RAISE YOUR GLASS TO CELLAR SEASON IN THE SALEM AREA

Looking for a cozy activity during the cooler months? January through March is the Willamette Valley’s cellar season and an insider secret for wine lovers looking to enjoy flights of new releases next to a crackling fireplace with fewer crowds — and greater probability of meeting winemakers. Cozy up to the chill vibes at these Salem-area vineyards during their downtime months — you can hit all of them in a weekend, easy. Check websites for hours, guided tours and special events.

2/19/2025

Independence Hotel | Credit: Joshua Rainey

Honeywood Winery
This family-owned winery in downtown Salem is the oldest in Oregon and produces everything from Winter Warmer, a pinot noir with cinnamon, clove and other spices, to signature varietals like Retriever Riesling and a mead that tastes like fresh Marionberries off the bush. Enjoy a flight of four wines crafted from Willamette Valley bounty and then hit the gift shop for a few bottles to take home.

Bethel Heights Vineyard
Perched atop 85 acres of rolling farmland, this 45-year-old Salem estate vineyard has some of the last own-rooted pinot noir and chardonnay vines in the Willamette Valley and offers the perfect trifecta: breathtakingvistas, robust legacy wines and a toasty fire. Enjoy a flight next to the indoor fireplace or bundle up for a patio tasting — the legacy and second-generation pinot noir and chardonnay will warm you from the inside. Bring your own snacks for a picnic.

Lingua Franca Wines
The industrial-chic tasting room at this 67-acre winery is graced with floor-to-ceiling windows on all four sides so you can pair your sommelier-led wine tasting with unlimited views. The vineyard’s site was hand-picked by master sommelier Larry Stone, who chose Salem’s Eola-Amity Hills because of the soil’s ability to produce wines with the same complexity found in the finest terroir-driven European wines. The gourmet light bites are equally delish.

Silverback Estate Winery
The new and almost 5,000-square-foot modern-rustic wine bar at this winery located in the Silverton Hills about 20 minutes east of Salem offers a bold Pacific Northwest tasting experience. Kick back next to the gorgeous stone fireplace and enjoy a tastingof award-winning gamay noir, rosé, chardonnay, or extraordinary sparkling wines. Definitely try the truffle popcorn and mezze plates.

Lady Hill Winery
Located between Salem and Portland and across from historic Champoeg Park, this winery’s Columban Hall tasting room sits on a sprawling 1,500-acre family farm and offers an elevated tasting experience with a side of regional heritage. Enjoy a current-release flight of the winery’s polished Northwest expressions of classic European styles, including cabernet Franc and Rhône-style blends. If you’re visiting on Saturday, you might catch some live music, and the impeccably curated charcuterie plate is a must.

Ankeny Vineyard
Grab a seat inside the tasting room or on the deck at this welcoming down-to-earth winery and tantalize your taste buds with a flight of delectable reds, whites or rosé — including estate wines crafted by winemaker Drew Voit — plus yummy wood-fired pizzas and incredible desserts. In addition to the robust tasting lineup, the chef utilizes ingredients from the vineyard’s own garden for the food menu. Pair an earthy pinot noir with the wood-fired chocolate cobbler.

Left Coast Estate
This family-run 490-acre vineyard, winery and working farm located about 20 minutes west of Salem is committed to extraordinary wine and ecological stewardship. Pass the afternoon sipping full-bodied pinot noir, pinot blanc and cuvee flights while nibbling on wood-fired sausage-mushroom pizza. Or book the Essential Experience and saunter down to the winery, glass in hand, to explore the production facility and barrel room, while learning about the vineyard’s sustainability practices.

Benedetto Vineyards
The warm atmosphere and attentive staff at this award-winning Dallas winery 20 minutes west of Salem are the first things you’ll notice, but it’s the wines that you’ll remember forever. A flight of their gamay noir, pinot noir, chardonnay, rosé or bubbly includes five current releases, and enticing events such as Wine-Oh Wednesdays with half-priced glasses and Fire Pit Fridays have helped earn the winery a place on the Best of Willamette Valley list for four years running.

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