January | Mo’s Seafood Festival Returns to Willamette

Mo’s Seafood & Wine Festival made a triumphant return to Willamette Valley Vineyards this year after a brief hiatus. The event was highlighted by Louie, a giant inflatable crab, and fresh Oregon seafood paired with Willamette wines. Please join us for the seafood festival's 25th anniversary at Willamette in January 2025.

February | Gala Dinner Celebrates Oregon Truffles at the Estate

Oregon truffle enthusiasts joined us for a Gala Truffle Dinner at the Estate in the Salem Hills as part of our ongoing partnership with the Oregon Truffle Festival. Attendees enjoyed Oregon’s best truffles paired with elevated Willamette wines. The winners of the annual Joriad Truffle Dog Competition also made an appearance in the winery cellar. Tickets are available now for the 2025 Gala Truffle Dinner. 

March | Inaugural Estate Pinot Gris Released

Wine enthusiasts took their first sips of our 2023 Estate Pinot Gris, an inaugural bottling blended from the best lots of Pinot Gris grown in our estate vineyards. It celebrates the quality and rich history of Oregon Pinot Gris, first introduced to the Willamette Valley in the late 1960s by The Eyrie Vineyards Founder David Lett, whom we affectionately call "Papa Pinot." 

April | New Alsatian Wines Released

Three Alsatian wines debuted this spring: the 2022 vintages of Dry Riesling, Dry Gewürztraminer and Auxerrois. The wines are a collaboration by Terry Culton, Director of Winemaking and Vineyards, and Bill Fuller, a consulting winemaker and Oregon wine pioneer who founded Tualatin Estate Vineyard in 1973. 

May | Biodynamic Cow Horn Unearthing at Bernau Estate Vineyard

Willamette Owners and volunteers gathered at Bernau Estate Vineyard to unearth cow horns that had been buried in November 2023 as a part of the vineyard's biodynamic farming practices. Attendees unearthed horns packed with manure and re-buried the horns after packing them with a quartz compound. Biodynamic farming uses a holistic, ecological and ethical approach in all types of agriculture.

June | Estate Hosts First-Ever Run Willamette

Wine enthusiasts flocked to the Estate in the Salem Hills for our first-ever Run Willamette 5K. Participants ran or walked through the Estate Vineyard on a beautiful Saturday in June. Kids participated in their own 1K event. Community members can look forward to this event again in 2025. Save the date for our second annual Run Willamette on Saturday, June 28th. 

June | Willamette Featured at James Suckling Event in New York

Winemaker Terry Culton and Willamette's Industry Relations Manager Suzanne Shultz poured our 2021 Elton Pinot Noir — which earned 92 points from wine critic James Suckling —  at James Suckling's Great Wines of the World event in New York. In October, COO Libby Spencer shared the wine at James Suckling's Great Wines of the World in Tokyo.

July | Owners Celebrate 

Willamette stockholders gathered at our vineyards and tasting rooms for their Annual Owner Celebration and Virtual Meeting. Owners traveled to Oregon from across the country to enjoy wine tastings, garden tours and special dinners. 

Thank you, Owners, for your continued support of the winery! Please mark your calendars and join us July 9th - July 13th for our 2025 celebration.

July | Estate in the Salem Hills Named #1 Best Wine Tasting Room

The Estate in the Salem Hills was named the Best Wine Tasting Room in the country in USA Today's 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. A first-time win for Willamette, the award demonstrates the strong support of our Owners and Members, who voted daily. Willamette also received the award for #2 Best Wine Club in the nation.

August | Whole Cluster Pinot Noir Released in Reusable Bottles

For the first time, our 2023 Whole Cluster Pinot Noir was released in reusable Revino glass bottles for purchase in our Tasting Rooms. Revino glass bottles can be reused up to 50 times, reducing winery CO2 emissions by up to 85% compared to single-use bottles.

These Revino bottles are not just sustainable — they’re also unique. Each bottle's base bears an outline of the state of Oregon. Look closely and you'll see a distinctive ridge on the bottle’s neck. Learn more about returning your bottles to our Tasting Rooms here.

September | Willamette Honored by ORLA

The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association honored Willamette Valley Vineyards as its Allied Partner of the Year. In accepting the award, Founder and CEO Jim Bernau noted that partnerships in the wine and hospitality industries are vital to our region's success. 

October | Barn Owls Released

Three juvenile barn owls found a new home at our Estate Vineyard, continuing a years-long tradition of bird rescues and friendships. For the last 13 years, Joe Perez, a founding Owner at Willamette and a long-standing Oregon Wine Enthusiast member, and Randy Hillyer, Willamette’s Facility Coordinator, have worked with Eugene-based Cascades Raptor Center to release rehabilitated barn owls and kestrels into our vineyard as a pesticide-free pest deterrent.

Join us for a vineyard hike in the summer when you stay at the Into the Woods RV park and learn more about this partnership.

November | Oregon Tourism Toasted at Domaine Willamette

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Travel Oregon celebrated the senator’s first annual Oregon Treasures Quest at Domaine Willamette in the Dundee Hills. The quest challenged Oregonians to visit the state’s 36 counties and take pictures of themselves with particular landmarks, like the "Stand By Me" penny in Brownsville. The celebration in November invited finishers who visited at least ten counties to share their stories and photos at the sparkling winery.

November | McMinnville Celebrates 15th Anniversary

Willamette Members and Owners in McMinnville joined the Tasting Room to celebrate its 15th Anniversary of warm hospitality and wine tastings on charming, historic 3rd Street.

December | Bend Celebrates 1st Anniversary

Our Bend Tasting Room & Restaurant celebrated its first anniversary on December 6th. Throughout its first year, the Tasting Room hosted wine tastings, pairings dinners, local events and Owner meetups. Thank you for helping bring the Willamette Valley wine story to Central Oregon!