The Company Is Hosting Pairings Dinners and Cookie Sales at Its Tasting Rooms
TURNER, Oregon – Tuesday, March 7: Willamette Valley Vineyards, a leading Oregon producer of Pinot Noir, is celebrating women in the wine industry with a series of events leading up to National Women in Wine Day on March 25th.
Oregon wine pioneer Betty O’Brien is the focus of the month’s events, which include pairing dinners, a Cookies & Wine Pairings Guide and a six-bottle Women in Wine Collection that is available through March 26th.
Wines made under Willamette’s Elton label and sourced from her Elton Vineyard will be featured in several four-course Women in Wine pairing dinners at the Estate in the Salem Hills and at Tasting Room & Restaurant locations in Lake Oswego and Happy Valley.
O’Brien and her husband Dick planted Elton Vineyard on the east face of the Eola-Amity Hills in 1983, the same year Willamette Founder and CEO Jim Bernau – O’Brien’s friend and college classmate – planted his Estate Vineyard in the Salem Hills.
When the O’Briens retired from actively farming the vines in 2007, they selected Bernau as the vineyard’s caretaker to continue their legacy. Retirement allowed the O’Briens to complete a beautiful 1.5-acre garden on the property. Today, bottles made under Willamette’s Elton label are sought after by wine enthusiasts who enjoy elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Women in Wine pairing dinners in March are as follows:
- The Estate in the Salem Hills: March 15 and March 16, 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
- Lake Oswego Tasting Room & Restaurant: March 9, staggered reservations start at 5:00 pm.
- Happy Valley Tasting Room & Restaurant: March 22, staggered reservations start at 5:00 pm.
At these dinners, guests will enjoy Willamette wines paired with dishes created by Executive Winery Chef DJ MacIntyre. The dinners in Lake Oswego and Happy Valley will be hosted by Jim and Jan Bernau and attended by O’Brien.
Willamette team members created a Cookies & Wine Pairings Guide as a tribute to O’Brien’s previous work as executive director of the Santiam Girl Scouts and as a fun way for customers to pair their favorite cookie flavors with Willamette wines.
These guides are available at any of Willamette’s Oregon and Southwest Washington tasting rooms.
Additionally, area Girl Scout troops are invited to sell their cookies at Willamette’s tasting rooms during cookie season, taking place now through April 23. Customers can search where to find cookies on the Girl Scout website’s cookie finder.
As part of the month’s celebrations, Willamette is offering a six-bottle wine collection, with special pricing, that features wines specially chosen by women leaders in the company. The collection features the 2018 Domaine Willamette Brut Rosé chosen by Jan Bernau, co-founder of sparkling winery Domaine Willamette, and our 2019 Elton Chardonnay chosen by O’Brien. This is the first time the 2018 Brut Rosé has been offered in an online sale. Other wines in the collection include the 2019 Griffin Creek Tempranillo, 2019 Pambrun Cabernet Sauvignon, 2019 Signature Cuvée Pinot Noir, and 2022 Pinot Gris.
Willamette celebrates and supports women in the wine industry to inspire change. Roughly 52 percent of Willamette’s staff and 50 percent of its leadership team are made up of women dedicated to shaping the Oregon wine industry.
Willamette Valley Vineyards
Founded in 1983 by CEO Jim Bernau with the dream of creating world-class Pinot Noir while serving as stewards of the land, Willamette Valley Vineyards has grown from a bold idea into one of the region’s leading wineries, earning the title “One of America’s Great Pinot Noir Producers” from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. All the vineyards have been certified sustainable through LIVE (Low Impact Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon-Safe programs.
