Washington & Oregon Wine Tour

“A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.” – Louis Pasteur

On the first part of our tour, we discover the beautiful scenery and delectable wines of Washington state. Washington is the second largest producer of wine grapes in the US and is located on approximately the same latitude (46ºN) as some of the great French wine regions such as Bordeaux and Burgundy. With 13 distinct American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), Washington State has some serious diversity in soil types, topography, microclimates, and wine touring regions.

One unique aspect of Washington’s wine industry is the grape growing region is located in the farming areas of Eastern Washington instead of near the main population centers of Western Washington. This makes Washington’s wine region very interesting, full of small towns, true wine grape growing farms, and decades of agricultural heritage.

On the second part of our tour, we move on to explore the vine-draped hills and exquisite wines of Oregon. Likened to France’s Burgundy region, the Willamette Valley is home to two-thirds of Oregon’s wineries and is known for its incredible Pinot Noirs.  We’ll have the chance to try a variety of wines from small family run operations to larger wineries, as well as visit an iconic natural must-see, the breathtaking Multnomah Falls.

Tour Details

• Location: Washington & Oregon
• Private Tour Only: Choose Your Own Dates
• Trip Price: $3,500
• Optional single supplement: $800
• Minimum: 6 people
• Guide: William Pollard, Jr.
• Meals: Breakfasts and dinners. Lunches will be on your own to give you a chance to explore the area.
• General Tour FAQs

Customizations to the itinerary possible with additional fees.

Please note –  Our pricing is based on double occupancy lodging. If upon finalizing your private trip, your group has a solo traveler in a room without a roommate, the single supplement becomes mandatory. This amount will differ depending on the itinerary. Please contact our tour operations team for more details.

DAY 1

Welcome to Washington wine country! We meet after lunch with a pickup at the Pasco Airport in Tri-Cities, Washington or at a nearby hotel if you choose to come in a day early. We’ll shuttle directly to the famous Col Solare winery, located in the Red Mountain AVA and a joint venture between Washington State’s premier winery, Chateau St. Michelle, and Tuscany’s Marchesi Antinori.

After this first wine tasting, we’ll check into our riverside hotel, get freshened up, and head to a fun welcome dinner at Fiction @ J. Bookwalter.

DAY 2

Today, we will visit the the small town of Prosser, Washington, only 6,000 inhabitants strong but one of the centers of the Washington grape growing industry.

We’ll visit Chinook Wines, one of the oldest wineries in the area, and learn about how this region went from farming to wine grape growing. We’ll then visit McKinley Springs in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA and try their wonderful Cabernet Sauvignons, Syrahs, and Chenin Blancs.

After lunch on your own in Prosser, we’ll stop for one more wine tasting at Hedges Family Estate, which is a fantastic setting with a chateau for a tasting room. We then head to Walla Walla where we’ll check in to our next hotel.  This evening, we’ll enjoy dinner at nearby Whitehouse- Crawford.

DAY 3

Today, our focus is on Walla Walla, one of the cutest small wine towns in the country. Home to two universities, over three dozen tasting rooms, and some excellent restaurants, this small town is a fantastic center for our explorations.

We start with a visit to Foundry Cellars, famous as much for their art gallery displays as for their wines, thanks to the original business of the winery owners which provides services and support to local artists.

After lunch on your own in town, we participate in a blending session at Northstar Winery and then a final tasting at Tranche Vineyards, situated in the Blue Mountains overlooking the city which specializes in Rhone-style wines. We continue the French angle with dinner tonight at Brasserie Four.

DAY 4

Today, we travel along the Columbia River as we make our way west from Walla Walla, Washington to Hood River, Oregon. But first we’ll stop once again in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA for a wine tasting and invigorating vineyard walk at the memorable Alexandra Nicole Cellars at Destiny Ridge Vineyards.

After lunch on your own in Goldendale, WA, we make our way across the Oregon state line to beautiful Maryhill Winery, famous for its stunning location overlooking the gorge. In Hood River, long famous as an outdoor sports town and more recently as a culinary mecca, we check into our hotel and then eat dinner al fresco (weather permitting) at the beautiful Stonehedge Gardens restaurant.

