Wine Dirt

My college girlfriends and I met in Portland for our annual getaway. Our tour with Wine Dirt was such a highlight for us. Mary picked us up at our VRBO rental in a Portland neighborhood in a roomy new and comfortable van. She was a delightful and fun person who shared her expertise about the wines of the area. She had selected four wonderful wineries for us to visit. The tasting fees and a delicious lunch were included in the price of the tour. We just loved the tastings and the scenery of the area. I came away with such an appreciation of pinot noir and the beauty of that region. Highly recommended!

On a week long family vacation to Portland, this wine tour was truly one of the highlights of my trip. Mary picked us up from where we were staying and we headed out to the first vineyard in Dundee.(I think), she knew staff from each of the four vineyards we visited which made me feel more welcome in the tasting rooms since she knew what was going on. Her knowledge of the individual vineyards was also educational and she could give a lot of background info on each one. The wines were super tasty for the most part at the vineyards we visited, and the tour was well spaced out/​I never felt rushed at any of the stops along our trip.
The best part of the entire tour was the lunch– the sandwiches may have been some of the best food I ate in Portland and some of the best food I have eaten in a long time period. I also have food allergies and Mary was helpful and accommodating to make sure I had a lunch I could safely eat. The lunch was also filling enough to keep food in my belly so I could keep drinking all the wine without feeling yucky. Btw if you order the turkey or veggie sandwich you are making a wise choice!
I believe the tastings were included in the cost of the tour per person, making these tours a better value than some of the others where you need to pay at each vineyard in addition to the cost of the tour. So all in all if you are looking to have a fun day and taste the best Pinot Noir’s in the US (at least according to some girl *ahem me* on Unilocal ;)) look no further than WineDirt.

My girlfriends and I recently visited Portland to celebrate our birthdays. We came across Wine Dirt through the Portland Travel magazine and I cannot tell you how glad I am that we did! From my initial inquiry — Mary was unbelievably accommodating and courteous! She picked us up at our place in the city and took us to 4 wonderful wine tastings in the Williamette Valley. Each venue was spectacular in its special way. She was refreshingly insightful — clearly had a ton of knowledge about wine and was all together super. She even provided myself (a gluten free vegan) with homemade hummus!!! HIGHLY recommend you booking with them. You will not be disappointed. Cannot thank Mary enough for a spectacular birthday celebration.

What a insightful and delicious experience we had with Wine Dirt! The tour was very competitively priced at $ 130/​each for two people which included a delicious lunch and all wine tasting fees. Mary, the owner and tour guide, is extremely knowledgable about wine as she is a long time winemaker and entrepreneur. We toured four wineries that were thoughtfully chosen to give us the best experience for the group’s taste. At each winery, Mary offered fascinating insight about the varietals we tasted. Asking questions piqued her interest as she shared knowledge about the various wines we tried. She even picked us up in Vancouver, WA which was a huge plus. Great deal all around.

I booked a wine tour with Mary for my friends bachelorette party and it completely exceeded my expectations. She picked us up at our hotel in Portland and took us to 4 great winery’s, we had amazing service at each one. Since we don’t know the area that well Mary was more then happy to pick out the winery’s for us. She was very easy to work with during the planning process. Mary was very knowledgeable about wines and was happy to answer all our questions. Lunch was included with the tour and it was delicious. I would recommend this wine tour to anybody. Thanks for the great time!

I was lucky enough to be invited on a tour with Wine Dirt, and it was absolutely great. Not only does she know where to go and how to discuss wine, she is on excellent terms with the servers and purveyors of some of the best wines I’ve ever had. Fully recommended.

If you are visiting the Portland area, book this tour. It is a bargain once you take into consideration everything that is included: transportation from your hotel to whichever wine region you choose, a delightful picnic lunch, bottled water, flight tastings at every winery that is visited and, most importantly, a tour guide (Mary) who also happens to be a wine expert, teacher, and all around great person. There are approximately 400 wineries in Willamette Valley. To me, having the benefit of Mary choosing the four wineries to bring us to was priceless. Each one that she brought us to had its own special, unique charm. One had breathtaking views of the valley, one was owned by an artist whose paintings hung throughout the winery, another one was cozy, friendly and serene, all had fantastic wines. In one day, thanks to Mary, we were introduced to one of the most amazing wine regions in the world, tasted the best pinots and reislings to date, met a great group of other people participating in the tour, and enjoyed a most memorable day in Oregon.

