A room with a view amid the vineyard
A short drive from Eugene Oregon in the small town of Alpine, a hidden gem awaits. Bluebird Hill Farms, B&B and Winery is one of those places you find if you do some research, stumble upon it or hear about it from other wine lovers. However you discover this gem of a vineyard and B&B, you won’t be disappointed once you have found it.
We stumbled upon Bluebird Hill Vineyard while reading a small article in the local newspaper (yes, we still read a newspaper everyday) chatting about a few small boutique wineries that had recently opened. Since it was near some favorite spots that we visit regularly, we decided to give it a try.
We pulled into their driveway to a greeting by the owners Neil and Sue Shay and one of the best vineyard dogs ever. Gus greeted us like long lost cousins, his tail going a mile a minute. This is how winery owners hook you in, and that’s before we even tried their wines!
Fast forward several months and many more visits, including membership in their wine club, to our invitation to join the Shays for dinner and an overnight stay at the B&B.
(Our evaluation of the B&B is based solely on the experience we had. The owners did not solicit a positive review)
We were joined for dinner by Brian and Therese Schafer, owners of TeBri VIneyard, another winery in the area that we visit often. In fact, we are awaiting the Pinot Noir we ordered as futures a few years back. We were thrilled to find out that we would be sampling this particular wine with dinner and we were not disappointed!
But back to Bluebird Hill Vineyard. We went to our room to drop off our overnight bags and checked out both guestrooms while we were upstairs. The two guest rooms are comfortably decorated and share a spacious, well appointed full bathroom. These rooms provide a great place to stay overnight at a reasonable rate. The two rooms are across the hall from each other but separate from the hosts’ living quarters. According to their website, rates range from $109 a night to $135 a night. Guests can also make reservations through AirBnB or Bedandbreakfast.com. The downstairs common area is filled with comfortable seating, a roaring fireplace, assorted games and books. The dining room has a self serve beverage fridge with sparkling water, sodas and juice available 24 hours. Every room and every window offers a spectacular view, we were fortunate enough to see several rainbows, clouds resting on the hillsides and hummingbirds at the kitchen window feeder.
Our dinner with the Shays and Shafers was delightful, gracious hosts, lots of laughter, wine and a wine trivia game filled the evening to perfection. While we can’t guarantee games etc, we can certainly say we’ll be back to enjoy their award winning wine and delightful stories. This is a place you just have to visit.
Breakfast at the Inn is plentiful and delicious. It may include sausages, pancakes, yogurt, fresh fruits and juices and, again, great company from the owners.
Let us know and we’ll be happy to introduce you to this hidden gem in the valley! We might even squeeze in a trip to TeBri. Both wineries are currently closed for the season, but will happily open for new visitors. Just give them a call.