Ok, I know what you're thinking. Wine tasting and kids don't mix. But I promise, we take ours with us and actually have a blast! We are so incredibly lucky to live less than an hour from hundreds of amazing wineries. There are so many great areas in Oregon that have tons of wineries in close proximity. A few favorites are McMinville, Hood River, and Wilamette Valley. I am going to talk about Dundee, Oregon in this post. This particular city is about a 50 minute drive for us.
how incredibly ridiculous is this candy buffet?!
We recently took a trip over to Dundee (the weekend before Valentine's Day) and there were so many fun events scheduled at different wineries. Us and two other couples went together with all our crazy kids. We are members at Argyle winery and our friends are members at Stoller winery, so we decided to hit up these two wineries (because we've been lots of times and know they are kid friendly!). Stoller had their rosé release so they had a huge candy bar set up. Their rosé is one of my all time favorites! Argyle was offering their special rosé bubble tasting to club members and their guests. I love being members and being able to go to some fun events there. When you are a member, you receive complimentary wine tastings (that are normally around $15-$20) as well as your guests. It's free to join too and you get wine shipments 4 times a year plus exclusive invites to their events. It's really a win-win in my book.
the kids may have gone a little overboard on the candy
Lauren, myself and Janet
There are a ton of amazing restaurants in all the wine areas in Oregon, but we have been so many times and the waits can be horrendous. We typically pack a picnic each time we head to the wineries so we don't need to worry about planning for time to eat. You'll also want to factor in timing at each winery. The sweet spot for us (and before the kids fly off the rails) is two wineries. We have tried for three and it's just too much. You'll want at least and hour and a half at each winery to be able to taste, enjoy yourselves and not feel rushed. Even when we wine taste without kids or for a girls day, the most we seem to be able to fit in is three (maybe four). You'll want to bring some activities to keep the kids busy, but the wineries we frequent offer a few activities and wide open spaces for the kids to run free. We were so lucky that Toyota let us borrow one of their brand new Highlander Hybrids for our trip. Ryan was our designated driver (sorry honey!). We actually borrowed it for the whole week and I was so sad to give it back. It is such a great mid size SUV and really roomy.
our Toyota Highlander for the week
our cheese boards for snacking in between tastes
don't forget to pack some kid friendly lunches/snacks!
our friend Lauren brought some kid activity packs to keep them busy
As I said above, Argyle and Stoller are our favorite kid friendly wineries. Another one that I love in the same vicinity is Anne Amie. They have a huge picnic area and a ton of space to run around. Plus, their Pinot Gris is one of my all time favorites.
Argyle has bocce ball
Stoller as a super fun tire swing. We send the kids with the Dad's so the girls can relax and wine taste.
it was a gorgeous day in the Dundee Hills!
in the summer, Stoller sets up Adirondack chairs outside
the patio at Anne Amie (photo from their website)
Anne Amie hosts a bubbles fest event each year around Valentine's Day
Let me know if you ever plan a trip to Oregon for fun or to go wine tasting. I'd love to help! Let me know if you have questions, and thank you as always for reading!
This is seriously enough to make me want to move to Portland!!
I love taking my girls with us wine tasting especially when the weather is nice. I'm going to have to check these wineries out next time I'm in Portland! My sister lives there 🙂
We TOTALLLY need kid friendly wineries here in SC!!! so fun!! love these pics!
That's it, I'm moving!! What wonderful wineries to consider wine-loving parents and welcome their littles! I'm also loving that blue Toyota Highlander!!
Ummmm I totally want to move to Oregon now! This looked like a total blast, saving this post incase we visit