Enjoy a wine flight at The Winery at Manzanita

The Winery at Manzanita might actually be my favorite part of this sleepy beach town.

After a hasty unpack of the car, my husband and I beelined it to the winery to make sure we had time to enjoy a wine flight before they closed for the evening. We figured we had all night to settle into the the house and unpack, so we tried our best to look casual as we power-walked to the tasting room with ample time to enjoy our wine, buzzing with excitement for our treasured Manzanita treat we had both looked forward to all week.

Tasting Room

The winery and tasting room sits on Laneda Ave. the main road that runs through the center of Manzanita, a tiny beach town in Oregon. The signage portrays an image of Pinot, the beloved black lab who belongs to the owner of the winery. Pinot the pup is the face of this wine bar, on every label, glass and piece of merchandise sold on the property.

The tasting room is housed in a handsome cedar shingled building with a large lower patio and upper deck on the top floor. The downstairs patio’s 3 large fire pits are surrounded by Adirondack chairs and the retractable awning on the lower patio makes the space a comfortable place to sip even on rainy or drizzly days. That early spring evening was grey and misting, but with the awning overhead and heat of the fire pits, there was no other place we would rather be. For those that would rather be indoors there is a bar that seats about 10, and a handful of tables inside the main room. And of course, the establishment is dog friendly, and family friendly as well.

The winery sells about 20 different wines at a time, and many are available by the glass. That evening they had on offer 5 different wine flights, and I opted for the Club Flight where I got to taste the Pinot Noir Rose, 2021 Pinot Noir and the Petit Verdot. The stemless glasses come out on a little board and I am thrilled because I love good presentation. Being short I generally struggle with adirondack chairs, but in such a settling I don’t mind it because it physically forces me to sit back, relax, and enjoy. If you get peckish, they have a selection of 12” pizzas and a variety of meat and cheese boards as well as snacks like soft pretzels, truffle popcorn and olives and almonds.

Service

The service is always wonderful and genuine. It lacks the pretension that many wineries have and I am always completely comfortable being my strange and silly self as I bumble through my questions, trying to nail down the varietal for my next glass or flight. For non-wine drinkers, they offer a selection of Pacific Northwest beers and ciders as well as kombuchas and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Origin Story

Owner of the winery, Mark Poden, launched his original wine business in 2008 in Salem, Oregon while still attending wine school. After a few years stint in Hawaii making wine, he landed in Manzanita for the gorgeous sunsets and dog friendly beaches. His organic pinot noir grapes are grown at his vineyard outside Carlton, Oregon, Black Dog vineyard, and are used in all of his Pinot Noir based wines. He also produces a variety of red blends utilizing grapes from various vineyards in Southern Oregon. He focuses on batch fermentations with the intention of quality over quantity.

The love he has for his dog is beyond touching and as a dog lover myself, this only makes me love his wines even more. Photos of him and his pup Pinot are all over Instagram and his websites and it is clear they have been partners in crime throughout the years.