Why you should visit Applegate wineries
This blog post covers the best wineries located in Oregon State’s Applegate Valley.
We’ll focus on six Applegate wineries that make high quality handcrafted wines.
Many of these wineries are family-owned. Some wineries on this list farm traditionally. Others practice biodynamic farming methods. One winery is over fifty years old! Another is just five years old.
These unique wineries are spread throughout the valley near various small towns. You will definitely need a car in order to explore the Applegate Valley, which is one of the most interesting wine regions in Oregon.
Just to give you a bit of background, I’ll describe where these Applegate wineries are located…
The Applegate Valley is a fifty mile stretch of land in Southern Oregon State near the California border. The Applegate River flows through this dynamic terrain, which boasts fertile soil and a temperate climate.
In the Applegate Valley forested hillsides give way to open fields where meticulous small family farms thrive. You’ll find fields of lavender, rolling vineyards, and herds of cattle. This is easily one of the prettiest parts of Oregon.
The Applegate Valley AVA is a 275,000 acre wine appellation nestled within the Rogue Valley AVA. The Rogue Valley AVA is part of the larger Southern Oregon AVA. The Applegate Valley Vintner’s Association represents the eighteen wineries located within the Applegate Valley AVA. These wineries are known as the Applegate Valley Wine Trail.
All of these Applegate wineries have something to offer. But let’s be honest: you won’t have time to visit all eighteen wineries on the Applegate Wine Trail. Instead, we’ve compiled a list of the six best wineries in the valley.
How to access Applegate, Oregon
Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley is not near any major cities. So you will need a car in order to access the Applegate wineries on this list.
If you already live in Oregon, then great! You can easily drive to Applegate Valley wine country.
But if you live out of state then you’ll need to fly into a nearby city, rent a car, and drive from the airport to the Applegate Valley wineries on this list.
The closest airport with regular commercial flights is Rogue Valley International Airport (MFR) in Medford, Oregon. The distance between the Rogue Valley airport and the town of Applegate, Oregon is about 23 miles. The trip should be a 35 minute drive.
The Eugene Airport (EUG) in Eugene, Oregon is another good option. It’s 168 miles from the Eugene airport to the town of Applegate, Oregon. The drive should take about 3 hours by car.
The Portland International Airport (PDX) is the largest airport in Oregon. Compared to the other two airports, PDX has more flights per day. But it’s also further from the Applegate wineries on this list. The distance between the Portland airport and the town of Applegate, Oregon is 277 miles, or 4.5 hours by car.
The best Applegate wineries for a wine tasting
Dwell Wines (Grants Pass, OR)
Owners Linda and Brent Gee founded Dwell Wines in 2019. Their mission is simple: bring people together over good wine.
They make hand-crafted wines with “as little interference as possible” in order to honor “God’s creation.”
Dwell Wines works with four grapes: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Primitivo. Most of their white wines and red wines are still, but they do make a Blanc de Noir sparkling wine from estate-grown Pinot Noir grapes.
The Dwell Wines tasting room is called The Dwelling. It’s a cozy space situated beside their estate vineyard. You can pull up an Adirondack chair, kick up your feet, and enjoy views of the Siskiyou Mountains.
During the summer The Dwelling hosts live music events and food trucks on Saturdays (May through September). The Dwell Wines tasting room is open everyday from 12-6 PM.
Also, in October 2025 the winery owners Linda and Brent will lead a tour to France. They’ll take the group from Provence to Burgundy via the Rhône River. The trip will combine interesting history, delicious local foods, and a diverse array of wines. How fun!
Red Lily Vineyards (Jacksonville, OR)
Red Lily Vineyards is a winery located in Jacksonville, Oregon in the Applegate Valley AVA.
Owners Les and Rachael Martin named Red Lily Vineyards after their daughter Lily. The name also refers to Bolander’s Lily, a flower that grows in the neighboring Siskiyou Mountains.
The love and care the Martins pour into their land is obvious. Winemaker Rachael Martin believes “We are stewards of this land… responsible for its care and protection” because we are “merely passing through.”
This Red Lily estate is beautiful. Tall trees and a calming creek run through the property. Picnic tables on the creek beach provide space for guests to sip wine and enjoy the creek’s natural beauty.
The winery’s main building is a log cabin complete with large pillars and a grand fireplace made of riverstones. Overall Red Lily Vineyards is a relaxing place to spend the afternoon.
Red Lily Vineyards works with Spanish and Portuguese grape varietals such as Tempranillo, Verdejo, and Touriga Nacional. The “Signature Red Lily Flight” includes five tastes of Spanish-inspired varietals for $10 per person.
The Red Lily Vineyards tasting room is open daily from 11 AM to 5 PM. The winery serves light bites like bruschetta, hummus, soup, and panini. But they also allow you to bring your own picnic lunch.
Plaisance Ranch (Williams, OR)
Plaisance Ranch is located in Williams, Oregon in the Applegate AVA.
