COVID-19 Guest Safety Measures: YES! We are hosting in-person wine tastings. Please read the policies and protocols we’ve implemented to keep you (and us) safe, then book your private tasting experience: info@bellsupwinery.com or 503.537.1328 (preferred).
Featured Wines
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The first — and only — planting of Seyval Blanc in the Willamette Valley, 2019 Helios is named for Carl Nielsen's "Helios Overture, Opus 18." Planted, nurtured and harvested by us in the Bells Up vineyard, Dave won an amateur national winemaking competition with his 2010 Seyval Blanc, made when we lived in Cincinnati. Not related to Sauvignon Blanc, Helios shares many similarities in flavor and texture. -
Sourced from the third harvest of Bells Up's estate vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, this fuller-bodied rosé is named for Franz Liszt’s “Symphonic Poem No. 3: Les Preludes.” It features equal parts heritage clone Pommard and Dijon clone 667 soaked on the skins for 48 hours, then pressed prior to fermentation—producing a fuller-bodied rosé. After fermentation, the wine was transferred to neutral French oak barrels for an additional malolactic ferment to smooth its acidity. -
Named for Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major “Titan,” the 2017 vintage of Bells Up's flagship Willamette Valley pinot noir combines 34.8% Chehalem Mountains Pommard (9-year-old vines) grown on wind-blown Loess with 32.6% Dijon clone 115 and 32.6% Dijon clone 777 (17-year-old Yamhill-Carlton vines) grown in sedimentary Willakenzie soil. Aged 12 months in French oak (32% new), this Pinot possesses the classic elegance and delicacy of cooler year Oregon Pinot noir.
The Bells Up Story:
“If you’re this successful in a career that makes you sick, stressed and miserable… how much more successful would you be doing something you love?”
That’s the question Sara asked Dave 11 years ago, following his mental and physical breakdown from more than a decade as a successful corporate tax attorney. This, while watching Sara’s professional mentor battle pancreatic cancer at age 40.
The answer, for us, was that life is too short to spend unhappy. So we turned the basement hobby that brought Dave joy — winemaking — into Bells Up Winery.
Dave left the legal field, dedicating himself full-time to learning the business of making wine as a professional at Henke Winery while we lived in Cincinnati, Ohio.
After Dave won two different amateur national winemaking competitions with two different wines, we decided to relocate to Newberg, Oregon. In 2013, we established Bells Up Winery and our winemaking dreams took root.
Today — micro-boutique, un-domaine and always open by reservation — Bells Up composes handcrafted, classically-styled Oregon Pinot Noir with grapes sourced primarily from micro-growers located on the northern side of the Willamette Valley.
The name “Bells Up” refers to a dramatic moment in classical music where the composer instructs French horn players to lift the bells of their instruments up and project sound with maximum intensity. Dave, a French horn player who performed throughout high school and college, says the winery is his “Bells Up” moment.
Experience your own #BellsUpMoment
Wine Down with Bells Up: Virtual Tasting + Community Conversation
More than just a virtual tasting where you watch other people drink wine (boring), we’re drinking wine AND introducing you to some of our favorite wine lovers. Watch past episodes here.
Perched on the side of Chehalem Mountain and overlooking Newberg and the Willamette Valley to the south, we make approximately 500 cases annually and offer a small selection of Oregon-grown and produced varietals. All Bells Up wines are sold directly from our tasting room with limited availability in select Oregon wine shops.