DAY 5

After breakfast, we start our day with a visit to Cathedral Ridge Winery. At Cathedral Ridge, named the best winery in Washington a few years ago, we will learn about the winemaking process while enjoying a tasting straight from the barrels.

After lunch on your own in Hood River, we’ll drive down the gorge to Multnomah Falls, a beautiful waterfall you can view from below or from right underneath after climbing several hundred steps. In the afternoon, we’ll take in more breathtaking sights at the Hawks View Winery where we’ll sip our wine while enjoying views of Mt. Hood from a distance.

For dinner we eat at Thistle, the only restaurant outside of Portland to be named Restaurant of the Year by the Oregonian newspaper.

DAY 6

This morning, we head to Dundee, one of the main wine towns in Oregon, not for wine but for an olive oil tasting at Red Ridge Farms. You’ll be impressed by the official EVOO competition tasting glasses they use to present their four estate-pressed olive oils.

After lunch on your own, we stop at Duck Pond Cellars, one of the most reputable wineries in the state, for a delightful tasting. Next, we’ll visit the Carlton Winemakers Studio, a cooperative of ten wineries that share the same winemaking studio and tasting room, for a curated tasting of some of the top Pinot Noirs in Oregon.

Tonight, we enjoy a delicious farewell meal at Nick’s Italian Cafe.

DAY 7

This morning we’ll enjoy breakfast at the hotel, pack up our luggage, and shuttle to the Portland International Airport where you can catch your flight home or continue on with your travels.

Night 1: Lodge at Columbia Point / Richland, WA – The top-rated lodging in the Tri Cities where we start our tour, the Lodge at Columbia Point is located directly on the mighty Columbia River and is perfectly situated to explore area wineries and restaurants.

Nights 2 – 3: The Marcus Whitman / Walla Walla, WA – Our hotel for the next two nights is the top hotel lodging property in Walla Walla, including beautiful accommodations, expansive modern conference center, on-site wine tasting rooms, and a nationally recognized award-winning restaurant and casual wine lounge, all set to a sophisticated old-world backdrop. It is one of our favorite historic small-town hotels anywhere.

Night 4: Columbia Cliff Villas / Hood River, OR – Located in Hood River, an outdoors and culinary destination, the Columbia Cliff Villas sits on a 210-foot cliff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. You’ll enjoy the amazing views from your individual luxury villa.

Nights 5 & 6: Youngberg Hill / McMinnville, OR – Set on a 50-acre hilltop surrounded by exquisite vineyards and views, Youngberg Hill has an amazing 29-year old vineyard that is farmed organically. The nine-room Inn is a luxurious retreat that is in the heart of the northern Willamette Valley, offering access to tasting rooms both off and on the property!

Not Included: Travel to and from destination, lunches, wine with meals, personal expenses, and optional gratuities to local staff and your guide. Travel insurance is also not included, though we highly recommend it.  Check out our Travel Insurance page for more information.

While the general trip itinerary will remain the same, the actual restaurants, hotels, and activities listed are subject to modifications. Changes that are out of our control are common — restaurants close or lose their amazing chef, a winery changes their visiting hours, a hotel gets remodeled, etc. You are entrusting us to create an outstanding vacation for you and so it is possible we may take the liberty of making necessary changes to the itinerary that will improve your overall trip experience. If there is any one experience that is going to make or break your trip, please discuss this with us in advance.

Arrival & Departure Information:
We will pick you up at 1:30 PM at the Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco, Washington on the first day of the tour. The Tri-Cities Airport is quite well connected for a small airport, served by Delta, Alaska Air/Horizon Air, United and Allegiant with flights to Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mesa, Arizona.

The tour ends at the Portland airport (PDX) on the last day of the tour where you can catch a flight out or rent a car to continue your vacation. Details will be provided in the Pre-Departure Packet after you reserve your vacation.