A nice point of origin for the Oregon wine industry. The setting near the base of Callahan ridge, in foothills that an easterner might call mountains, is typical of other small wineries in Douglas county. The wine is excellent and the presentation and education in the rustic tasting room has been consistently enlightening in several visits. Although I have other favorites in Douglas county, a visit here is a must.
This was our 14th Oregon Winery and several people told us we must stop here for a tasting. We had never been to a winery during harvest so were unprepared for the loud cannons that are used to scare the birds from the fields. I stepped out, and being a Texan, thought someone was shooting at us! Had a good laugh when we went inside and spoke with the wine hostess. Very friendly but some of my questions went unanswered about Estate vs. Reserve labeling. Still thought the wines were lightweight in comparison to California wines so we were not as impressed as we thought we should be for the prices. Tasting was $5.00 which waved if you bought a bottle. Would I suggest going? Yes, if just for the impressive wine tasting room, the friendly dogs and the beautiful drive out. Wine likes and dislikes are very personal. This winery would not have lasted this long if it didn't have a large following of wine connoisseurs.
The First winery in Oregon, so a very historic winery. Dyson DeMara, the owner is a very knowledgable wine lover and has great passion for wine and happy to educate anyone interested on wines. The wines are very nice, and as mother nature intends each year leads to different styles, if you want a homogenized wine that is the same year in and year out buy one from the corporations that own most of California. Love the Rogue valley and the drives to the wineries. Take the time to explore Hillcrest and other wineries in the region. You will be happy you did.
Janet at the Winery is excellent. She knew we were there to buy, so she sold us some of her best. She is knowledgeable, fun to talk to and very customer service oriented. The Winery should be proud to have her as an employee
We enjoyed the wine, However the lady working was talking 100 mph and constantly interrupting the guest. She would not let us carry on an actual conversation with the other people there and at one point a couple had to step outside to get a break from her. She made sure you knew about her classes and column and that she knew more about wine than anyone else. We know what we like and that is what matters and we are learning. She made a snide remark about our knowledge of wine and I guess she thought it was okay to subtly insult the guest. She asked us about some of the other wineries we had been to in the area and when we told her she had something negative to say about each one, very classless to talk down other wine makers,especially in a close knit community. The winery is beautiful and our experience would have been different if someone else had been pouring.
The historic HillCrest Winery is an excellent stop on Roseburg's Wine Trail. The wines are top notch, the story and the narrative of the winery and the winemaker is quite interesting, and Jennifer, our host in the tasting room, is extremely knowledgeable. What could be better? The standard $5 per person for a tasting of multiple excellent wines is little price to pay. Thank you, HillCrest, you have a beautiful setting and you make beautiful wines.
The tasting room is nice. We pretty much had the place to ourselves and the staff was helpful and informative about local attractions and history. Being a fan of big bold red wines I wasn't much impressed with their selection but they did have some lighter fare that many would consider more "drinkable".
Janet and Jennifer were so excellent! Both knew so much about the wines and were so welcoming. We came in and were told that tasting was $5 "unless you buy something". We of course left with a case and a half! It was truly one of the best winery experiences ever. Those ladies and the winery are so terrific! Highlight of our trip!!
Excellent Wine + Great Location = Great time!The visit here is always one to remember, being very enjoyable from the minute we are greeted with a genuine warm welcome, throughout the fine tasting experience, to the drive home recounting our favorites. This time, we were lucky enough to have the owner as our guide through this tasting. He is a pleasant and open and very passionate fellow who is a delight to listen to and talk with. He is such an unpretentiously knowledgeable and experienced winemaker. His tales from travel and education in the wine world really blow your mind and the wine, well, the wine speaks volumes. I really like that you can't buy in store, it makes it feel very special and unique. We ended up going home with 3 reds and one white that I am slowly enjoying because I don't want them to be gone! Definitely a place we look forward to going back to again to feed our tradition for many years to come. Thank you Hillcrest Winery for always delivering superb wine along with a delightful experience! See you again, soon!
Of the 12 wineries we visited this was the TASTIEST by far. Jennifer was very knowledgeable, accommodating, and sweet! See you on the 21st Jen! : )