About Aurora Vineyards
The land here was once part of the Aurora Colony, a communal settlement of nearly six hundred German and Swiss emigrants who came over the Oregon Trail in search of a utopian life. By the time the current owners arrived it had most recently been a plant nursery.
They established the winery in 2002 as Aurora Colony Vineyards, planting seventeen acres of rolling hills to Pinot Noir clone 115, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and, unusually, table grapes. The first estate wines were made at a custom crush facility in 2011, and the on-site winery was finished in 2017, after which everything has been made in house.
The planting has kept changing since. In 2018 the table grapes came out in favour of Muscat, and the Pinot Gris and most of the Chardonnay were replaced with Pinot Noir clone 777. In 2022 they doubled the vineyard again, adding varietals and clones the winery describes as uncommon for the region.
It sits in the Cascade Foothills, around twenty minutes south of Portland, which makes it one of the easiest wine-country stops to reach from the city. The operation is built for spending an afternoon: a full kitchen in the tasting room rather than a snack menu, Sunday brunch, a patio with waterfalls, a pond, a fire pit and lawn games, live music on Saturday evenings, and an amphitheatre and event space for weddings and concerts.
Seventeen acres on the site of a nineteenth-century utopian colony, twenty minutes from Portland.
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Real history underfoot,the property was part of the Aurora Colony, a communal society of German and Swiss settlers who came west on the Oregon Trail.
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A vineyard still being rebuilt,table grapes replaced with Muscat in 2018, Pinot Gris swapped for clone 777, and the planting doubled in 2022 with varietals uncommon here.
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Actual cooking,a full kitchen and daily menu in the tasting room, plus Sunday brunch, rather than a cheese plate.
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Closest to Portland,about twenty minutes south of the city, which makes it a plausible evening as well as a day trip.
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Something on most nights,Saturday live music, a Friday dinner and concert series, and an amphitheatre for larger events.
"The easiest wine country afternoon to reach from Portland, and one of the few with a real kitchen."
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Current Releases
Wines change with each vintage
For an accurate list of current-release wines and library bottlings from Aurora Vineyards, please check the winery'Willamette Valley producers typically rotate vintages and offerings seasonally.
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Aurora Vineyards has not published a current tasting menu or pricing that we have been able to verify. Check the winery website for what is being poured and what it costs before you visit.
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