Willamette Valley Vineyards — Restaurant in Salem

11/21: I visited this restaurant 35 minutes before closing, fully prepared to order quickly and leave without causing any inconvenience. However, from the moment we walked in, it was clear the staff wasn’t happy to see us. We were met with displeased looks and were told that the kitchen had already cleaned up for the day (at 5:25 PM), implying that preparing food would be an inconvenience. The comment about needing to ask the kitchen to ‘reopen’ was enough to make us decide to leave, as we didn’t feel comfortable staying under those circumstances and getting our food spit in.

While I understand staff might look forward to wrapping up their day, it’s disappointing to be made to feel unwelcome during posted business hours. The restaurant was nearly empty, so the staff seemed to be enjoying downtime instead of serving customers. This experience left a bad impression, and I hesitate to return after these experiences.

UPDATED REVIEW: An overpriced Applebees.

As a loyal patron and investor owner of Willamette Valley Vineyards for years, I have always appreciated the quality of the wines and the warm atmosphere. However, I have noticed a decline in service, food quality, and overall experience over the last few years that I feel needs to be addressed.

The upstairs area, which used to be a full-service delight, now requires patrons to place orders downstairs and carry their wine upstairs themselves, only to wait for the food to be brought up. This new setup is quite inconvenient, especially given the lack of serving staff upstairs to take orders and tend to guest needs. Moreover, the upstairs area is uncomfortably hot, making it difficult to enjoy the experience, and it is disheartening to see that no improvements have been made in this regard.

One of the most concerning changes is the significant increase in prices. The charcuterie board with meat is now a staggering $46, which seems excessive. The food quality has also worsened and been their latest consistency; all four of our medium burgers were overcooked and served well done, and the macaroni and cheese was completely flavorless, tasting like wet milky noodles with no cheese flavor at all. Additionally, they used to offer multiple wine tastings, but now it's just one selection, which limits the experience for wine enthusiasts. Guests only have five glasses of wine to choose from, which is from the tastings option. How absurdly cheap and boring.

Furthermore, on my last three visits, they were out of my first dining choices, the most recent being pizza. This consistency in running out of popular items is disappointing. When ordering downstairs, there was no offer of a carafe for our tasting. Expecting my elderly guests to walk downstairs for each tasting was unreasonable. When I requested a carafe, the staff initially claimed they didn't have any, but after some insistence, they managed to find one. This lack of proactiveness is concerning.

The service staff often appears frantic and understaffed, affecting the quality of service. Additionally, the presence of flies everywhere is a significant issue that detracts from the dining experience.

I hope that my feedback can help improve the service, food quality, and overall experience at Willamette Valley Vineyards. I remain a dedicated supporter and look forward to seeing these issues addressed.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: You can get many of their same exact bottles for significantly cheaper at Winco, Costco, and Safeway. It's absurd that even the discounted "Owner's price" is still staggeringly more than just going to your local grocer. Also, in the last 6+ months I've visited, they only offer one complimentary flight to choose from for Members and Owners (you used to be able to choose from two). Huge...

UPDATE - 5/20/24 Once again my fave place in Salem to take guests..a friend and I went up for lunch on Monday. A warm and smiling welcome at reception - Allison H. greeted us and explained how it worked if we want to dine outside. For once OR weather was cooperating - blue skies and sunshine! Allison checked with us a couple of times to make sure we were doing good. We didn't mind ordering our food and wine at the tasting bar or treking outside with our glasses and wine - they very kindly deliver the food to your table. Melia, who took our order was very personable and efficient. The service is just fabulous and we had some yummy munchies like the whipped feta with pistachio and pita triangles, a melange of olives and the bread and house made cultured butter ..paired with the elegant silky Griffin Creek Cab..lets just say our entire experience at WVV was spectacular. Full Disclosure - Hubby is in the trade and we are owners - Paul Smith set up our reservation and made sure we were happy campers when we left on Cloud Nine...ahhh what a day! Get there while the weather holds out!

UPDATE 04/27/2024 Visited WVV with a friend visiting from NE OR. She comes once a year and we make our annual visit to WVV while she is here. Hubby and I are Owners, and hubby set up a tasting for us.

