A New Addition Is Under Construction At Elk Cove

PROJECTED TIMELINE: September 2023 – June 2024

In September 2023 we are breaking ground on new construction at Elk Cove, creating a modern, Northwest-style addition that takes full advantage of our beautiful site tucked into the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. We are keeping our current tasting room, also known as the Roosevelt Room, however, the original octagonal tasting room built in 1981, which operated as our Retail Shop from 2020-2023, is going away. In its place, we’re constructing a larger rectangular building with clean lines, big glass doors, high ceilings and generous covered patios designed to feature the sweeping views of our vineyards.

Design by Zane Johnson Architecture (ZJA) at The Grant Company

What is the concept behind this new space?

This new space is designed for both visitors and staff to appreciate the vineyard views from our hilltop winery located in the center of our Winery Estate property. About 1/3 of the new building features an elevated private tasting and event space built to host 30-50 guests overlooking our old vines. The other 2/3 of the new building is comprised of offices and meeting spaces for Elk Cove’s staff. The multiple-purpose aspect of the new space will help us adjust to recent growth in both Elk Cove staff and visitation.

Why do we need this new space?

By popular demand! Our previous event space, the Roosevelt Room, became our Tasting Room in 2020, so from 2020-2023 we operated without an indoor private event space. During our dry summers, we love doing outdoor galas and dinners on the lawn, but we miss having a year-round space for wine-focused events and celebrations. It’s been difficult to say no to wine club members and other fans of Elk Cove who have inquired about renting private space at Elk Cove for everything from rehearsal dinners to technical tastings to corporate presentations and anniversaries. Starting around July 2024, we’ll be able to say yes to more of these requests to hold events at Elk Cove.

The Roosevelt Room ready for a private event in 2013

The Roosevelt Room as our Tasting Room in 2023

Another reason for this addition is that our team has grown! Every year we plant 10-15 acres of vines so every year we produce a little more wine. Our team has grown in step with the growth of our vineyards. We have been functioning with the small same office spaces we carved out of our production space in the late 1990s. Back then, there were three of us in these small offices at any given time, but now we often have over a dozen people working in our offices, and larger meetings have spilled out into the Roosevelt Room or production space. We couldn’t have grown without our dedicated employees, many of whom have worked at Elk Cove for 10-20 years. These employees deserve a well-designed workplace with plenty of room to work and collaborate. With increasing demand for our wines, we anticipate hiring more in the future so the new space will also help us accommodate our need for work space.

Farewell to the old tasting room

We are saying goodbye to our well-loved old Tasting Room, a cozy octagonal space featuring an L-shaped bar where we have hosted thousands of visitors since its construction in 1981 by local builder Ken Haggard. Upon its opening, the old Elk Cove Tasting Room was one of just a handful of dedicated wine-tasting spaces in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Back then, we may have had the fanciest tasting room in Oregon, earning us the following recommendation in a 1984 guidebook:

“The handsome new winery with its octagonal, skylit tasting room complements the magnificent setting. No wonder that herds of Roosevelt elk migrate here every spring!”

– Touring the Wine Country of Oregon: All 46 Wineries Updated by Ronald and Glenda Holden

The Old Tasting Room when it was new, circa 1983

This space has gone through multiple transformations over the years, from rustic cedar walls to white drywall, from displays of Oregon State Fair awards and Elk taxidermy to being filled most recently with case stacks for our Retail Shop. Today, the old Elk Cove Tasting Room, although beautiful and full of memories, does not meet our needs. We will miss its beautiful skylights and roundabout views, but we will still treasure all of the old stories and photographs from our first 45 years of wine tastings.

A few photos from the old Elk Cove Tasting Room

So what will the new space be called?

We’re still deciding on a name. Project Elevate the Estate is our fun working title while we dream up a deserving title. Have a great idea for what the new space should be called? Let us know! What we do know, is that this new space space will host many visitors to Elk Cove over the next 40+ years, just as our old tasting room has. We look forward to hosting you and raising a glass to our beautiful vineyard views. Cheers!