Argyle Reimagined

By OWP Staff

Argyle Winery, forever known for its bubbles and charming Dundee farmhouse, has reinvented its tasting room experience. Directly behind the winery’s postcard Victorian, the winery has opened a new, modernized tasting room with the help of Portland-based SERA Architects and contractor Lease Crutcher Lewis.

The new “Tasting House” preserves the building’s identity as the winery’s former winemaking facility — Argyle moved its production to Newberg in 2014 — while converting it into a spacious, innovative center for guests. The contemporary design invites visitors to taste, learn, gather and relax in flexible indoor and outdoor seating with year-round table service available for small and large groups.

A climate-controlled library showcases more than 4,000 bottles — only a portion of the winery’s collection — dating back to Argyle’s founding in 1987. The “Tirage Library” displays vintage sparkling wines still aging on yeast; while the “Reserve Cellar” features the full line of Argyle wines available for purchase, including a chilled selection of sparkling, Chardonnay and Riesling ready to take home. 

During the restoration, 100 percent of the concrete and steel was recycled; while siding, roofing and fixtures were repurposed as primary design features in the new space. Native Douglas fir, uncovered during deconstruction, was used to make all the new shelving, tables, paneling and the 27-foot bar.

Arygle’s new low-impact landscaping, designed by Sean Hogan of Cistus Design & Nursery, uses 80 percent less water yet is more expansive than the previous garden. West Coast natives such as madrone, cork oak and Manzanita trees were selected for their aesthetics and ability to foster the ecosystem. Plants from the winery’s original English-style garden were donated to the Chehalem Park & Recreation District and placed at various community venues, including the Chehalem Cultural Center, Herbert Hoover Park and other local landscapes.

“Our founding identity at Argyle has always been guided by a spirit of evolution and reinvention,” said Chris Cullina, Argyle’s director of sales and marketing. “Before becoming the Argyle Winery, our home in Dundee had a famous past life as a hazelnut processing plant. This latest chapter follows our tradition to defer new construction in favor of rehabilitating our existing buildings. The Tasting House leverages the original character and structural elements of the barrel room and cellars, making this new space truly one-of-a-kind in Oregon.”

The new Tasting House better enables staff to tell the Argyle story to visitors in a range of scalable areas — something the previous retail space could not accommodate.

“We wanted the end result of this project to be the must-do experience for every visitor to Willamette Valley wine country,” said SERA Project Manager Steven Ehlbeck. “From the initial design, our goal has always been to create a unique and memorable place that meets Argyle’s reputation for innovation and quality.”