Cliff Creek Cellars

Done with Pinot Nior tasting? Can’t stand one more? This is your place for delicious BIG reds from S. Oregon. Great wine with lots of body, reasonable pricing per bottle and friendly (not stuffy) people. Like it so much I joined the wine club! Can’t wait to visit to pick up my next club bottles!

This was the last stop on a spontaneous «WTF is in Newberg? OMG lets find out» adventure.
This place wins on a few different levels. First, they have the testicular fortitude to serve southern Oregon reds in the middle of Pinot Noir occupied territory. Second, not only do they serve bold reds, they do them right. Syrah, Claret, Sangio. Etc. Third, Cab-​effing-​Franc. The wine barista was exceptionally friendly. We were also shown the library wines in the vault. I wrote that down as something to pillage whenever the zombie /​rapture /​alien apocalypse occurs.
Back to the Cab Franc, the wife and I decided to pair a bottle (x2) with grilled bacon wrapped filet mignons. The outcome was to be expected. Decadence was achieved.

So happy to have discovered Cliff Creek’s new tasting room in downtown Newberg! Willamette Valley is the home of excellent Pinot Noir and there’s no shortage of wineries/​tasting rooms to visit and find your favorite. Cliff Creek throws a little variety into this mix because their wines are from grapes grown in southern Oregon which are more of the California style grapes like Cab, Syrah, Cab Franc, Merlot and even a great blend/​table wine called Red Red Wine (a great value!). Regan helped us the first time my husband and I stopped in. She was great, so friendly and knowledgeable. Another great thing is that the tasting room stays open until 7:00 pm, has tables you can sit down at, and sells wine by the glass as well as doing tastings so it’s a perfect stop on your way to dinner. I definitely recommend stopping in here when you’re in the area.

I’m a big fan of this place. My favorites are the Syrah and Claret. Their new Sangiovese is quite good as well. I became a club member about a year ago. They have great deals on their Red Red Wines as well. Their new location is delightful in Newberg. The pours could be a little bit more as I’m a member, but other than that I like them.

this is Cliff Creek’s new location.
it’s quite interesting. their wines come from Southern Oregon. and their location is in the center of Pinot Noir territory. however, they do not make pinot noir and focus on other grape varities. several of which i’ve never heard of.
the lady working there (red curly hair) was great and extremely nice. their tasting fee is $ 10 and gets you quite a few tastings (6? 7?). also they hold up their vintages so they release older «aged» vintages from a couple years back.
anyways, for those who want to try some non-​pinot noir wines would enjoy this place.

Yesterday I dropped by the tasting room while walking to the grocery store. I make a point to drop in and say hello to new businesses in my neighborhood. Wine tasting at 2:30pm on a Thursday? Welcome to my happy little life in Oregon wine country.
First off the building is gorgeous, it was initially a bank, most recently it was a law office and people have left their touches over time. I love the décor in here and it is spacious, which is a bonus since many tasting rooms that are in storefronts can be a touch cramped.
I chatted with JoJo– a quick online search states she is the Tasting Room Manager and takes care of wine club members– this does not surprise me… she is awesome! The tasting room was in Carlton for 5 years and just moved to Newberg. She gave me a tour and there are two vaults! So cool! They grow their grapes in Southern Oregon and do not make Pinot, they do however make big tasty reds.
One thing I noticed right away is that they were pouring older vintages, which I appreciate. I enjoyed my tasting and bought a bottle of 2007 Cliff Creek Cabernet Franc. I even pre paid for the admission to the 1^st annual Newberg Seafood & Wine Festival.
I had a chat with my husband about this winery and I am excited to bring him back (probably for first Friday Artwalk tonight).
Do I *really* need another wine club membership? Probably not, however if Matt likes the wine as much as I do– I don’t mind if I do.
Oh one more plus– they are dog friendly, yay! And the sweetest little Wire Hair Terrier Lulu Lemon is the shop dog. She is usually only there on weekdays, she was sooooo sweet and friendly, I love it when businesses have a four legged greeter. They are open 7 days a week.