You know that age old saying, “In the right place at the right time?” Sometimes you “stumble upon a business while out adventuring and you just know it is a jackpot for the day. That has happened to us before, but we truly experienced this when we took a day off and went wine tasting in Dundee, OR at Dobbes Family Estate. This winery truly “blew our socks off.”
Location
The Dobbes Family Estate Wines Tasting Room is on the south side of Hwy 99 as you head into Dundee from Portland. It is unassuming in that it has a country barn, eclectic appearance. Yet, it catches your eye, as it has the appeal of a roadside stand with fresh produce.
(It looks much better than a roadside stand, though!) As we were jokingly told at the wine tasting room, Dobbes is “on the wrong side of the tracks”, since most of the other wine tasting rooms are on the north side of Hwy 99. Either side of the tracks aside, it stands out as unique and unparalleled among the other tasting rooms in the area.
Ambiance
When you arrive at the wine tasting room you park in front of the winery barn where there are large, steel vats. It is a working winery on premises.
As you follow the sign to the wine tasting room, you cross a wooden bridge and are greeted by greenery, flowers, and a little creek.
This walkway takes you to the entrance of the wine tasting room.
Wine this way!
Wine Tasting
When you first enter the wine tasting room you are greeted by the staff at the guest counter.
You can either stand at the counter, or you can choose to sit in the comfy chairs, at one of the tall tables, or out on the patio.
The Dobbes Family Estate has two wine tasting flight menus, Classic and Reserve.
We chose to try the Classic Tasting Flight.
Toni Harris, the company’s Tasting Room Lead, was a wealth of information about the wines and Oregon Wine Country.
You can tell she loves wine and certainly understands, and has a abundance of knowledge on various tasting notes and scents with each wine you try.
Toni helped us detect subtle notes of strawberry and cherry in the various wines we tried. We also tasted what she calls the amazing Pinot Noir that is priced under $35, so it is a fabulous Friday night wine but you won’t feel guilty drinking it on a Tuesday.
We learned that Dundee is the epicenter for Oregon wines and that a portion of the profits from the varying levels of wine produced by the Dobbes family go to support Homeward Bound, suicide prevention and other charities chosen by the Dobbes Winery team. The Dobbes Family truly believes in giving and gifting.
The winery has a variety of ways to try, purchase, and learn about wines made by their estate. The Wine Club lets you up to receive wine releases throughout the year, and Toni offers wine classes called World of Wine where she takes you through an “intimate tour of the Dobbes Family Estate wines.” The World of Wine in October will be showcasing wines that will compliment Thanksgiving meal entrees and other dishes. The estate also offers other events throughout the year.
Thoughts
Having found the Dobbes Family Estate wine tasting room by accident, it turned out to be a very happy accident. Both the winery and the wine tasting room have a quaint charm, from the country barn where they have the steel vats, to the landscaping around the tasting room, to the ambiance inside the tasting room. You will feel welcomed upon entering and will receive an educated, and passionate, explanation of each wine you try, whether they are the classic wines or the reserve wines. Toni, and the other Tasting Room Team Members, are full of wine facts and are a delight to listen to with all the stories and facts they share.
Something we didn’t do, but that is available, is purchase a glass or two of wine and one of their cheese and charcuterie platters to enjoy out on the patio. If you participate in their Loyalty Rewards Program, these items and others are in the rewards selection.
According to their website, they have “Chardonnay, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Port” in their tasting flights, “so there’s sure to be something to please every palate.”
You can find more information about the Dobbes Family Estate Winery and Wine Tasting Room here:
Website: https://www.dobbesfamilyestate.com/
Contact: TASTING ROOM 503-538-1141 x 118 concierge@dobbesfamilyestate.com
Flights: Classic Tasting Flight is $15 and our Reserve Tasting Flight is $25, both are complimentary for Club Members.
Reservations required for groups of 8 or more.
Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday: last flight begins at 5:45 PM. Friday-Sunday: last flight begins at 4:45 PM; glass and bottle sales for onsite consumption offered only after 5:00 PM.
About: https://www.dobbesfamilyestate.com/our-team/
Order Wine: https://shop.dobbesfamilyestate.com/Buy-Wine/All-Wines
Wine Club: https://www.dobbesfamilyestate.com/wine-club/
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