Book Your Private Tasting Experience: Enjoy a full-sensory journey through Bells Up’s current wines hosted by Winemaker Dave Specter — exclusively for one group at a time — by calling 503.537.1328.
Featured Wines
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The first and only planting of Seyval Blanc in the Willamette Valley (second in Oregon), Helios is named for Carl Nielsen’s “Helios Overture, Opus 18.” Grown in Bells Up’s vineyard, this hybrid wine grape is found mainly in the Midwest – our former home – and East Coast. Although unrelated to Sauvignon Blanc, Helios shares many similarities in flavor and texture. -
Sourced from the Bells Up vineyard, this fuller-bodied rosé is named for Franz Liszt’s “Symphonic Poem No. 3: Les Preludes.” Its equal parts heritage clone Pommard and Dijon clone 113 were soaked on skins for 40 hours, then lightly pressed prior to fermentation. It then underwent a malolactic ferment to smooth its acidity, yielding a full-bodied, highly complex and savory Rosé with balanced acid and fruit. -
2020 Titan combines 7-year Pommard (33.6%) vines from Bells Up's vineyard with Dijon Clones 115 (22.8%) and 777 (43.6%) from Plum Hill Vineyard's 13-year-old Willamette Valley vines in Gaston. Named for Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major “Titan,” the wine aged 12 months in French oak (32.2% new). The resulting 2020 Titan displays an elegant, earthy quality, with red-fruit flavors complemented by sufficient acidity to enrich its mouthfeel.
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 13 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, Rosé, Pinot Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon with grapes sourced exclusively from our estate vineyard and from micro-sites in the Willamette Valley and Eastern Oregon.
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
Perched on the side of Chehalem Mountain and overlooking Newberg and the Willamette Valley to the south, we make approximately 600 cases annually and offer a small selection of Oregon-grown and produced varietals. All Bells Up wines are sold directly from our tasting room.