Arcane Cellars at Wheatland Winery & Vineyard
Arcane Cellars is located at Wheatland Winery, on the scenic banks of the Willamette River just west of the historic Wheatland Ferry. Family owned and operated, they produce award winning wines in limited quantities using traditional artisan methods. Their wines are made from grapes both grown on the estate, as well as from a few select vineyards representing the variety of Oregon’s distinctive terroir. Wines include Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Syrah, Viognier and Cabernet based blends.
Paddle Oregon participants will enjoy learning about the pioneer history of the Wheatland Ferry and viniculture on the Willamette, as well as tasting these exclusive wines, strolling around the 30 acre vineyard, playing bocce on the outdoor court, and admiring the beauty of the river.
The Silva Family is ready to welcome us to share the bounty of their harvests, and the magic of their wines!
Chatoe Rogue Farmstead Nano Brewery
That’s right—we will taste, tour, play and camp at Oregon’s first on-site Hopyard Brewery! Take our virtual tour of this beautiful, riverside farm when we visited in early spring.
Rogue Ales is an Artisan Varietal Brewery founded in Oregon in 1988, as one of America’s first 50 microbreweries. Rogue has 550+ awards for taste and quality and is available nationally and in 10 countries.
Rogue’s Micro-Hopyard is nestled along the Willamette River, south of Independence, OR (once the hop-growing capital of the world) on the site of the historic John Haas Alluvial Hop Farm.
This is the birth place of the Chatoe Rogue series and Farmstead Nano Brewery ales. The picturesque farm is surrounded by cherry and filbert orchards, and is home to several osprey nests. Seven hop varieties climb trellises spanning 42 acres, and are harvested and baled on site.
Our visit will begin when we paddle up to Rogue’s private beach across from Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge. Paddle Oregon participants are encouraged to frolic through the hopyard (really), and join in a guided tour revealing the brewing process from hop cone to pint glass. Guests of the tasting room will be able to enjoy Rogue Ales brewed on the same terroir that they were grown! Picture yourself sampling these delicious, local ales on a deck with a view of the hops and the surrounding terroir at sunset—ahhhhhhhh.
Explore three exceptional Albany attractions!
Thanks to the Albany Visitors Association, Paddle Oregon participants will enjoy a truly unique trolley and walking tour when we pull off the river in Albany’s Bryant Park. Each museum offers perspective and history of the Willamette and the quiet communities it sustains.
The Monteith House
The first frame structure built in Albany in 1849, it is one of the most authentically restored homes in Oregon. It is now a house museum, where visitors can see the pioneer kitchen Christine Monteith used to prepare meals or the original piano brought by covered wagon to help make the wilderness a bit more civilized.
The Historic Carousel & Museum
Albany’s Brass Ring carousel studio is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to building a traditional Victorian carousel in Albany's downtown historical district. The carousel mechanism is a 1909 Dentzel machine, possibly the last made by Gustave Dentzel. View the amazing menagerie of animals and decorative pieces that are being hand carved and painted in the traditional style of Dentzel and Muller.
Albany Regional Museum
This museum is a fun collection of old Albany memorabilia, photos and artifacts.
Wildlife and paddlers are not the only things that thrive on the Willamette; it just so happens that the river’s fertile valley yields world-class hops and grapes. One can appreciate the gifts of the river in many ways, and this year, we think you'll appreciate camping and tasting at an historic Hop Farm and scenic riverside Vineyard!
