Category Archives: Cellar Season

Cozy Wine Tasting by the Fireplace

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In these cold winter months, do you dream of yourself tucked in next to a cozy fireplace with a glass of wine in hand? Good news! You can cozy up to a fireplace as you taste at one of these great Willamette Valley wineries this Cellar Season. Let us help you find the best places to warm your insides with the valley’s renowned Pinot Noirs and your tootsies by the fire at one of these inviting wineries.

At Colene Clemens, wine dog Oso and the fireplace await your Cellar Season visit

Colene Clemens Vineyards is a family owned vineyard with a lovely tasting room complete with a toasty fireplace and delicious, award winning Pinot Noirs. In fact, Wine Spectator just named Colene Clemens 2015 Chehalem Mountains Dopp Creek Pinot Noir as this year’s #7 of 100. Impressive, tasty and not to be missed. While the patio has amazing views of the countryside, during cellar season, sometimes it’s nicer to taste while warming up next to their roaring fire.

Another standout tasting experience can be found at Alexana Winery. This 80-acre estate celebrates its diverse terroir and champions the rich Dundee Hills soil that adds such nuance to each of their fine wines. Visit their tasting room and you will find that they are keen to teach you about the intricacies of growing grapes and making wine. From their bar that is designed with a layered soil display to their large viewing window showing off their inner workings, you’ll get an education as well as a distinguished flight of wine. And, if you just want to sit back and sip? You can relax next to their outdoor fireplace, but in marginal weather, take a seat next to their indoor fireplace and taste the terroir that surrounds you.

Parrett Mountain Cellars’ fireplace welcomes you to warm up with a tasting of bold red wines by the fireplace.

At Parrett Mountain Cellars – a new winery that opened its doors September 2018, you’ll find bold reds and a few pinots. They have quite a variety of wines ranging from a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc to a velvety smooth Malbec (which is a favorite of mine). Enjoy a glass by the hearth to stave off the chill of a cold day! Add to all that, they have an outstanding view and a tasting room built with timber grown on the estate.

Picture yourself at any one of these amazing venues, a glass of wine in your hand, a fire warming your toes and a smile on your face. And when you want a cozy place to warm up after the wineries close, we happen to have a few fireplaces ourselves at the B&B, so give us a call or go online to reserve your room and make the most of the Willamette Valley’s Cellar Season.

By Liz Bethell

Winter Weather atop the Ridge

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With winter weather, sometimes we don’t have a view up here at 1000 feet atop Chehalem Mountain.  Good news, though: the B&B is cozy, wine tasting is an indoor sport and you can get even deeper savings with our No View = Savings 4U rate.

Don’t get me wrong – winter weather can bring us beautiful views of a fog-covered valley where you feel like you’re in a castle atop the clouds.

Sometimes we float atop the clouds

Sometimes we float atop the clouds

Winter weather can bring us the occasional light dusting of snow, usually at night so guests wake up to a winter wonderland.

Sometimes the clouds give us snow

Sometimes the clouds give us snow

But winter weather can also bring us the middle of a low cloud.  For days.  Followed by howling winds.  You look outside and the clouds are flying past you with 20 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 40mph. 

Sometimes we are amid the cloud

Sometimes we are amid the cloud

Fortunately, we are cozy inside Chehalem Ridge B&B, with our living room fireplace warming us up.  In-room amenities like the fireplaces in the Oregon Coast Room and the High Desert Suite and the 2-person jetted tubs in the Wine Country Room and the High Desert Suite are cozy, too.  Of course, every room has individually-controlled heating.

In the Willamette Valley, we call this time “Cellar Season”, a time when things are quiet and maybe stormy, but also filled with opportunities to experience our hospitality one-on-one.  One way to take advantage of this is to book our Beans, Brews and Bells Up package, which introduces you to local artisans and the beverages they craft.

Because winter weather comes with both the good and the bad, we’re offering our No View=Savings 4U rate at 10% below our already lower off-season rates.  This rate is good through March 2019, with exception to February 8, 9 and 14-18.  Enter code “No View” to take advantage of this great discount… even if you stay on a day with our amazing views!  Winters on the Ridge have exciting weather and we love it, but we thought we should let you know what to expect… anything!

Ring in 2019 in Wine Country

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Ready to knock your New Year’s Eve plans out of the park? The time is now to plan your celebration in Wine Country with sparkling wine, dinner at one of our local fine dining restaurants and a relaxing stay at Chehalem Ridge B&B. When you book a room with us over New Year’s Eve, your stay will include a bottle of Argyle Brut for your midnight toasting. And because we know you might be up late, sleep in on the first day of 2019 and enjoy our renowned breakfast offered later in the morning and a later check-out time. BTW, since New Year’s Eve is on a Monday this year, it’s a perfect time to make it a long weekend.

The view of Vidon’s Vineyards on a crisp fall day

Start you celebration with wine tasting at one of the many wineries that will be open on December 31. Most of them are closing early, around 3 or 4, so plan accordingly. Good options we know to be open include Vidon, a boutique winery where you’ll taste among the barrels and Furioso, with its brand new tasting room and cozy fireplace. Nearly all valley wineries are closed January 1.

