Olea Vineyards opens Old Town Sherwood tasting room

SHERWOOD, Ore. — Olea Vineyards is bringing its wine country experience into the heart of Sherwood with the opening of a new tasting room in Old Town.

The family-owned winery celebrated the grand opening of its downtown location at 16017 S.W. First St. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 8. The new tasting room, which shares a space with Mosaic Arts Loft, welcomes walk-in visitors, while Olea's original tasting room on Parrett Mountain will transition into a members-only lounge and venue for special events.

Tom Melilo and his wife Melinda are the owners of Olea Vineyards.

“We wanted to bring our experience from our vineyard tasting room down to Old Town, we thought it would be a better way to connect with people,” Melillo said. “No reservations are required, and we just wanted to create a safe, comfortable space for people to relax and enjoy wine.”

The tasting room is open Fridays from 3-7 p.m., Saturdays from noon-6 p.m., and Sundays from noon-5 p.m.

“The nice thing is when we're here, they're usually not, and when they have their classes in session, we're not,” Melillo said. “It's a great common space because we get to see all the artwork that they create, and we get to share all those experiences with them too.”

According to Melillo, Olea’s most popular vintages are the sparkling rosé, big reds, and estate pinot.

“They've worked very hard to make this happen. They had a vision, and they made that vision come to reality, and this is what we get in downtown Sherwood,’ said Dave Murray, executive director of the Sherwood Area Chamber of Commerce. “It's a delight and a pleasure to welcome them here.”

Melillo said they first launched Olea Vineyards in 2013.

“This is a new chapter in our vision,” Melillo said. “We started hosting people up at our property, and to have a place where we can share those experiences down here in Old Town Sherwood is really exciting for us.”

At the ribbon-cutting, Melillo thanked the Chamber members, city staff, and other local wineries for being mentors and friends, and said that Melinda’s vision and support helped them reach the finish line.

Melinda said Brad and Ann Brucker, owners of Mosaic Arts Loft, treated them as partners more than tenants.

“They were always there to help us out and lead us in the right direction, and I’m very blessed to be part of what they've created,” Melinda said. “This building has taken a huge amount of work and creativity and patience, and (Brad and Ann) are amazing to have that in their souls.”

Olea Vineyards Tasting Room

Where: 16017 S.W. First St.

When: Friday 3-7 p.m., Saturday noon-6 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.

Web: www.oleavineyards.com