Shallon Winery

Terrible experience! Went to the front door to find a note that says «call this number and I’ll open the door». I called and then the door opened. The man who opened was shaking his head and without even greeting us said he was with a bunch of people and that we should try tomorrow or the next day. Then he shut the door. We stood there dumbfounded. What else is there to be said?! How about put up a sign «go away»? I think I would have left feeling better about Shallon Winery.

This is NOT your typical winery non-​tour. Paul, the owner and proprietor, will show you the winemaking operations and Laboratory. This was the most interesting wine tour I have ever experienced. If you are in the area, you should definitely check it out. Paul is a very interesting guy and he wants to know about you too, so be prepared to share. A wonderful experience for all.

One of the news articles about this winery that is posted on the wall inside refers to it as the «Willy Wonka of Wineries,» and I think that is a pretty good description. Nothing about this experience is your typical wine tasting. You won’t be trying a sweet white and a dry red and you won’t be pushed through an «assembly line» wine tasting with 15 other people. If you don’t have at least 30 minutes to devote to this tour and tasting don’t bother, because you won’t be admitted. This is a once-​in-​a-​lifetime experience that is well worth the time investment, though.
When you go into the little shop, you are faced with a gong with instructions to bang it if no one is there. The shop itself is covered in articles, pictures, and memorabilia about the winery and the owner/​winemaker, Paul van der Veldt. When we arrived, we were greeted by Paul. Shallon is a one man shop that is staffed by Paul 365 days a year. Paul first took us into the winery, which is colorful, to say the least (the walls are bubble gum pink!). He gave us a summary of his operation, along with quite a bit of very interesting history. He also showed us his lab (which would impress any science professional) where he makes his wine concoctions. We then moved to the front of the store for the tasting.
One of the previous reviewers stated that Paul locked them in the shop — I suspect this individual was exaggerating. While Paul will not lock you into the shop, he does lock the public out of the shop, so that he can devote his full attention to you without the interruption of anyone coming inside the winery during the tasting. Paul likes to learn about each of his guests, so he visited with us about where we were from and our occupations. He then treated us to a (FREE!) tasting of six of his wines: a blackberry wine, two versions of his cranberry wine (one sparkling, one not), a spiced apple wine, a peach wine, and a chocolate orange wine (served in mini ice cream cones), along with detailed information about the history and production of each one. He makes each wine with his own two hands in his lab in the back of the winery, so each batch is unique, even if they are based on the same underlying recipe.
The wines, like the experience, were truly unique. You cannot find anything like them anywhere else (literally, these wines are sold exclusively out of the winery in Astoria). My favorites were the regular cranberry, the spiced apple, and the orange chocolate. We ended up purchasing two bottles of the spiced apple. Paul will even give you tips on which ones fly the best (hint, not the sparkling cranberry).
If you are in the area, I highly suggest a visit to the Shallon Winery. You will never experience anything quite like this again in your life. It is cash only.

Shallon Winery is a super old school wine shop /​winery run out of a small building right in the heart of the downtown — it’s a quirky place to visit while in Astoria if you have an extra 30 minutes to spare.
The old man who runs the wine shop is great for conversation, but can definitely talk your ear off and be a little grouchy. The wine he makes is all from different fruits (peach, lemon, etc.), which is interesting to try and learn about… but would I buy a bottle? Nope! I’ll be sticking to the regular stuff :-)

We had an excellent time with Paul at his winery. Very educational, and we loved his sense of humor. Definitely a must do in Astoria!

This was a wonderful, local winery. The man who runs it has a wealth of information to offer and fantastic, creative wines to taste. Be prepared to buy a bottle or five.

One of the most fascinating little gems in Astoria.
To save on some confusion here is the basic primers:
1. If you don’t have 30 minutes to sit, listen, be queried by the owner about any random topic, and do a wine tasting driven by him, then this is not the winery for you.
2. If you are expecting a traditional winery, this is not for you.
Else, our experience here was fascinating. We arrived and no one was at the winery. Rung a gong and Paul came out by himself. He owns, runs, and operates the entire winery from the building. When we started our tour he locked the front door so no one else would come in (seems a little scary at first) and he took us to the back and showed us the entire small operation while regaling us with stories of Astoria.
Afterwards he took us through the four bottles of wine he owns and the story behind each one. Definitely the most unique wines I have tasted. Definitely an interesting experience.

Whey wine? Are you kidding me? Absolutely disgusting.
After being locked in (creepy) we were «treated» to a tour of his collectables… then on to the wine.
Wine made with milk? How on God’s green planet are you allowed to call this wine. After one disgusting wine after the next, the final «wine» is served in an ice cream cone. What the _​_​_​_​!?
He tried to force us to buy a bottle. I demanded he unlock the door and let us out.
What a Horrible experience!

An amazing experience, and educational too. Definitely worth a visit if you are in Astoria. The owner will show you his winemaking process and you get to taste unique non conventional wines

A must go, don’t come by in a hurry. Everything is amazing and like nothing you’ve had before.

I’ve been to many tasting rooms and this is by far the most unique experience of them all. The owner, Paul, is as informative about his winemaking as he is inquisitive about your personal occupations and backgrounds. Don’t expect classic wines here; he specializes in wines made from fruits and whey. The blackberry wine was truly wonderful, with authentic handpicked blackberry flavor and not too sweet. The fact is, you won’t find anything like this anywhere else, and the unique experience had here will be more memorable than most other winery visits.

