About five miles south of Corvallis, Oregon on a stretch of country road aptly named Greenberry, we happened on serendipity. No, that’s not the name of some quaint out-of-the-way hamlet, but the unexpected warm fuzzy feeling that rolled over Lisa and I upon discovering Tyee Wine Cellars. On the tail end of a day consumed by yard work and a rather forgetable visit to downtown wine cellar, Tyee was a welcome surprise.

After narrowly averting a swooping hawk at the vineyard’s nearly hidden entrance (blink and you’ll miss it), we we crossed a meandering creek via a worn plank bridge and entered the 122-year-old Buchanan Farm property. Nested atop a grassy knoll, an old dairy cottage beckoned. We had a strong suspcion that the milk had long ago been replaced by something a bit more voluptuous.

Our suspicions were confirmed as we wandered into the tasting room and were greeted by twenty-something host Brian (no folks, I don’t consider him voluptuous, though the ladies might… be patient), a culinary student/winemaker who works at the vineyard part time. He’s a friendly sort of guy with a sparky black pup as a sidekick [him/her (didn’t care to check the gender) neither]. Brian juggles serving us wine and firing off answers to our endless list of questions. 

Among other things, we learn that David Buchanan planted the farm’s first small plot of Pinot Noir grapes back in 1974. From those humble beginnings, the Buchanans have carefully cultivated their Beaver Creek Vineyard and grown Tyee into a very nice micro-winery, producing a grand total of about 2500 cases per year.

Lined up neatly on the tasting room counter were several curvey, vuluptuous (as promised) bottles of red and white wine from a few of those cases: Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and a Gewürztraminer. All were refreshing on the warm June afternoon, but none more than the cool crisp Pinot Blanc, which demanded a second try. Surprisingly for me, the fruity but not overly sweet glass of Gewürztraminer also stood tall in my little taste test. Reinforcing my opinion, judges’ medals hung from the necks of all four bottles on the counter.

As good as Tyee’s wines drink, the laid-back relaxing atmosphere makes it worth the trip as well. If you are the type who enjoys a Sunday drive in the country, then it certainly warrants a look. For those wanting more than a few sips to round out the journey, Tyee even offers A Summer Night to Remember, an artist’s and winemaker’s dinner (Saturday, July 14) in addition to other special events. To investigate for yourself, visit www.tyeewine.com. While online, be sure to confirm the event and tasting room schedules, since they change with the seasons. Happy travels.

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