Silvan Ridge Winery. Photo by Stevi Sayler

Wining with Your Dog

Spending quality time sipping wine with friends — including your furry ones

Looking for date ideas for you and your furry friend? Look no further. Sweet Cheeks Winery, Iris Vineyards, Benton-Lane Winery and Silvan Ridge Winery are just a few dog-friendly local wineries that allow you to unwind, take a sip and enjoy time with your pet.

Sweet Cheeks Winery (27007 Briggs Hill Road) offers outdoor seating and water bowls for the pups. They recommend making a reservation to secure a table in the shade. Reservations are complimentary for groups with six people or fewer and often have same-day reservations available. Your furry friend must be leashed at all times and stay on the outdoor patio or in the open-air Vista Room due to health criteria.

“On our warm spring and summer days, you really can’t go wrong with our pinot gris or sauvignon blanc,” Jessica Thomas, Sweet Cheeks Winery’s general manager, writes in an email. “If you like reds or rosés, you can be seated at a table that overlooks the grapes that are grown and produced into our Estate Pinot Noir and Pinot Noir Rosé.”

Iris Vineyards provides dog-friendly seating on its outdoor patio and front picnic tables on Main Street in Springfield. Dogs must also be leashed at all times at this vineyard. “We do have a lovely Chardognay,” Lindsey Ragsdale, winery administrator, says. For the humans, “We also have an array of sparkling wines and some wine cocktails!” (See our story, this issue).

Finally, hop on over to Benton-Lane Winery (23924 Territorial Highway) where water bowls for dogs are always out and treats can be found behind the bar. The patio is available for seating with leashed dogs. You can play fetch off of a leash on the green grass next to the patio — with a friendly reminder to clean up after your pup. In the upcoming weeks, this winery will be hosting one-mile tours in the vineyard included with a wine tasting and a small charcuterie or plate, and your dog can accompany you.

“We just released our 2021 First Class Chardonnay — and it’s so refreshing,” Lisa Fahrner, hospitality manager for Benton-Lane Winery, says. “Our Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It’s like a red label. It’s so delicious and fruit-forward. It has a bright acidity, and it’s great for any wine drinker.”

Silvan Ridge is also listed as dog-friendly at its 7012 Briggs Hill Road location. Its Elizabeth Wine Lounge at Oakway Center has outdoor seating, and Angela Jaquette, Silvan Ridge’s vice president of operations, tells us, “We love dogs, and dogs are allowed at both locations, outside and on a leash.”

Find a list of Oregon’s dog-friendly wineries at WillametteWines.com/wineries-and-vineyards/dog-friendly/.