For your special New Year’s Eve dinner, we have many fine-dining restaurants that are taking reservations now for this celebratory evening.  We can help you connect with driving services for the night.

  • Ruddick/Wood is a happening spot located on the main drag in downtown Newberg. They will be offering a prix-fixe menu on NYE, and with a tavern attached to the dining room, you can head straight on over and dance the night away to the tunes of The Big North Duo, playing an acoustic set of bluegrass, country and swing.
  • The Joel Palmer House in Dayton is a family owned and operated restaurant with a delightful & inventive coursed menu. The beautiful setting and elegant service of this restaurant will impress you, but the inventive dishes they serve, revolving around truffles and wild mushrooms, will blow you away.
  • The Dundee Bistro, a restaurant created by one of Oregon’s oldest wine families – the Ponzi’s – it focuses on food made with wine in mind. For New Year’s Eve they have created a prix-fixe four-course menu for guests to enjoy, along with a curated wine pairing list.  Some of their house-made pasta is on the menu!

The Dundee Bistro plans a fantastic menu to ring in 2019

  • Also in Dundee, you’ll find intriguing flavors, like their famous roast duck, that Tina’s Restaurant brings to classic Northwest cuisine. Enjoy a special four-course meal at this lovely little romantic spot that’s been catering to wine-loving foodies since 1991.
  • For an elegant dining experience you won’t soon forget, make reservations at Newberg’s The Painted Lady. Oregon’s only Forbe’s Four Star fine dining restaurant serves outstanding prix-fixe 7 course dinners, with an extra-special menu for New Year’s Eve.
  • If a party is more your style, head to 503 Uncorked in Sherwood where the Nate Botsford Band and DJ Burn will be ringing in the new year with a dessert bar from The Hungry Hero. Be sure to plan to wear your Vintage Bling for this party.

To experience something different for New Year’s Eve this year, start 2019 off right and call us right now. We’ll be tucked up high in the Chehalem Mountains, waiting for you.

by Liz Bethell

 

Christmas Trees + Christmas Shopping = Wine Country Relaxation in Willamette Valley, OR

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An innkeeper’s guide to Christmas fun just outside of Portland

With December right around the corner, now’s the time to get your holiday decorating, gift shopping, wine buying and relaxing in.  Yes, you can do all this with relaxation on a weekend getaway to the Willamette Valley, just 20 miles southwest of Portland.

The House of Whispering Firs has Christmas greenery and mosaic art.

On the way out to wine country, we highly recommend getting into the spirit – the wine country spirit, that is – by stopping in at Raptor Ridge Winery off of Hwy 219. They have an amazing view on a crisp winter day of four mountains in the distance, not to mention a cozy tasting room where you can enjoy exploring their fine wines. At this time of year they also have several gift bottle collections for the wine enthusiasts on your list. After that, drive up the road a bit to visit the House of Whispering Firs. This festive house nestled in the woods of Newberg has local, artisan goods with everything from

holiday wreaths and Christmas tree decorations to mosaic tile wine racks and magical, whimsical garden accessories. Next, check into your room at Chehalem Ridge Bed & Breakfast and then head in to town for dinner at one of Newberg’s fine dining restaurants.

In the morning, enjoy your delicious gourmet breakfast and then take a trip downtown to shop on Newberg’s 1st Street. Here you’ll find shops like Pulp & Circumstance for one of a kind jewelry, accessories, Oregon-made gifts and more. For clothing, we love vintage finds at Velour, and on-trend items at Nikki Jane’s Boutique. Now that most of your shopping is done, take respite in at least one more winery. Conveniently located right off of 99W and at the foothills of Parrett Mountain, you’ll find the beautiful Rex Hill Winery. A luxurious space reminiscent of the inside of a castle, this tasting room gives you a feeling of royalty. Take a load off and enjoy their sparkling, chardonnay and pinot noir wines because next on our journey is a Christmas extravaganza.

Sleighbells Farm & Gift Shop brimming with Christmas décor and gifts

Finally, we come to real star of this excursion. Sleighbells Farm & Gift Shop. A bit farther down 99W towards Portland, you’ll make a left on Chapman Road and take a winding driveway up to a gorgeous setting of rolling hills abound with Noble, Nordman, Douglas and Grand Firs. You may cut them yourself, pay a small fee to have them cut for you, or pick one right off their covered lot. There’s so much more to do though! Sleighbells has a darling gift shop that will bring out the kid in every adult! Wreaths, village sets, rooms and rooms of every sort of Christmas decoration. You will be jumping with J-O-Y.  Free hot chocolate and coffee can be found in the cozy café, but if you’re hungry there’s food trucks on the weekends delivering yummy, decadent holiday treats like apple pie fries, corn dogs, and kettle corn. Santa will also be making an appearance several dates in December, so if you’d like to coordinate your trip with the jolly St. Nick, check the schedule on their website.

See, we have it all figured out. Just follow our lead and we promise you’ll get it all done with time to spare! Happy holidays and we hope to see you soon!

By Liz Bethell, Assistant Innkeeper