Ahhh, there’s something so satisfying about transitioning from summer to fall. The colors start to change, there’s a crisp in the air, and for my fellow wine drinkers out there, you know that it’s harvest time!
Jordan and I recently went up to Oregon for a long weekend and decided to spend some time in the Willamette Valley, which, for those of you who don’t know, is a beautiful, 150-mile long valley in the Pacific Northwest known for the Pinot Noir.
After doing a bit of research, I found this amazing bed & breakfast in McMinnville called A’Tuscan Estate. I’m absolutely obsessed with this property!
The main house was built in 1928 by Dr. Williams for himself, his wife, and their two young daughters. The property has been beautifully maintained, and you truly feel like you’re stepping back in time when at the estate.
We checked in with the Innkeeper, Erin Gilchrist, who recently bought the property late last year. She offered us a welcome treat of white chocolate and raspberry truffles that were melt-in-your-mouth delicious and almost too pretty to eat! Almost 😉 As you can see, I clearly ate one!
She showed us to our room, the Craftsman Apartment, which is a full apartment in The Craftsman House, a second house on the property. The apartment was absolutely stunning, with a full living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom with king-size bed. It also had laundry facilities, as well as a front and back porch. One could live here comfortably for a week, or more!
Take a look at my video tour of the Apartment below…
Erin then graciously gave me a tour to show off the rest of the main house. Check out some of the photos below!
There were other guests staying at the bed & breakfast this particular weekend, but I was able to get a sneak peak of one of the vacant rooms, the Siena Room.
This convenient coffee and tea room is located upstairs in the main house for guests to enjoy at any time!
The property grounds are absolutely gorgeous as well. The flowers were in full bloom, and Erin mentioned that she has an herb garden with rosemary, thyme, basil, and other herbs that she uses frequently in her three-course breakfasts.
After settling into our room, we headed into downtown McMinnville for drinks and dinner. Fun fact about McMinnville – the downtown is actually listed on the National Register of Historic Places AND it was listed as The West’s Best Main Street by Sunset Magazine! How cool is that? I can definitely see why it was got the award. I’m obsessing over these tree-lined streets!
Erin gave us a bunch of recommendations for dinner, and we settled on Pura Vida Cocina, which is this tiny restaurant (seriously, if you’re walking too fast, you’ll miss it), that serves amazing Latin American cuisine. We got there just in time. We got the last four-top and a line started forming outside of the door within minutes of us sitting! We started with the Seasonal Vegetable Empanadas and Totopoes (chips, fresh salsas, and guacamole), and had the Seasonal Vegetable Enchiladas de Mole and two fish (cod) tacos á la carte. To drink, we each ordered the Mango Margarita.
Everything was SO GOOD! We stuffed ourselves haha. No regrets! I definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone staying in McMinnville – or even just passing through on your way to the wineries! It was a simple menu, but the flavors were complex and burst on your taste buds.
After we finished our delicious meals, we realized we had time to squeeze in a wine tasting at one of the many tasting rooms in town, so we headed across the street (quite literally) to the R. Stuart & Co. Wine Bar, recommended by Erin.
This was such a cute little tasting room, and the wines were delicious! Personally, I really loved the ambience of the shop. Hardwood floors, old Parisian paintings, wrought-iron details. It almost felt…saloon-like? And the room couldn’t hold more than 20 people, maybe. I love tasting rooms that have a sense of intimacy.
After we finished our tasting, we headed back to our private Craftsman and enjoyed a quiet night in, dreaming about what it would be like to open a wine tasting room in wine country…(future looks nice, right?!)
I have to applaud A’Tuscan Estate for their wonderful amenities. I have never slept on a more comfortable bed in my life. I’m not kidding! It literally felt like we were sleeping on a cloud in sheets made from the softest cotton you can imagine. (Not even gonna lie, I somewhat took the bed apart trying to figure out what the brand of sheets were, because they were THAT AMAZING. They were from The Comphy Co. And yes, we ordered our own as soon as we got home).
When our heads hit the pillows, we were out. I’ve slept in A TON of hotels, and I’ve got to say, this was one of the most restful sleeps I’ve ever experienced. On top of that, the bathroom amenities were wonderful – the soaps smelled like a spa and weren’t drying at all. I have sensitive skin and am constantly battling hotel soaps, bath washes, and hair products that dry my skin and hair out. I was so impressed with the products that Erin chose for her B&B!
We woke up on Saturday, feeling so rested and refreshed for our day of wine tasting, and ready for our breakfast with Erin! (Side note: Erin is not only the Innkeeper at A’Tuscan Estate, but she’s also the chef! And an amazing one at that!) We head over to the breakfast room for breakfast – it’s served at two times; 8:30 am or 10:00 am. We chose 10, based off of our schedule, and surprisingly, we were the only ones who did! Not bad to have a private dining experience haha.
Every breakfast is a three-course meal, prepared by Erin and her assistant in her professional, culinary kitchen. This morning, we enjoyed one of the most amazing breakfasts I’ve ever had.
