Experience Oregon Bounty

Savor food in the fields in Mt. Hood Territory

Photo: courtesy Erika Plummer

Growers in Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory are celebrating harvest in a big way this fall: Field & Vine Events, headed by chef-owner Pascal Chureau of Allium Bistro in West Linn, has partnered with Oregon Farm Loop for The Territory’s first farm dinners, complete with the iconic center-field communal table with twinkling candles and perfect place settings.

Tour the farm, wine in hand; then relax into six courses celebrating locally farm-grown produce and wine. There are still two dinners left this season, Sept 14 & 22.

Interested in other Mt. Hood harvest experiences?

• Try touring farms on two wheels on Sept. 21 during the Blueberry Farm Loop Classic.
• Jump right into the harvest spirit with grape-stomping contests at St. Josef’s Winery, Sept. 21-22.
• Pick your own pumpkin at Wooden Shoe Farm’s Pumpkin Fest, Sept. 28-Oct. 31.
• Or buy artisan foods direct from growers at the Willamette Falls Festival, Oct. 5-6.

Read more about harvest time in Mt. Hood.

Compete for grape-stomping glory in Turner

Photo courtesy Willamette Valley Vineyards

If you’re looking for an Oregon wine country trip that will get your heart racing, head to Willamette Valley Vineyards, just north of Albany, for the 23rd annual Oregon Grape Stomp Championship.

"People love to stomp grapes -- they love to compete," said Matt Boyington of Willamette Valley Vineyards.

The two-person grape-stomping teams not only feel the thrill of competition and the fun of drinking great wine—there’s a big payoff for the winner: a trip to the World Grape Stomp Championship. Don’t miss the festival on Sept. 21-22 for a memorable harvest adventure.

If you don’t want to compete, you can still enjoy the fun:

• If you’re in it just for the love of wine, you can enjoy tastings of Willamette Valley Vineyard’s award-winning pinot noir
• Live bands will play both days
• Creative types can compete in a costume contest
• The littlest adventurers can take part in a Kids Stomp competition

​Read more about grape-stomping fun in Turner.

Say cheese and shake your hips in Salem

Photo courtesy Frank Barnett

Fall is a feast for the senses in the Willamette Valley: you can see the leaves turning colors, feel the warmth of a cozy fireplace and taste the freshest fall produce. Head to the Salem area for exceptional harvest time experiences that will delight all of your senses. 

At Cubanisimo Vineyards, you can taste estate-grown wines and learn to dance—Cuban style. Vineyard owner Mauricio Collada brings his Cuban heritage to life with salsa dancing lessons the third Saturday of most months.

• If dancing’s not your passion, how about golf? Wavra Farms and nursery gives you a chance to pick your own produce and then try “hillbilly golf,” a wacky lawn game.
• Want a more sophisticated harvest experience? Learn about the cheese-making process and make notes about your favorites at Willamette Valley Cheese Company’s tasting room.
• In Silverton’s botanical gem, the Oregon Garden, you can experience harvest-themed artistry with “Scarecrows in the Garden,” a month-long display of hand-crafted scarecrows.

​Read more about experiencing autumn in Salem.

Learn to harvest, brew and blend in Eugene

Photo courtesy Rachell Coe

If you’re the hands-on type, head to the South Willamette Valley this year. You can learn how to bring out the best in this year’s bounty as you sip and nibble your way through new tasting rooms and cooking classes in Eugene and Springfield.

Discover how a winemaker decides the perfect time to pick the grapes at the Oregon Wine Lab. Mark Nicholl of William Rose Wines brings his passion for Pinot to the people in this brand new endeavor brilliantly located in downtown Eugene.

Thirsty for more?

• Explore the ingredients and processes used to make craft beer at the Home Brew How-To, Sept. 5;
• Immerse yourself in new styles of cooking using local ingredients at a Tour de France cooking class;
• Or learn how to blend and create your own custom wine at Pfeiffer Vineyard's Vines to Wines.

​Read more about a hands-on harvest in Eugene.

Feast on the finest in Benton County

Wine, beer and spirits, fresh fruits and vegetables, farms and forests: Benton County offers a variety of sensory experiences.

At Gathering Together Farm in Philomath, you can feast on the finest from Oregon wine country: locally-grown produce, homemade pastries, Cattail Creek lamb, Afton Field Farm free range chicken, Wild Harvest Honey, free range eggs, and gourmet cheeses. Experience their Harvest Dinner with Pheasant Court Winery on September 28th.

Don’t want to limit yourself to a single meal?

• Try tastings from 15 different wineries on the Heart of Willamette Winery tour;
• If beer and spirits are more to your liking, sample from six breweries, one distillery, one cider house and one meadery on the Mid-Valley Sip Trip;
• You can personally select from the best of the season’s produce at Midway Farms or Davis Family Farm;
• Or you can experience one of the Willamette Valley’s thriving woodlands on a guided forest tour from Starker Forests.

Read more about Benton County's seasonal experiences.

Celebrate seasonal bounty in Yamhill Valley

Photo courtesy Andrea Johnson

Yamhill County is the perfect place to experience Oregon’s farm to table excellence; no other county in Oregon boasts a greater concentration of agricultural bounty and culinary craftsmen. Now in its third year, Bounty of the County on Sept. 8 celebrates the trifecta of fervent farmers, pioneering wine producers, and masterful chefs.

It’s an extraordinary outdoor harvest dinner on a warm summer evening in the picturesque Dundee Hills. Local growers also set up a “Country Store,” where you can purchase gourmet items to take home.

• If a more active harvest celebration is what you have in mind, visit Carlton for the Carlton Crush Harvest Festival.
• a grape-stomping competition, barrel-rolling race, and watermelon-eating competition give you plenty of ways to immerse yourself in harvest-time fun.

​Read more about harvest-time bounty in Yamhill.