Uncork the Bubbles at These Oregon Wineries

Who doesn’t love sparkling wine? Bubbles are both delicious and fun! In fact, once reserved for special occasions, sparkling wines are now served early and often: to open or close wine tastings, during brunches or dinner parties, and even on casual Tuesday nights. Wine lovers are embracing the bubbles and spending more money for quality wines.

As interest (and sales) in sparkling wines goes up, consumers are looking for more variety to satisfy their palates. One excellent wine-producing region, that may be flying under the radar for many, is Oregon, specifically the Willamette Valley. 

Oregon Gets Sparkling

If you’re in the Pacific Northwest or are planning a trip to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, chances are that you’ve heard of Argyle Winery. Founded in 1987, Argyle was the state’s original sparkling wine house and pioneer for the category. Today, their wines are one of the few Oregon sparkling wines found in grocery stores and wine shops nationwide. But many more wineries across Oregon now offer sparkling wines, several of which have made renowned publications’ lists, and some are making and pouring solely sparkling wines.There’s even a new wine tasting and educational event dedicated solely to Oregon sparkling wine. Kicking off this July, “Method Oregon” will feature Oregon-made traditional method bubbles with a minimum of 15 months of tirage aging. This focus on traditional method sparkling wine is purposeful and designed to highlight the singularity of Oregon terroir for traditional method sparkling wine.

A long-time bastion for Pinot Noir, sparkling wine is fast becoming the next frontier in Oregon wine, but why? This increase in sparkling wine production in Oregon can be credited to several factors: the previously mentioned wine lovers’ growing demand for bubbles; the climate, soils, and elevations across the state are generally well-suited to growing grapes intended for sparkling wines; and the availability of the infrastructure and equipment to make sparkling wines. Now, since we’ve already covered the fact that wine lovers are crushing on bubbles, let’s talk terroir. Oregon’s undulating Willamette Valley with its diverse range of soil types, cooler climate with dry and sunny days, lends to a long, gentle growing season for grapes.”

The result is that the grapes grown here, of which a plethora are the traditional Champagne grapes, ripen slowly and retain their natural acidity, key factors to making high-quality sparkling wines. And, now with custom sparkling companies bringing sparkling wine bottling lines, riddling and disgorging machines, and the expertise with which to use them to the Willamette Valley, more wineries are able to produce sparkling wines without the added expense of having their own equipment. 

Uncork the Bubbles

Now, let’s talk about the most important part, where to find and taste these sparklers! It’s easy to stumble upon a number of wine tasting experiences in Willamette Valley that will begin with either the house’s sparkling cuvée or even a Champagne, but with the number of rising stars dedicated to crafting a range of high-quality sparklers, here are the four Willamette Valley winery must-visits to make your next adventure a bubbly one – or to refresh your palate after a Pinot-laden tasting day.

Argyle Winery in Dundee, Oregon

A visit to Willamette Valley for sparkling wine would not be complete without a stop where the Oregon bubbles’ revolution began, at the pioneering Argyle Winery. Founded by Rollin Soles in 1987, Argyle’s mission was to craft world-class sparkling wines derived from Oregon’s cool climate vineyards, and Soles’ meticulous approach to winemaking with a focus on extended bottle aging, was a resounding success. Argyle quickly earned the distinction of producing some of the highest rated domestic sparkling wines, including their 1995 Extended Tirage Brut, which was among Wine Spectator’s highest ranked sparkling wine outside of Champagne at the time. 

Today, Argyle offers a range of sparkling wines including their entry-level Willamette Valley series, the Estate Reserve, Single Vineyard sparkling wines, and Extended Tirage sparkling wines. They also have an extensive library of bubbles, many of which are available for purchase. As for the tasting experience, it’s one of the easier reservations in Willamette Valley.

Not only is Argyle open daily and conveniently located in the heart of the Willamette Valley in downtown Dundee, but they offer a variety of tasting experiences from their well-lit and spacious tasting room and lushly appointed outdoor patio.

If you’re looking for an in-depth, educational experience you can opt for the “Master of Sparkling Experience,” which includes a tour and tasting paired with a local charcuterie plate. They also offer a more traditional seated tasting, the “Tasting House Reservation,” where you can select either the all sparkling or mixed wine flight. While reservations are recommended, walk-in tastings are also available if you’re looking to keep your plans more fluid. Pro tip: The patio is the perfect place to bask in the sun on a relaxed weekday afternoon or early evening!

