burrata, & fig jam. It was so decadent! I got a few different things, but everything was delicious!
Park & Main - When our friends visited, we went here to get pizza, wings, & ice cream. It was super delicious and incredibly disappointing when the power outage caused all the ice cream to melt!
Pura Vida Cocina - While we were staying at the Atticus hotel, we walked to grab takeaway from here for dinner. The fried avocado was the best thing we had, but the tacos were also a great choice. Yum!
Recommended Hotel
Atticus Hotel - As I noted, since we were without power for 3 days, on the 2nd day, we treated ourselves to a hotel stay to shower and charge up all of our devices. It was a lovely stay! The room was fantastic, the free coffee bar was nice, and the welcome champagne was just the icing on top.
Overall, we had a great time (despite some challenges) in Williamette Valley!