The first course was an almond-raspberry bread, made with almond flour. It was topped with shaved coconut and had raspberry and mint accents. WOW. This was an excellent way to start breakfast off because it wasn’t too heavy, and it paired perfectly with our coffee.
The second course was a Greek yogurt parfait with homemade lemon curd and rhubarb, a hint of mint, and a sprinkle of granola. This was to die for! I’m usually not a huge raver of yogurt, but I was so impressed with the burst of flavors, especially the mix of lemon and rhubarb. It was absolutely delicious.
The third, and final, course is Erin’s specialty. Baked eggs caprese, with mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes. AMAZING. Imagine your favorite caprese salad mixed with bruschetta and turned into a breakfast dish with scrambled eggs. Yum!!
Bottom line – we WILL be coming back here again. And the best part about the Craftsman Apartment is that it has a queen pullout sofa, so if you ever want to do a couples’ wine tasting trip, or wine tasting weekend with friends, this is literally the PERFECT room to book. You will have plenty of space, it’s quite private, and you can even stay for an extended amount of time – it has a full kitchen and laundry room! You have all of the amenities that you need for a very comfortable weeklong+ stay.
I also want to mention that although summer is the busiest time of the year in the Willamette Valley, this is also a wonderful place to come stay during the fall and winter months. The majority of tasting rooms and wineries are open year-round and offer tastings and tours all throughout the year! I would 100% visit during the off-season, with this property being so close to the wineries, and downtown McMinnville being so quaint! The weather may be a bit chillier, but there were enough blankets and heat at A’Tuscan Estate to enjoy a really cozy stay.
Thank you to Erin and A’Tuscan Estate for a fantastic experience! Jordan and I can’t wait to come back.
We woke up Saturday for a day of wine tasting and drove out to meet some friends at our first stop of the day, Stoller Family Estate. It is the largest contiguous vineyard in Oregon’s Dundee Hills, and it was recently named by USA Today as Oregon’s Best Tasting Room.
This estate was so much fun, and a great way to kick off our day! There’s a large area for guests outside of the tasting room to enjoy their tastings on the lawn with excellent views of the vines. Everything from large picnic tables to Adirondack chairs are available, first come first served. We chose to do a flight (each) for $20 and it came with 4 wines. Reservations are required for parties of 6 or more, but luckily, we had 5. Our server was amazing as well – so knowledgeable about the wines and the area!
Next up was Archery Summit. I loved this one! It was higher up in the hills than Stoller, with stunning views of the valley. We were lucky enough to get a beautiful, warm day, with blue skies and only a couple of billowy clouds here and there. I thought this winery was unique in the sense that it had many, intimate areas to taste their wines. They had a cute patio, with maybe two dozen seats, a smaller tasting room with only a few hightops, and a barrel cave, that you can rent out for private tastings. We split a few tastings between the 5 of us for $30 each featuring the winery’s best Pinot Noirs. They were amazing!
Our third stop (quite possibly my favorite) was Domaine Serene. This winery is on top of a hill and had the most breathtaking views in any direction. Even driving up the driveway was so beautiful that we made our driver stop so we could all capture a photo! I mean…c’mon – it’s stunning!
Now this was definitely the largest of the wineries we visited, and had more of a “Napa-Valley-esque” feel to it, as opposed to some of the smaller, family-owned estates. We ordered flights all around and had two charcuterie boards. SO good. We were not disappointed! The tastings here were $25 each…and we may have purchased a bottle as well! We tasted delicious pinots, rosés, and whites.
From here, we made our way to Argyle. This vineyard is known for their bubbles, so we felt obligated to order sparkling flights here, which were $20 each. This one is fun because the tasting room is more of a large, open room, with a unique “champagne bottle” sculpture hanging from the ceiling above the bar.
One of the most impressive wines (in my opinion) was the sparkling pinot noir! We ended up buying a bottle…or two 😉
Our final stop was at Duck Pond, which is a winery that Jordan and I are already familiar with! I fact, we used to be wine club members! (Highly recommend). We decided to end here because they were closing out their “Music at the Pond” summer concert series with live music on the lawn. And also because the grounds are gorgeous. You can walk right up to the vines!
I love that the tasting room is in what looks like a house straight out of Antebellum, and there are hydrangeas EVERYWHERE!
After finishing our tastings here, taking pictures, and enjoying the music, we made headed back to Portland, which, at this point, was only a 30 minute drive – if that!
What a weekend to spend in Oregon’s wine region. We had the best time, and I love that so many of the wineries are family-owned, erring on the side of boutique. It’s such a unique part of our country, one that not too many people know about! But definitely an area that I will recommend over and over again to anyone who asks me!
Happy wine tasting my dears! I hope my first-hand experience will inspire you to visit this beautiful area of the US, AND check out A’Tuscan Estate! It definitely made the list of my top 10 favorite hotels to stay at and I’m confident you’ll feel the same!
Xo,
Kelsey