We spent the day with Mary touring Dundee wine country and it was great! She picked us up at our place in Portland and took us out. Our lunch was delicious, a sandwich, cookie and chips from a market in Dundee and she had water for us along the way. We enjoyed chatting with her and learning about the wine. She was the perfect guide, very knowledgable about all things wine and professional. Another great thing about Mary is she new all of the people at the wineries.
I would definitely use this service again! I won’t try anyone else. It is great to Mary is out there!

Wonderful tour. We had all descended into Portland for a destination wedding. This tour and time spent with friends on it may have trumped the nuptials. Since our crew appreciates good vino, we could not pass up time touring the Willamette Valley. After research of many operators, we settled with Wine Dirt and Mary did not disappoint. We hit up four wineries — the 4^th we changed on the fly (Four Graces), and Mary got us in. Our lunch, at a local spot in wine country, was awesome — artesian sandwiches paired with local wine we bought from that particular high end deli. Mary dealt deftly with my group’s increasingly raucous and rambunctious behavior and even accommodated an in situ bio break at a McDs on the way back to the city proper.
Long story short… Wine Dirt was a professional and particular service provider. If you are a wine genius or just like to drink — check this tour operator out. They will give you a day’s (customized) experience that is worthy.

What a perfect experience! Mary’s wealth of wine knowledge coupled with her intuition and extra touches made for the best wine tour I have been on. Thank you Mary, you are amazing. Now we have to figure out how to get this wine to New Zealand. ;)

I used Mary’s Wine Dirt Tours for my best friend’s Bachelorette party and it was fantastic! We had a fantastic day exploring the Columbia River Gorge and all of the wines it has to offer (which is many). Not only did Mary make sure that everything was fun and easy, but she was a wealth of knowledge as well. All of us had so much fun and found some amazing wineries that we would have never known about otherwise. If you’re looking someone who knows wine, loves wine, is laid back, and will give you the experience of a lifetime for a great price, Mary Sturdt is the lady to do it!
Mary thank you so much for making my best friend’s fling before the ring so unique, easy, and most of all memorable. We still haven’t stopped raving about it!

It’s important to have an idea of what kind of experience you’re looking for when you start researching wine tours. My sister and I did not have a lot of guidelines but wanted to have a personal tour where we didn’t feel rushed through tastings, and obviously we wanted to try some of the good (alright GREAT) pinots that the Willamette Valley is famous for. After looking on the web and reading Unilocal reviews Mary’s tour seemed like the best fit. One of the Unilocal reviews mentioned that they had a winery they wanted to check out but it turned out not to be as good as they hoped and that they should have been fine with Mary’s recommendations. We took that into consideration and it definitely paid off. Her motto is good wines, good vineyard views and good people to talk with in the tasting rooms. That equaled two very happy customers. We started with a tasting and a tour of the Sokol Blosser winery then headed over to Trisaetum, Colene Clemens and Rex Hill for tastings. We were very satisfied with our visits (and our purchases!) and the sandwiches for lunch (included in the tour) were also delicious. On a related note — I have to add that we took our trip in the fall which was really lovely as the colorful leaves enhanced the already beautiful vineyard views.

If you’re serious about wine, passionate about wine, want to learn more about wine, or just want a great wine-​centric experience, Mary Studt’s Wine Dirt tours are for you! Mary is an experienced winemaker and wine educator and her tours are much more than the usual «slurp fests» one encounters so often with other wine tasting services.
Recently my best friend and I traveled to Portland, a super food and wine destination, for the first time. We researched in advance many wine tour companies and selected Wine Dirt for a number of reasons. Mary accommodated us by customizing an itinerary based on our interests and tastes. Her tours showcase the wineries and include an educational component. Her rates are extremely competitive and we felt we’d get the most value from the type of wine-​tasting experience she offered.
There were several communications back and forth with Mary as we planned our trip and she was careful to consider all our requirements and expectations down to the smallest detail, including snacks and a picnic lunch.
On the day of the tour, we quickly realized that Mary was also a very funny person with a wry sense of humor and proved to be a most excellent hostess. She’s extremely approachable and we girls gabbed a lot as Mary drove us to each destination, having some hilarious GPS moments along the way.
I have wonderful memories of that gorgeous and special day and have Mary Studt to thank for it. I plan to visit Portland again and my future visit will definitely include another Wine Dirt tour!
BTW, Mary, if you read this, where are those photos?! :-)

I met Mary when she did a special wine tasting class during Philadelphia Restaurant Week — it was great! We had a small group of people, which made the class more intimate and fun. Mary was very knowledgeable about the wines we sampled and was very glad to answer any questions we had. The evening was fun and informative and if I am ever in the Portland area, I’d certainly recommend taking a class in her home base!