News & Events | Witness Tree Vineyard

News & Events

Tasting Room currently closed. But…will re-open Saturday, March 1.

Tasting Room hours: March and April, Thursday through Sunday; May through October, Tuesday through Sunday; November through December 15, Thursday through Sunday —11am-5pm

Coming soon…Spring Wine Club selection. Shipping date is March 10. Not a member — join today!!

EQUINOX 2014 — March 22, 7pm-10pm at Zenith Vineyard. Get tickets NOW! See below for more info.

Join the Witness Tree Wine Club and save 15% on all wines — join today!!

News Worthy…

Equinox 2014, It Just Gets Better!

Come howl at the moon and celebrate the Equinox in the Eola-Amity Hills! This will be our sixth year of this very successful event. Yes, we raised the ticket price to $50 this year but we have also cut the attendance from 450 to 400 so get your tickets before they run out – strictly limited!

Our guests will love the chance to taste wines and discuss the vintage with many of the key principals of the Eola-Amity Hills winemaking community.

32 wineries from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, and even a few from outside the AVA who make wines from Eola-Amity Hills fruit will pour at Equinox 2014.

Enjoy fantastic sweet and savory bites to complement your wine tasting experience from some of the best restaurants and caterers in our area. Crooked House Bistro, Joel Palmer House, Subterra Restaurant, Vibrant Table Catering & Events, Loustic Catering, and Tamami Chocolates.

When: March 22rd 2014 7:00PM to 10:00PM

Where: Zenith Vineyard 5657 Zena Rd NW Salem Here is a map.

32 World Class wineries including: Amity Vineyards; Anthony Dell Cellars; Antica Terra; Argyle Winery; Bethel Heights Vineyard; Biggio Hamina Cellars; Bjornson Vineyard; Brooks Wines; Bryn Mawr Vineyards; Calamity Hill Vineyard; Carter Vineyard; Chemekata Viticulture Center; Cherry Hill Winery; Cristom Vineyards; Cubanisimo Vineyards; Dobbes Family Estate; Dukes Family Vineyards;Elton Vineyard / Willamette Valley Vineyards; Evening Land Vineyards; Evesham Wood; Holloran Vineyard Wines; Keeler Estate Vineyard; Lewman Vineyard; Methven Family Vineyards and Winery; Mystic Wines; Redhawk Winery; St. Innocent Winery; Stangeland Vineyards; Toluca Lane; Witness Tree Vineyard, Zenith Vineyard and ZIVO Wines.

Buy: Wineries will be offering the wines you taste at a 20% discount from retail for this night only!

Admission: $50 per person, buy your Admission online - print and keep your receipt as your entry to the event. NOTE: NO TICKETS WILL BE MAILED TO YOU… YOUR RECEIPT, OR EVEN JUST THE NAME OF THE PURCHASER WILL BE YOUR ADMISSION (YOU ARE ON A LIST). Click here to buy tickets.

Make it a special overnight event: The Grand Hotel Salem has a great lodging and transportation package.

Buy some wine too: Each winery will be featuring one wine for sale at a discounted price - go home with your favorites!

Questions, or to purchase tickets with cash: Email Esther Swafford at info@eolaamityhills.com

Goodbye to our friend…

On a very sad and personal note, Dennis Devine, the principle owner of Witness Tree Vineyard, passed away on Monday, January 13. He had been in poor health for some time, and died in his sleep. He didn’t suffer and is now in peace.

Please keep Carolyn in your prayers in this difficult time.

Hello Everyone,On a very sad and personal note, Dennis Devine, the principle owner here at Witness Tree, passed away yesterday. He had been in poor health for some time, and died in his sleep. He didn't suffer and is now in peace. Services will be on Friday afternoon at St. Mark Lutheran Church (time still to be determined). There will be a Celebration of Life reception at the winery following the service.Please keep Carolyn in your prayers in this difficult time.Thank you to you all.

Dennis Devine - July 4, 1939–January 13, 2014

Online Order Form

A new online order form is now available to order our wines. If you live in a state where shipping is unavailable, please contact us directly either via email or phone.

Bearing Witness

Enjoy the entire featured article from the St. Olaf fall newsletter — Bearing Witness

Only a few cases remain…BUT GOING FAST.

Now available…our 2011 Estate Pinot Noir. Only a few cases remain of our 2009 single block wines — Benchmark and Claim No. 51, which are tasting exceptionally well. Stop by the tasting room or order online.

2013 Harvest Completed…

The 2013 vintage is in the barrell. We were anticipating another vintage similar to that of 2012…until the rains came just as harvest would have begun. This will again be another vintage not to be missed.

The end of March brought some warm sunny weather to the Willamette Valley. We had “bud break” on our vintage Chardonnay vines.

Again, looking at the Chardonnay grapes on a mid-July day.

After a warm dry summer, fall rains came fiercely and just would not let up. Time for harvest and we’re struggling to harvest some of the precious grapes. Full harvesting resumes as weather breaks for a few days beginning October 3. This may be a challenging year for winemakers.

Harvest was not what we had hoped for. Rain, very hard rain and wind, which lasted for several days were not what the grapes needed. Production this year will be much less than in past years. Oh, and did we mention the birds. The wind and rain did not deter them — they had a feast, much to our dismay.