A luxury road trip through Oregon’s wine valleys and wild coast

Between vineyards, heritage towns and a rugged Pacific coastline, Oregon reveals charming townships, celebrated wineries and unforgettable luxury stays

Sandwiched between California and British Columbia, Oregon is one of North America’s most quietly compelling states – often overlooked, yet rich in character. Its charm lies in dramatic landscapes, from wave-lashed coastline to dense forests, and in a culture that celebrates wine, food and hospitality. For travellers drawn to the open road, the state offers boutique lodges, world-class vineyards and a distinctly Pacific Northwest take on luxury.

The Allison Inn: Luxury spa hotel amid vineyards

Forty minutes after leaving the city of Portland, grey quickly turns to green as I snake up beside The Alison Inn’s long manicured lawns and terraced vineyards just outside Newberg in the Willamette Valley. As the smiling valet greets me between grand stone pillars and gurgling water features, traffic lights and busy intersections are already a distant memory.

The grandiose entrance to the Allison Inn depicts a convincing high-end lodge persona, which extends inwards, where flowing timber hues emit warmth. It’s early evening on a weekday, but already an oversized lounge and highchair-lined bar are awash with cheers and chatter. Just as a nearby grand piano comes to life, I settle in for a glass of wine, enquiring which local winery it comes from. “This pinot noir comes from our vines, which you would have seen on your drive in,” the bartender says with a grin.

For wine lovers, pinot noir is known worldwide as challenging to cultivate and even harder to master. Few regions succeed quite like the Willamette Valley, where the range of styles is well worth exploring.

At the property’s signature restaurant, Jory – named after a particular soil type found in the region – I take in a considered four-course evening meal matched with wines ranging from local chardonnay to assyrtiko from Greece and Spanish cabernet sauvignon. If the blood orange foam with my scallop crudo isn’t a sensation, then the wagyu New York striploin with garden cauliflower gratin certainly is. The service is seamless, and the audible gasps from neighbouring tables throughout the evening suggest I am not the only one impressed.

Road trip delight through the Rogue Valley

The verdant forests and ridgelines of the north give way to open valleys and a warmer and drier climate as I head south down Interstate 5 (I-5). Sandwiched between the Cascade and Coastal ranges, this flat and fertile growing region provides optimal conditions for viticulture.

A 3,000-metre-high ghostly outline of Mount McLoughlin glimmers brilliantly white, vying for my attention on the deck of Kriselle Cellars outside White City. Being a warmer region, I try a host of varieties, such as crisp albariño and textural sangiovese. My pick is their zesty sauvignon blanc paired with prosciutto-wrapped feta-stuffed dates, all enjoyed by a fire pit with rolling hills in every direction.

Heritage shopfronts, tree-lined boulevards and beautifully kept housefronts all contribute to its charm. On an unassuming corner, a hidden-in-plain-sight eatery delivers what may be the region’s – if not the state’s – finest paddock-to-plate experience. At Cowhorn Kitchen, the evening’s specials are explained with detailed gusto before a biodynamic grenache from their own winery arrives at the table. Uber-fresh and hyper-local produce follows across a three-course meal, each dish utterly delicious. It is the kind of classy, unfussy restaurant one comes across only a few times in life.

Jacksonville is somewhere worth visiting on any journey through southern Oregon. Whether a brief detour or a longer stay, it deserves a firm place on the itinerary.

Good to know

Fly fishing tutoring combined with brilliant spa treatments and superb destination dining is an equation too tempting to ignore. Late June–December is peak season for fishing in Southern Oregon.

Nearby Jacksonville is the poster child of pastoral country town America; a place you drive into and soon find yourself looking at real estate.

Riverside luxury at Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge

Heading north on Route 101 along Oregon’s southern coastline, I anticipate scenery draped in drama. Every wide-open beach and tucked-away cove somehow breaks free from the chokehold of monumental fir, cedar and pine trees. Each headland and roadside lookout is more enticing than the last. At Gold Beach, I turn off inland and follow the twisting Rogue River as it shimmers in the late afternoon blaze.

Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge is lavish and inviting, but subtly implores something in return: to slow down and pay reverence to its seclusion. Sitting outside their grand main lodge building, an aged bourbon in hand, and the smell of a log fire mixed with dense, cool forest air, the whole scenario becomes an elixir for the soul. Birds dart across a pastel sky. And as if someone has read my mind, an oversized blanket appears while a wine list finds its way into my hands. In this place, beside this river, the whole world could be about to end – but first, another drink before dinner.

My thoughts return to last night’s meal between big breaths and beading sweat the following morning in the riverside sauna. Steaming hot celeriac and pear soup with salty, sharp gorgonzola crumble is an appetiser I won’t forget in a hurry. Neither is the icy pull of the Rogue River enveloping my body as I plunge in afterwards. The trampled path to the water’s edge shows I am not the first — and won’t be the last.

Journey Notes

Best time to go

Being in the Pacific Northwest, the weather can be predominantly wet. Late spring through to Autumn (May – October) will provide travellers with the best chance of dry and fine weather.

Depending on the location, wine regions typically commence harvest in late September and continue through to October. Most wineries will be a hive of activity, with events and exciting happenings.

How long to stay

With an area slightly larger than New South Wales, Oregon is a state that requires time and effort to explore. Allow for at least a week to head south before returning north along the Pacific coastline.

Getting there

Multiple airlines offer one-stop services to Portland from Melbourne and Brisbane through hubs such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. However, Hawaiian Airlines’ Sydney service comes with the bonus of a layover in Honolulu.