Happy New Year!

January 2024

Happy New Year to you all, we hope your year is off to a great start! Thank you to those who helped us ring in the new year with our murder mystery 1920’s theme event on NYE! That East Coast ball drop was fun. 🎉

We have featured wine, events (two club shares!), and other details to share with you for the upcoming months.

We hope to see you at the McMinnville Tasting Room this month! Please take note of the current tasting room hours:

McMinnville: DAILY
- Monday – Thursday: 12–6 PM
- Friday 12–8 PM
- Saturday 12–8 PM
- Sunday 12–6 PM
Estate: By Appointment only until March 1st
- After March 1 Friday-Sunday 12-5pm

Cheers 🍷

BROWSE WINES ONLINE

MAKE RESERVATIONS

Featured Events

McMinnville Club Share + Carlton Club Share

Jan 1 – Feb 29 | Club Members Only

Join us during January and February as we share member privileges at various McMinnville and Carlton wineries! Enjoy discounted tastings, wine purchases, earn stamps, receive prizes, enjoy more wine! Choose your region by clicking below to learn the full details.

Not a member yet? No problem! It is easy to join online and begin enjoying our wines and events. Click below to inquire.

SAVE THE DATE: MARCH 16TH, Click pickup party!

MCMINNVILLE SHARE DETAILS

CARLTON SHARE DETAILS

JOIN NOW!

After Hours: GSM | Guided Group Tasting

Wednesday, February 28th | 6:30 pm

We’re back for another ‘Afterhours’ event at our McMinnville location! The theme for this event: GSM, and its 3 varietal counterparts that make up GSM:

2020 Grenache
2020 Syrah
2020 Mourvèdre

After Hours is a guided tasting in a group setting with a different theme for each event, led by Kris, our in-house Sommelier and Tasting Room manager. She will walk you through each component of GSM: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre’s tasting notes, their origin, Chris’s winemaking style, etc.

Accompanying the wines will be hearty appetizer bites prepared by our neighbor 1882 Grille.

LEARN MORE

Valentines Day Chocolate and Wine Experience

Wednesday, February 14th | 6:30 pm

We’ll be having a special Valentines Day Chocolate and Wine Pairing Experience, featuring Vadnay Chocolates.

Chocolate and Wine Pairings:

White chocolate and pineapple bark with the 2022 Orange Muscat
Cinderella Chocolate with the 2022 Sparkling Rose
Popcorn with the 2022 Pinot Noir Blanc
Caramel with the 2020 Pinot Noir
Orange Chocolate with the 2021 Miscela Reserva

The price includes 5 generous samples of Vadnay gourmet chocolates perfectly paired with a special flight of our wines. Learn more details and register below!

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Painting with a Twist – Lovely Night

Friday, February 16th | 6:30 pm

Create the perfect Valentines Day painting with us at our McMinnville Tasting Room in the heart of McMinnville on 3rd Street for a wine tasting & painting party!

Receive step-by-step instruction on how to turn a blank canvas into a memorable work of art. No experience needed! Ticket price includes a wine flight or glass of the winery’s daily selection and all painting materials. Additional wine will be available for purchase during the event.

Mix and mingle time from 6:30-7:00 pm. Painting begins promptly at 7:00 pm and goes until 9:00 pm.

18 and up only.

LEARN MORE

Charitable Giving Wine

Thank you to everyone who has helped us support our local charities through wine buying along the way this past year!

Each month Chris James Cellars chooses a non-profit organization to support by spreading awareness all month long. In 2024, we will be donating 10% of Bottle Sales & $1 from each glass pour of our featured wine.

January Charity: Autism Society of Oregon

ASO will be Oregon’s leading organization providing resources, education, advocacye and support for Autistic individuals and their families, friends, and supporters.

Featured Wine: 2020 Carménère

Profile notes: Floral-herbal aromas of green peppercorn, new leather and white pepper that wrap around notes of mesquite, jammy black fruit.
Available: At both tasting rooms and online
Cost: $42/ per bottle

Wine buying through us will contribute donations to support services, education programs, and research initiatives that give hope to those affected by Autism.

How you can help:

Visit the Tasting Rooms or purchase online all month long
Purchase Bottles: 10% of the 2020 Carménère will be donated
Glass Pours: $1 per glass pour will be donated
Taste the Carménère before you buy on our wine flight all month long!
Share our social media . HERE

* This wine will be on our weekly wine flights at the tasting rooms all month long, stop in to try before you buy!

LEARN MORE / PURCHASE

Wine Bingo

January 1st – March 31st| 2024

We know you love our wine and now is your chance to show it!

From the beginning of January till the end of March every wine you try gets you closer to winning! For our Wine Bingo game you will receive a Bingo card with different wines on it. Each wine you try that’s on the card, be it on the flight or by the glass, gets stamped. Come each week for the new flight and fill up your card!

5 stamps in a row gets you a Bingo and entered to win in a drawing for prizes. Cover the entire card with stamps and you get 15 entries to win!!
Wine tasting bingo ends 3/31/24. Return Bingo cards by 4/15.

MAKE RESERVATIONS

Weekly Events

WINE WEDNESDAY: Join us every Wednesday for a midweek treat at our McMinnville location! Enjoy a new wine flight as our menu switches over on Wednesdays, as well as drink specials (see below).
B.Y.O.G (Bring your own games): Every Friday! Round up your friends, or just stop by to enjoy the environment. Every Friday at our McMinnville location, from 5 – 8 pm we offer our space for an evening of games, wine, and light fare!

No reservation needed, our tables will be first come first served

Drink specials: $3 off Glass Pours, and 15% off bottles

RESERVE A TABLE

Rhine Castles & Swiss Alps

July 14-21, 2025 | 7-night river cruise | AmaSerena

Join us as we once again set sail with AmaWaterways. In July 2025 Chris will be wine host for the “Rhine Castles & Swiss Alps” cruise! The cruise includes 7 nights on the river with an optional 2-night stay in Amsterdam beforehand, and optional 3-night stay in Lake Como, Italy afterward.

Please reach out to Nicole Zima (nicole@sailawaygrouptravel.com) for more information or to book your room.

CITIES & SIGHTS

Amsterdam -> Cologne -> Rhine Gorge -> Rüdesheim -> Ludwigshafen -> Heidelberg -> Speyer -> Strasbourg -> Lucerne -> Basel

YOUR JOURNEY ALONG THE RHINE RIVER

Discover fairytale castles and historic vineyards as part of this Rhine River cruise showcasing the wines of the Rheingau and beyond. Start by exploring the canal-laden city of Amsterdam. Then it’s off to Germany, where you’ll discover the grand city of Cologne and the winemaking hamlet of Rüdesheim. Enjoy cruising through the UNESCO designated Rhine Gorge, where 40 castles are strung like pearls along the river banks. Cross the border into France’s Alsace region in enchanting Strasbourg and take in spectacular panoramas of the Swiss Alps. This itinerary is truly a dream come true.