What could be more fabulous whiling way a dreary afternoon gazing out over the vineyard from the dining room being served by a charming and engaging young lady. Lynsie poured and brought a decadent amuse bouche of chocolate mousse and edible flowers, and we also indulged in an order to share of the garlic and herb fries. Lynsie was knowledgeable and attentive throughout our visit and we left feeling pampered and pleasantly sated.

After three years it’s official! It is now a tradition for our group of ladies (all co-workers) to costume-up and head for WVV for the tour and tasting on whichever Saturday is closest to Halloween – three years!

The weather cleared beautifully after raining for two weeks – blue skies, dazzling sunshine and the “sort-of-warm” day that is typical of Oregon Fall…

Full Disclosure: Hubby is in the retail end of adult beverages and his rep, Jose, very kindly arranged a tour and tasting for us. Jose generously gave up a part of his day off to provide a fabulous day at the vineyard for us girlies.

I am a bubbles gal and to my delight, we began the tour with the truly fine Bernau Estate Brut Rose’ sparkling– it’s just right for a sunny afternoon – sophisticated, effervescent with just enough fruit. Recently, WVV has really delved into the production of some splendid sparkling wines. And, of course, their Pinots are their pièce de résistance.

wines fabulous - what's not to love about WVV?

Lo and Behold! Paul Smith, White Knight and Wine Ambassador Extraordinaire to the rescue. Booking crisis averted!

UPDATE! A friend and I stopped in on a rainy, blustery afternoon on our way out for dinner.  Although the WVV outdoor space is our absolute fave - this was not the day for it.  Instead we sat next to a large window looking out while we were all warm and cozy and the player piano provided moody jazz.  It was so wonderful we decided a bottle of the sparkling Brut was just the thing.  Kammy was johnny-on-the spot, friendly and very attentive, providing a standing champagne bucket to keep the chill just right (I always appreciate the nice touch).  Full disclosure - hubby and I are Owners at WVV and we go often - I love taking my girlie friends there - a go-to for a gal day.  We came away feeling posh and pampered....

Full disclosure: This was private tour and tasting set up by my hubby who is in the trade as birthday celebration for myself and five other ladies.

Having said that, WVV is always an absolute pleasure in terms of the fantastic wines, the professionalism and service-oriented staff...AND - THE VIEW! And that is saying something as hubby has been in the "trade" for almost 30 years, and we have traveled and tasted extensively in all of the best that Napa and Sonoma had to offer.

A wonderful young lady by the name of Tori was our tasting and tour guide. Tori did a bang up job - friendly, chill (did not rush us through the experience) and accommodating in answering our questions. Several of our group had never done a Tour or Tasting, and this was new to them. Tori was generous with her time and the tastings experience.

Hubby and I had been to WVV a few weeks before to participate in a Grape Stomp - which was fabulous messy fun! Sadly, we did not win the prize of a trip to Napa. :(

At the end of our time with Tori, we bought two bottles of wine to share out on that fabulous deck, drool over the spectacular views, take photos and just soak in the atmosphere. It was a cloudy, rather chilly day - but the weather just didn't dampen the mood. It was one of the best girls-day-out Birthday ever!

If you come to Salem or surrounding areas to Taste/Tour - you cannot miss out on WVV - truly a top-shelf experience - for both the wines and the ambiance!

October 31, 2020 Another fantastic visit to WVV

Willamette Valley Vineyard NEVER disappoints! Hubby and I have visited many, many (many (LOL) times, and it is always a real Zen experience. My hubby who is in the trade arranged for a Halloween private tour and tasting for me and several co-workers. So we costumed up! It was a beautiful day and the views from the top were spectacular. Krystal (aka "Arthur" in honor of Halloween) was our Winery Ambassador, who was just delightful! Krystal was great fun, went along our rather raucous high-spirited banter, and set us free in the vineyard to run around like naughty children; and was such a good sport. Krystal also knows her stuff like any good wine geek. The wines are simply fabulous - they have put heart and soul into those grapes! We were treated like royalty, served their delish cheese board (I highly recommend the Chutney), and we sat outside on a small private terrace to bask in the sun, while Krystal took such care to bring more wine and to make sure we were happy....and HAPPY just doesn't do justice. No better way to spend a day than on top of hill overlooking the verdant and lush valley, being poured some of the best juice you can find here, and under the watchful and thoughtful eye of Krystal - what a perfect moment in time.

Kudos to WVV for their expert staff, magnificent venue....and most of...