Bass Lines and Grapevines

Festive Hill Winery brings big-venue energy to West Linn wine country

By Greg Norton

Ron Berrett and Maggie Yuan were seeking a quieter place to raise their kids.

Tired of the bustle of Los Angeles, the pair relocated to Oregon in 2009 and, two years later, purchased 20 acres in West Linn. Over time, a vineyard, winery and ballroom-sized hospitality space led to Festive Hill Winery’s opening last June.

“We bought this property in 2011 but didn’t start planting vines until 2014,” Berrett recalls. Original plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were soon joined by Pinot Gris and Tempranillo. The most recent additions, Riesling and a small block of Gewürztraminer, increased the vineyard to 16 acres. The first Festive Hill vintage was 2017.

A ROOM WITH A VIEW

The property’s existing residence is tucked away behind a rise. Berrett remembers a day spent clearing the land of Himalayan blackberries, when he paused to admire the sunset from the top of the hill. “Why did they build the house over there?” he mused. “It should be right here– look at this view.” Festive Hill’s grand tasting hall now occupies that apex, providing vineyard views to crowds of more than 200 people from its windows and wraparound deck. The commercial kitchen and dining configuration can accommodate a meal for 150 people.

“We want to create something that’s a type of cultural center, something that gives people an alternative to go out on weekends and have some fun, enjoy some music,” Berrett explains. The name Festive Hill was chosen to suggest that this is more than just a place to enjoy wine. The revelry lasts later than at most wineries: until 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and until 5 p.m. on Sunday. “We’re trying to be a little bit of everything– a nightclub, restaurant and winery.”

PLAYING BY EAR

A grand piano occupies a corner of the tasting hall, along with other instruments and professional sound equipment. Monthly dinner shows and a busy calendar of holiday and themed events accentuate Festive Hill’s business model. Berrett’s vision draws on his background in both hospitality and professional music.

“My first band was a heavy metal band called Black China,” he shares. Berrett also performed in other genres– top 40, pop, and even a country music stint in Nashville. It was while on tour as a musician that he first fell in love with the area. “I would come through the Pacific Northwest in the wintertime, see the moss growing on the sides of the trees and think, ‘I wouldn’t mind settling down here.’”

After years on the road as a performer, he developed an ear for evaluating live music. “Portland is packed with musicians who need more exposure,” he notes. Berrett spends time in the city attending local shows and invites the best to perform in Festive Hill’s dinner show series. “I’m very excited about the talent I’m finding.”

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Festive Hill, located within a 30-minute drive of Portland, is attractive not only as a venue for city performers but also for urban wine enthusiasts seeking country views along with a glass of wine. It joins nearby tasting rooms at Twill Cellars, Tumwater Vineyard, Campbell Lane Winery, Pete’s Mountain Vineyard and Oswego Hills Vineyard in making West Linn a convenient– and pleasant– surprise for wine lovers.

Among the unexpected in Festive Hill’s vineyard is Tempranillo. Its presence delighted winemaker Alex Henderson upon his arrival last year. “I was surprised to see it ripen well and make really nice wine,” he reports, citing the variety’s ability to accumulate sugar while maintaining acid. Festive Hill offers a fortified, port-style version as well as a dry single-varietal bottling.

Henderson joined Festive Hill after five years at Cristom Vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills. His background includes time at Deovlet Wines in California and a harvest in South Africa. He counts Ryan Deovlet and Cristom’s Daniel Estrin among his formative influences in the wine industry.

After working his first harvest at Festive Hill, Henderson now suspects the site’s temperature range is narrower than typically found farther south in the Willamette Valley. “Tucked in this pocket, and being a bit north, we can grow a wider range of varieties on the property, and they all ripen really well and taste delicious,” he observes. In his winemaking, he pursues freshness and bright fruit flavors through the use of neutral oak and gentle extraction. “When I’m drinking wine,” he shares, “I like to taste the grapes and land they came from.”

Henderson recently crafted a Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer in a skin-contact style. Pleased with the results, he anticipates the spring release of these 2025 white wines. “It’s something different from what you find at other tasting rooms.”

FAMILY CONNECTIONS

Food is Berrett’s family business– his grandparents were caterers. That heritage pairs seamlessly with not only wine but also with Linentablecloth.com, an e-commerce business he runs with Yuan. A former movie producer in her native Beijing, Yuan worked alongside Berrett in the catering industry in Los Angeles after they married. Having fallen in love with the Portland area, she relies on relationships developed in her home country to source a wide variety of table decor available for online ordering. Both businesses are on display when the tasting hall is configured for dining.

GROWING INTEREST

Festive Hill’s focus on entertainment and group experiences is gaining a loyal following. In addition to wine tasting, a visit to the property might include a game of pickleball, a barre workout or a yoga class. It has already become a popular spot for company parties and service organization celebrations. Wine club members gain access to barrel tastings with Henderson in the onsite winery, among other benefits. And there are, of course, many musical events listed on the winery’s website.

“I’m trying to do something a little different, you know? I’m always the guy who breaks the rules,” Berrett admits. That rule-breaking has put Festive Hill well on its way to living up to its name– a lively high point that gathers the community for music, dining and recreation. In the process, wine finds new friends.

“I want this to feel accessible to people who aren’t wine aficionados,” Berrett shares. “Everyone is welcome here.”

Festive Hill Winery
20100 SW Johnson Rd, West Linn
Thurs.–Fri. 3 to 8 p.m., Sat. noon to 8:30 p.m.,Sun. noon to 5 p.m.
(503) 707-5204
www.festivehillwinery.com

Greg Norton is a freelance writer with a broad background in nonprofit communications and the arts. He studied journalistic writing through the UCLA Extension and has traveled to wine regions around the world. Greg is a Certified Specialist of Wine and received the Level II award from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. When not writing about wine, he can be found pouring it in a tasting room or wine bar near West Linn, where he lives. Read more by Greg at www.onthevine.blog.