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Wine tourism in Oregon seems ever-expanding. Regional passport programs offer tourists (and others) a chance to discover new places. The Mt Hood Territory Wine Trail includes the winery where I work, Campbell Lane. Watch for information about two more trails early in 2024.

Appeared in the October 2023 Oregon Wine Press - HERE is the link to the online version.

Located between the urban wineries of Portland and the destination wine country of McMinnville and its environs is an “in-between” region in the northeast corner of the Willamette Valley AVA. Dubbed the Mt. Hood Territory Wine Trail, 13 of the area’s wineries have partnered with Clackamas County Tourism to offer an easy, high-tech way to discover the county’s wineries and earn rewards along the way.

The Mt. Hood Wine Trail Mobile Passport is a free smartphone app that offers winery details and maps guiding users to the area’s tasting rooms. After signing up at mthoodterritory.com/winetrail, the app uses your phone’s location services feature to verify your visit to the participating locations. Many of them offer special discounts to passport holders and you will earn points in the app with each visit. As the points accumulate, you may redeem them for Mt. Hood Territory branded rewards.

The passport idea began in 2017 and has been recently relaunched to offer an easier user experience and a new prize structure. Early indications show the effort to be a resounding success. In the first quarter since the app’s overhaul, redemption rates have increased over four-fold compared to the same quarter last year, according to Mt. Hood Territory staff.

The current passport is valid until March 2024, when a winner will be randomly selected to receive the grand prize of a two-night stay on Mount Hood with activities worth over $500.

Fall is a great time to explore the wineries of Clackamas County. Small, family-operated wineries with limited business hours are common in the area, so it is important to phone ahead or make an online reservation before heading out. Many offer spectacular views and some of the tasting rooms are adjacent to vineyards, which are full of harvest activity.

Casey Knopik of Mt. Hood Territory’s marketing and communications staff pointed out that “our wineries are smaller, it's a lot less crowded, and the best part about it is that you get to actually talk to the winemakers a lot of the time… they're able to talk about their passion for their craft.” While the expected Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay dominate, other varietals can also be found. These may be unique wines from grapes grown on-site or made from grapes sourced from other areas in Oregon or Washington.

Beer, cider and spirits drinkers can download the Mt. Hood Territory Tap Trail Mobile Passport to guide them to the county’s craft breweries, cideries and distilleries. As with the wine trail passport, participating locations offer discounts and users can accumulate points and redeem them for prizes.

Mt. Hood Territory is a brand of Clackamas County Tourism, the Destination Marketing Organization for Clackamas County. The agency’s work is funded by the Transient Room Tax which is collected on all overnight stays in the county. Learn more about the two passports - and more - at mthoodterritory.com