Whether people come for the charming historic downtown district, the scenic vine-covered hills, or the numerous small wineries, the town of Carlton in the picturesque state of Oregon is one of the Oregon Wine Country’s top destinations. With its downtown area boasting almost two dozen tasting rooms offering samples of a wide variety of wines, Carlton is a “Pinot Paradise” and serves as the home base for the region’s Yamhill-Carlton American Viticultural Area, a globally respected wine region. The town is also home to several great restaurants, bakeries, and more.
Carlton Winemakers Studio
The Carlton Winemakers Studio is situated in the middle of Oregon’s scenic Willamette Valley and acts as a cooperative winery in which many different winemakers can craft their premium wines within a shared space. There are more than fifteen winemaking projects at the studio.
Wine enthusiasts can visit the studio’s state-of-the-art tasting room to sample these Oregon wines, as well as learn about the charming and unique stories behind the wine labels. The Carlton Winemakers Studio is open to the general public for tastings, offering a wide spectrum of wines in a single destination.
Address: Carlton Winemakers Studio, 801 N Scott St, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-6100
Flaneur Wines
Named after the term “flaneur,” which a connoisseur of life, worldly explorer, and leisurely wanderer, Flaneur Wines in the picturesque Willamette Valley of Oregon is dedicated to producing memorable and distinct wines that share a story of place and time with every sip. Located in quaint Carlton, Oregon, the Flaneur Wines tasting room can be found in the town’s iconic Carlton Grain Elevator and is open to the general public for wine tastings and a snack. Guests can also reserve tables for periods of ninety minutes with a minimum bottle purchase.
Address: Flaneur Wines, 168 South Pine Street | Carlton, OR 97111
Ken Wright Cellars
Founded in 1994, the Ken Wright Cellars strives to showcase “the inherent quality” of carefully selected vineyards, believing that Pinot Noirs best express the vineyards’ character.The winery produces single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from over a dozen vineyard sites throughout the northern Willamette Valley. The tasting room of Ken Wright Cellars is situated in downtown Carlton, Oregon, housed within a renovated train depot from the 1920’s. Visitors can taste Pinot Noirs produced by the winery, providing an in-depth geological Willamette Valley tour. Knowledgeable staff also share stories of Ken Wright’s more than thirty years of wine growing experience.
Address: Ken Wright Cellars, 120 North S Pine St, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-7070
Laurel Ridge
Laurel Ridge started out as a simple 240-acre farm just outside of Carlton bought by David Teppola in 1974, back before the Willamette Valley and the state of Oregon became a booming modern wine region. Teppola bought the farm as a future site for his vineyard due to its ideal southern exposure. Today, wine enthusiasts can visit Laurel Ridge to experience the wines produced by the estate vineyard. Tasting flights rotate on a monthly basis, featuring a diverse wine selection that ranges from Pinot Noir to balanced white wines to bold red blends.
Address: Laurel Ridge , 13301 NE Kuehne Rd, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-7050
Cana's Feast Winery
Framed by a picturesque backdrop of deep colored skies and the coastal mountains, the Cana's Feast Winery is a Tuscan villa-inspired winery surrounded by elegant Olive trees, Italian Stone Pine, and Mediterranean Cypress. In addition to producing quality wine, Cana’s Feast also aims to cultivate great conversations, lasting relationships, and intentional community. Visitors can stop by the winery to experience a wine tasting led by a knowledgeable staff, sip wine, take in the peaceful pastoral views, relax on the outdoor piazza, and maybe even place a game of Bocce.
Address: Cana's Feast Winery, 750 W Lincoln St, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-0002
Anne Amie Vineyards
The Anne Amie Vineyards is a place where Pinot reigns supreme. Whether it is a Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, or Pinot Gris, Pinot forms the heart of the winery’s production. In addition to the Pinot, Anne Amie Vineyards also includes Old-Vine Estate Müller-Thurgau, which was planted back in 1979. Set within the Yamhill-Carlton District’s rolling hills and the hillsides of the scenic Chehalem Mountains, the vineyard offers some truly picturesque views of the surrounding natural beauty. The tasting room also offers gorgeous views of the Pacific Coast Range and the vineyards.