Loved this stop, interesting wines, special guided tour for all patrons. A must do!

One of the best wine tastings I have ever been to. This guy is a true artist.

This is by far one of the best wineries of all time. The wine is unique, special and truly unlike anything you’ll ever try. The owner Paul, is an intriguing man full of stories, and observations. He will ask you what you do, and other personal questions, and makes notes of you in his records. He remember us when we came in this third time. He spends time every night reflecting on his customers for the day.
If you do not have an hour to spend there, go another time. He will refuse to sell to you if you don’t go on the 5 minute tour and then do the 45 minute tasting. Well worth it!!!
If you have the opportunity to go, do so. It’s an unforgettable experience with exquisite wine and a fascinating owner.

This is one of the most unique wineries that I have ever been to. We stopped by in the morning, to find out that it wasn’t open until 1pm. We came back at 2 to find a note on the door that said he was out until 2:30 and when we returned at 3:30, the noted said that he was in the process of making wine and we had to call to be let in. I thought «Well, this better be worth the wait» and it absolutely was!
The Shallon Winery is more than a place to taste and purchase wines, it is an experience. It is a tour, it is a glimpse into a small wine making operation, it is time in the presence of a man who is passionate about his art as well as educating every person who walks through his door.
The wines are pricey, but utterly unique and perfectly delicious. If you have a sweet tooth, the chocolate orange wine is the cream of the crop!

People go here while you can, we were here in 2010 when Paul was 85! Such a unique fun experience. Take your time though and be open minded!

If this winery were closer to Portland, this guy would be a millionare. Portlanders are super into one of a kind, local, unique wine and experiences, and there is nothing more unique and one of a kind than Shallon Winery. It’s a one man operation, he lovingly crafts fairly small batches with fresh local fruits, ages them and is from what I hear, the only distributor of whey wine that tastes good. Nutritional Wine, People! You walk in and are embraced under his wing as he gives you a quick tour of the winery and even gives some history about Astoria. I’m sure if you asked, he would produce even more information, and he is so sweet and quirky.
On to the wine and the tasting, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Whey wine, and if you don’t like whey, you won’t be dissapointed, it doesn’t have a very strong flavor, it’s like secret nutrition! Also, though the wine is made from fruit, it is not alarmingly sweet, so you sweet wine haters will be pleased too. I loved all of the wines, and the story between each one, about where the peaches were picked, that his is the only wine made with 100% peaches, that the blackberries are handpicked locally. We heard about the laws surrounding selling wine, the government even decides what colors the labels can be!
Our favorite wine was the cranberry wine, (We bought two of those) and an apple one. I would have taken home a lemon meringue but he still had to bottle that batch. Next time!
This was our favorite part of Astoria, and I am grateful to have been let in to this man’s business, hobby, passion and life.

I call him Passionate Paul. He is the the lone wolf of the fruit, whey and chocolate wines and he makes it all himself within his small lab! First, he will take you on a swift tour of his setup, discuss the history of the wine and of the wondrous building itself. Second, he will literally show you through the room window, his 6×6, one-​man lab then it is on to the wine tasting. You will sample approximately four or five different wines. I would say the most unique taste would be his chocolate orange wine that he pours into a small cake cone; upon first taste you will get a hint of chocolate liquor then when you bite into the cone, a blast of orange and more alcohol stings you. That taste reminded me of my childhood years when my mom would bring home that infamous yellow Whitman’s sample assorted chocolate box. The dark chocolate orange crème chew comes to mind. Nice stop going into Oregon…

Situated in downtown Astoia, this is a unique location for a winery. We were given the tour, along with a history lesson of Astoria by assistant Rod. Paul the owner was at the doctor.
This was followed up with a great «tasting» session. We picked up a bottle of the Chocolate Orange wine. Which was like eating a Chocolate Truffle! Also, got a bottle of the Cran Du Lait to have at Thanksgiving.
Prices were on the high medium side. But, not bad for the great taste and unique styles

This is the ONLY place in the world where you can get REAL chocolate wine! I discovered this tiny, quaint, one man run winery a few years ago while on the Trolley tour in Astoria. The guide mentioned we should check it out so we stumbled in, kids and all. I immediately fell inlove with the place and the owner! After a quick tour, he led us through the tasting with so much knowledge and heart behind every story told of the wines. It was a one in a lifetime experience. I took home a Lemon Merenge wine, Peach wine, Cranberry wine and of course the Chocolate wine!
I’ve been wanting to go back ever since! I told everyone; sisters, friends about this place and how if they ever go to Astoria they MUST go see the Shallon Winery! It’s the only place in the WORLD where you can get wine like that and once the owner passes, the secrets and recipes will go with him. So they’d better hurry!
When we booked our trip to Astoria this year I was SO nervous he wouldn’t be there any longer and the winery shut down. You can imagine my relief to see that he was still there, alive and well! I was so happy to see him! I just wished we lived closer so we could visit more often. Talking with him and sharing stories is a priceless experience! I left buying wine for myself and a friend who begged me to buy her a bottle of the infamous Chocolate Wine! :)