At the beginning of April, Marcus and I took a trip to Oregon's Willamette Valley to celebrate our anniversary weekend. We don't spend nearly as much time there as I'd like, especially considering it's less than an hour from Portland. We were excited to have a few days to explore, sip wine, and enjoy the region without needing to rush back to the city.
The weather forecast predicted a storm over the weekend, but it was sunny and warm as we drove toward Dayton. The perfect start to the weekend. We headed for Red Ridge Farms, where we were staying in the Garden Suite. It was the epitome of a room with a view, nestled about the gift shop with two balconies overlooking the gardens, lavender fields, vineyards, and olive grove.
When we arrived, we popped open a bottle of Chardonnay and went out to explore the grounds in the afternoon light. Red Ridge Farms is home to Oregon Olive Mill, the first commercial olive mill in the Pacific Northwest. We wandered through the grove and, when the gift shop closed up, we felt like we were the only people for miles around.
The next morning, we made breakfast and coffee in the sunny kitchen and then enjoyed a tour of the olive mill, nursery, and Durant Vineyards tasting room, which boasted a view of lambs frolicking among the vines. The clouds moved in and the first raindrops started to fall as we headed to McMinnville for lunch at Valley Commissary. Our first tasting was a 1pm with Kelley Fox Wines, followed by a visit to L'Angolo Estate, and the grand finale, a private tasting at Antica Terra. There was a mixup with our dinner reservations, but we were happy for the excuse to return to the Garden Suite and relax with pizza from Red Hills Market. It was a complete downpour at that point and we wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch with a blanket and glass of Pinot Noir.
The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at the Garden Suite once again while listening to the radio and reading the newspaper. I loved being able to cook breakfast right there and not have to rush out and find food first thing in the morning. All the comforts of home, minus one energetic toddler. We lingered until the last moment before check out and then reluctantly packed our bags to head home, a few bottles of olive oil and wine heavier than when we arrived.
This post was created in partnership with Red Ridge Farms. All thoughts and opinions are my own.