Address: Anne Amie Vineyards, 6580 NE Mineral Springs Rd, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-864-2991
Lemelson Vineyards
Starting as a dream of a winery celebrating winemaking traditions, sustainable agriculture, and technological innovation, the Lemelson Vineyards utilizes gravity flow productions and organic methods of farming to craft estate-grown Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir from some of the Willamette Valley’s finest vineyards. During wine tastings at Lemelson, visitors can sample quality wines and learn more about the winery’s approach to making wine, as well as the over twenty-year history of the vineyards. Along with the tastings, guests can also take a behind-the-scenes tour to get an in-depth look into the innovative winery and its gravity flow design.
Address: Lemelson Vineyards, 12020 NE Stag Hollow Rd, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-6619
Chris James Cellars
The family-owned and operated Chris James Cellars is a winery and vineyards that crafts interesting and unique Oregon wines. Since its first wine production in 2015, the winery has grown to now offer a broad assortment of sparkling wines, red wines, and white wines. The approach the Chris James Cellars takes to white wines is preserving and emphasizing the varietal acidity, flavor, and aromatics. For red wines, it’s developing their intense flavors through winemaking fermentation techniques after harvest decisions, focusing on silky texture and mouthfeel during maturation. The tasting room is open to guests March to November on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Address: Chris James Cellars , 12000 NW Old Wagon Rd, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-1135
Pike Road Wines
Located on the Willamette Valley's western edge, Pike Road winds its way through a series of lowland farms. Set above the meandering rural road, Pike Road Wines grow its grapes in vineyards overlooking the beautiful valley of dairy farms and hazelnut orchards, believing the land along Pike Road is the perfect place for growing Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir in the New World. The tasting room for the vineyard, however, is set inside of Carlton’s historic State and Savings Bank building on Main Street.
Address: Pike Road Wines, 701 NE 3rd St, McMinnville, OR 97128, Phone: 503-852-3185
Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey
Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey in the wine country town of Carlton, Oregon is a Trappist monastery. The abbey is set on approximately 1,300 acres of forest in western Willamette Valley’s low hills and acts as a spiritual sanctuary for all people. The forest surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe adds to its spiritual setting, serving as a buffer and allowing for a cloistered retreat. The abbey operates a non-denominational retreat facility open to both women and men with small cottages for people to stay in, as well as a meditation hall and a library.
Address: Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey, 9200 NE Abbey Rd, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-0107
Craft Wine Co
Craft Wine Co was established in Carlton, Oregon as a way to bring each of the company’s three brands under both a physically and metaphorically single roof. The winery started productions at its Carlton facility in 2014 and prides itself on crafting authentic Oregon wines with a true “sense of place.” Craft Wine’s practice of winemaking across all of its brands is minimalist and intentional with an emphasis on producing small batches with little intervention. The tasting room is housed within the working winery.
Address: Craft Wine Co, 116 W Main St, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-3033
Ghost Hill Cellars
Ghost Hill Cellars is a boutique winery owned and operated by the Bower and Bayliss families that was founded to craft some of the scenic Willamette Valley’s finest Pinot Noir. The excellent Pinot Noirs, history of family farming, and the “legend of the ghost” all make visiting Ghost Hill Cellars a unique experience for visitors. Guests can visit the tasting room, which was hand-built by Mike and Michael Bayliss to look like a prospector’s shack, to sample the special wines, possibly meet the owners, and enjoy a family farm experience.
Address: Ghost Hill Cellars, 12220 NE Bayliss Rd, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-7347
Soter Vineyards
Located on the 240-acre grounds of the Mineral Springs Ranch, the Soter Vineyards makes up approximately thirty acres of Pinot Noir and two acres of Chardonnay in the heart of Oregon Wine Country. The winery produces regional blends of North Valley wines, Blanc de Blancs, Brut Rosé, an Estate Pinot Noir, and the sustainably grown Planet Oregon Pinot Noir and Planet Oregon Chardonnay. Visitors can stop in the Tasting Room for a Classic Tasting, which includes a sample of five current releases in a semi-private, seated format. Soter Vineyards is open to the public seven days a week by appointment.
