Kristin Hill Winery

Eric and Linda Aberg were career US military, with a long assignment in West Germany near the terraced vineyards of the Mosel and Rhine. When they retired in the 1980s they went looking for a place to make German-style wine in Oregon, bought a property north of Amity, and planted their first acre of Gewürztraminer in 1985. Over the next twelve years they added Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris across roughly 26 acres. Eric taught himself winemaking off a single viticulture class and became locally known for méthode champenoise sparkling — including a cherry-infused dry sparkler called Fizzy Lizzy that people still ask after. The Abergs were among the founding members of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA.

Dave and Briana Rasmussen bought the property in December 2017 as newlyweds. They already ran two labels — Purple Cow Vineyards and VinTyr Wines, the latter dedicated to big reds and made until then in an industrial space off Newberg’s main drag — and wanted all three under one roof. Most people who looked at the property said to bulldoze it. The Rasmussens saw a winery in good shape and 19 acres that just needed care.

They kept the name deliberately. Longtime visitors still stop in to share memories of tasting with Eric and Linda, and that history is treated as part of the place rather than something to paint over.

The estate sits at the junction of Highway 99W and Highway 233, a crossroads that puts it on the way to several AVAs. Winemaking follows old-world method with traditional European oak barrel aging. The range spans whites, reds, rosé, and sparkling. A third generation is now involved: Soren and Lauren Rasmussen joined the business in 2025.

Two campsites are available on the property through Harvest Hosts and Hipcamp, level and shaded under a large oak, with no hookups. Tuffy, a Great Pyrenees, is usually on hand.