This business is both a ranch and a winery.
The winery makes white wines from grapes such as Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Chardonnay. Red wines feature Pinot Noir, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Franc.
Plaisance Ranch serves wine by the glass and flight in their open-air barn. The Tasting Flight costs $18 per person. Wines by the glass are usually $8-9.
The tasting room hours differ by season. During the summer (March through October) the tasting room is open Wednesday through Monday from 12-6 PM. They’re closed Tuesdays. During the winter (November through February) the tasting room is open Friday through Monday from 12-5 PM. They’re closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
The ranch is also home to herds of grass-fed cattle. As they point out, it’s quite unusual to experience wine and steak that were both produced on the same property. If you end up visiting this ranch you should definitely check out their organic grass fed and finished beef.
Valley View Winery (Jacksonville, OR)
Valley View Winery offers exactly that – a great view of the valley.
This lovely winery located in the Rogue Valley AVA of Southern Oregon is among the best Applegate wineries. Valley View has a half century of winemaking under their belt, which makes them among the first wineries in Oregon State.
Valley View Winery focuses on the most famous of Oregon grapes – Pinot Noir – but they also work with Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Viognier.
The winery’s tasting room in Jacksonville, Oregon is open daily from 11 AM to 5 PM. Wines are available by the flight and glass. A wine flight includes 6 tastes for $15 per flight. Wines by the glass are available for $10-12.
Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden (Jacksonville, OR)
Cowhorn Vineyard is one of the few biodynamic wineries in Southern Oregon.
Their 117-acre estate is located near the crystal clear Applegate River just a few miles north of the California border.
At their estate in Jacksonville, Oregon, Cowhorn grows grapes typically associated with Rhône-style wines. Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne make up the bulk of their wines.
When it comes to farming, Cowhorn has incredibly high standards. As a result they only work with their own estate-grown fruit. Their meticulousness and high standards have paid off. Over the years Cowhorn Vineyard has produced dozens of wines with scores of 90 points or higher.
The Cowhorn Vineyard tasting room in Jacksonville is open from 12-5 PM Friday through Sunday. The tasting room serves wine tastings, wines by bottle, and wood fired pizzas.
Troon Vineyard (Grants Pass, OR)
Troon Vineyard is a biodynamic winery in Grants Pass, Oregon.
On their website, Troon calls themselves “Oregon’s only Demeter Biodynamic and Regenerative Organic Certified® winery and farm.”
I want to be very, very clear. The Demeter Association and the Regenerative Organic Alliance are different organizations. I know for a fact that Troon Vineyard is not Oregon’s only Demeter Certified Biodynamic® winery. Perhaps they meant to say they are the only Oregon winery to have received both certifications? Maybe they’re the only Demeter® certified winery in Southern Oregon? Or maybe it’s time to update their website.
Semantics aside, let’s focus on how Troon Vineyard makes wine in a considered way. The winery goes to great lengths to nurture healthy soil. They harvest grapes by hand. They don’t use additives like commercial yeasts.
Troon Vineyard grows a variety of grapes including Syrah, Vermentino, Counoise, Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache, Roussanne, and Mourvèdre.
If you’d like to sample Troon wines you can visit their winery in Grants Pass in the Applegate Valley. Tastings are available in the dining room or on the patio. If you’re looking for something a little more involved like a wine tour there’s a “Farm Tour & Tasting” for $60 per person. There’s also a “Private Tasting with Wine Educator” for $40 per person.
The Troon Vineyard tasting room is open daily from 11 AM to 5 PM. Reservations are encouraged but not required. Here’s the Tock profile for their Applegate Valley winery tasting room if you’d like to make a reservation.
P.S. If you happen to be in the Willamette Valley you can visit the Troon Vineyard wine bar in McMinnville, Oregon.
Other wine regions to explore
We hope you enjoyed this list of our 6 favorite wineries on the Applegate Valley Wine Trail.
If Cowhorn Vineyard and Troon Vineyard sounded interesting to you, then check out our list of the best Hood River wineries for organic and biodynamic wine.
Some of the Southern Oregon wineries on this list remind me of Northern California wineries.
Walnut Creek, California reminds me a lot of Southern Oregon’s wine country. Our list of the best wineries Walnut Creek offers showcases the great wine in this tiny town.
Morgan Hill, California is a small family-oriented town near several big cities including San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento. Our list of the best Morgan Hill wineries highlights the best wines (and the best views!) at these local wineries.
We’ve also compiled a list of the best Auburn wineries in Placer County, California. Auburn is less than an hour by car from downtown Sacramento, so it’s super easy to access.
Speaking of easy access, we can’t forget the wineries in downtown Napa. Our list of downtown Napa wineries covers over two dozen wineries that are within easy walking distance of one another. Walking between downtown wineries is an easy, fun, and safe way to sample Napa wines.