Address: Soter Vineyards, 10880 NE Mineral Springs Rd, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-662-5600
Tendril Wine Cellars
AtTendril Wine Cellars, it’s all about “slow wines”. This means that because the winery’s desire is to produce the best quality wine possible, every step takes a bit more time. From cultivating the best grapes to practicing adaptive winemaking, and even employing separate fermentation processes and longer aging, you can be sure that only the best goes into every bottle at Tendril Wine Cellars. Drop by the cellar’s tasting room to sample the diverse range of wines that the Tendril has to offer, and enjoy the stunning countryside of the pacific Northwest, and the Willamette Valley in particular, while savoring every sip.
Address: Tendril Wine Cellars, 130 W. Monroe Street, Carlton, Oregon 97111, Phone: 503-858-4524
Monks Gate Winery
The Monks Gate Winery and Vineyard is set on fifty acres just outside of the town of Carlton, right in the heart of the Willamette Valley Wine Country. Visitors can experience a wine flight consisting of Estate current releases while taking in the view of the historic barn. Guests can also find beautiful views of the coastal mountains from the winery’s comfortable adirondack chairs outdoor on the spacious lawn.
Address: Monks Gate Winery, 9500 NE Oak Springs Farm Rd, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-6521
The Horse Radish, Carlton
The Horse Radish, Carlton provides an ultimate dining experience in the heart of the Oregon Wine Country for both local residents and tourists alike. With a great lunch menu and amazing artisan meats and cheese, there are plenty of seasonal and delicious offerings that customers can either enjoy at the restaurant or take to go for a perfect picnic. The Horse Radish offers more than fifty Northwest wines that have been carefully selected by hand, with around a dozen available every day for tasting, with selections changing every Friday.
Address: The Horse Radish, 119 W Main St, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-6656
Carlton Bakery
The Carlton Bakery specializes in baking European-style fresh pastries and breads within the heart of Carlton’s downtown district. Guests can dine on the delicious baked products on the lovely outdoor patio Tuesday to Sunday from 7:00am until 5:00pm. In addition to European breads and pastries, the Carlton Bakery also serves Stumptown coffee, salami, local cheeses, French macarons, shortbread, soups, and quiche. Through using traditional methods, the breads and croissant-based pastries take days to make. This ensures that all of the products made by the bakery have unique and great flavor, consistency, and quality that customers are sure to enjoy.
Address: Carlton Bakery, 245 W Main St, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 503-852-6687
Stone Griffon Vineyard
The Stone Griffon Vineyard is a result of the vision and passion of Terry McIntyre, the vineyard manager and winemake. Known for crafting bold and distinctive wines, the small family-owned and operated winery produces around a dozen different varietals and vintages. The goal of the Stone Griffon Vineyard is to provide a friendly and relaxed atmosphere where everyone can feel comfortable asking any questions they may have about winemaking or wine during their wine tasting.
Address: Stone Griffon Vineyard305 W Main St, Carlton, OR 97111, Phone: 971-237-1045
La Rambla Restaurant and Bar
There is no shortage of fantastic restaurants to visit in the breathtaking wine country of Oregon. One such establishment is La Rambla Restaurant and Bar, a culinary staple that focuses on merging delicious Spanish cuisine with the unique freshness that Northwest cooking is known for. The menu at La Ramble Restaurant and Bar is award-winning and has received praise from many publications including Wien Spectator and Oregon Wine. First-time visitors to the restaurant should definitely try the House Special Paella which is cooked to perfection slowly. On the restaurant building’s second level, there’s also a private loft that can be booked by guests who want modern accommodations in a great location for their wine country exploration.
Address: La Rambla Restaurant and Bar, 238 NE 3rd Street, McMinnville, Oregon 97128, Phone: 503-435-2126