Corollary Wines in Amity, Oregon

From an Original to one of Willamette Valley’s Newest, I’m going to recommend your next sparkling wine stop be the recently opened, architectural marvel of a tasting room atop a 780-foot mountain in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Corollary Wines.

Established by Dan Diephouse and Jeanne Feldkamp, a husband and wife duo in 2017, Corollary Wines is one of the Valley’s only all-sparkling wine producers. And their 57-acre property, planted to 13 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier, and Pinot Blanc, is one of the few vineyards in the state dedicated solely to the production of sparkling wines. Dan and Jeanne chose to begin their winemaking adventures in Oregon for its cool climate, soil archetypes, and resulting capability to grow high-quality “Champagne” grapes. Sparkling wine was and is their only focus. Now, eight vintages in, Corollary Wines crafts their wines using the “Champagne-method,” and favors barrel fermenting, and extended tirage aging for its range of extra-brut and brut cuvées, blanc de blancs, and rosés – there’s even a carbonic macerated rosé!

Although a bit more remote, you’ll be rewarded with some of the Willamette Valley’s best views from Corollary’s tasting room where depending on the season, you’ll be seated at one of the visually stunning site’s four outdoor seating areas, or the indoor communal tasting room with its dual-sided panoramic vistas. The guided, yet intimate tastings include five to six of the winery’s current sparkling wine releases served alongside bubbles’ best friend, potato chips! These wines have depth, vibrancy, nuance, and are just honestly, unbelievably good. Reservations are required and available Thursdays through Mondays. Consult the website for seasonal hours. Pro tip: If you plan to take a few bottles home, make one of them a magnum. You’ll thank yourself (and me!) later. 

Lytle-Barnett Tasting Room in Dundee, Oregon

Co-founded by Andy Lytle and Antony Beck, Lytle-Barnett has been perfecting their Willamette Valley traditional method (aka “Champagne-method”) bubbles since their first vintage in 2011. With the winemaking direction of local sparkling wine expert, Andrew Davis and South Africa’s sparkling wine legend, Pieter Ferreira, Lytle-Barnett set out to combine French tradition with Oregon’s spirit of adventure and sense of place.

In my opinion, they’ve accomplished just that. But you don’t have to take my word for it, you can taste the entire range of bubbles for yourself at the newly opened tasting space in downtown Dundee (across the street from Argyle!). 

This cozy, sun-drenched tasting room offers seated tastings of the current sparkling wine releases from Lytle-Barnett, or as a mix with their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wine partner, Aubaine, also owned by Andy Lytle. These sparkling wines again show off Oregon’s ability to grow grapes suitable to extended tirage and limited dosage with a range including blanc de blancs, blanc de noirs, and a variety of rosés.

Tastings are seated, guided and can be paired with a selection of small bites from neighboring Dundee Bistro. Reservations are recommended, although walk-in tastings will be seated when available during the tasting room’s opening hours Thursday through Sunday. Pro tip: The ambiance of the fireplace table on a sunny, winter’s afternoon is a total vibe.

Arabilis Wines in Amity, Oregon

Another star in the Willamette Valley sparkling wine scene, Arabilis is one of the newer husband-wife ventures. Kenny and Allison McMahon combine their technical and scientific winemaking expertise with a raw talent for crafting sparkling wines with a complex sensorial artistry. The sheer quality of these bubbles is unforgettable and a tasting is not to be missed. These bottles sell out quickly.

From the first time I brought a glass of their sparkling wine to my nose, I was ecstatic. While I did have high expectations here – Kenny and Allison have PhDs in winemaking and Kenny’s is in sparkling wine by the way – I did not expect to find the tension and character reminiscent of Champagne in PNW sparkling wines. They are outstanding. These sparkling wines, limited in availability, have personality, electricity, quality, complexity, and the ability to capture your full attention. They captured mine. 

As for the tastings, reservations are required and an intimate, personalized experience is guaranteed. You’ll be hosted in the very place the wines are made – with the winemaker! Appointments last approximately 1-2 hours and include a tour, education and conversation with Kenny, and of course, a tasting of both Arabilis’s sparkling and still wines. If you’re curious about how sparkling wines are made, the soils in which the grapes are best grown, or even the bottling process, this is your time to get learn all about it.

But if simply tasting is more your thing, sit back, relax and take in the future of Willamette Valley sparkling wines. They’re here. And they’re outstanding. Pro tip: Tastings during the harvest season (August – September) can be limited as the winemaker is often a bit preoccupied making wine!