One of the most beautiful places on the West Coast - perhaps anywhere - to taste wine is Oregon's Willamette Valley.

The region stretches from the Columbia River in the north and follows the Willamette River and its tributaries as far south as Eugene. The major area, if you plan to take a weekend visit to the region, is northern Willamette Valley, which focuses mainly on Yamhill County.

Such towns as Carlton, Dundee, McMinnville, Dayton and Newberg serve as a base for wine travelers to the northern Willamette, and they are conveniently an hour or less away from Portland.

In the ...