In 1974 Pat and Joe Campbell drove up a gravel road to an overgrown homestead in the foothills of the Coast Range and decided to live in a trailer for a year while they planted it. They chose the property for its shallow soils, steep hilly ground and the view. They converted the homesteader’s barn into a winery, built a house from reclaimed lumber, and got friends up at weekends with the offer of manual labour and wine futures.
Joe worked nights in the emergency room and taught himself the science of winemaking from his academic background, collaborating with the handful of other Oregon growers trying the same thing. Pat ran the business. Both of them worked the vineyard and made the wine. Her great-grandfather had been a Swiss immigrant to Helvetia who grew grapes and made wine before prohibition, and her parents were orchardists at the foot of Mount Hood.
That winter a herd of forty Roosevelt elk bedded down in the clearing by the trailer. Between the elk and the protective bowl shape of the land, the property had its name. Winemaker Adam Campbell joined his parents in 1995 and the winery is still family owned.
Wines
A tasting room Elk Cove Vineyards can open from the cellar.
Vesper is live video and a checkout in the same window. Independent wineries broadcast from where the wine is actually made, talk through what is in the glass, and sell it direct without you leaving the stream. Most bottles worth knowing about never reach a shelf near you. This is how you meet them, and the people who made them, anyway.
- 1Follow, and get the call
Following Elk Cove Vineyards means a notification the moment they switch the camera on. Tastings are announced here, not buried in an email list.
- 2Watch and ask
The winemaker pours what is in front of them and talks through it. Chat is open, so the thing you actually wanted to know gets answered on camera.
- 3Buy direct, mid-pour
The wines being poured are purchasable on the spot. Elk Cove Vineyards is the seller of record and ships the order themselves. Vesper only earns a commission when a bottle sells.
Frequently asked
What is Vesper?
Vesper is a live tasting room for independent wineries. Wineries broadcast live video from the cellar or the vineyard, talk through what they are pouring, take questions in chat, and sell those wines direct in the same window. Elk Cove Vineyards is the seller of record and ships orders itself. Vesper takes a commission only when a bottle sells.
Where is Elk Cove Vineyards located?
Elk Cove Vineyards is based in Gaston, OR.
What wines does Elk Cove Vineyards make?
Elk Cove Vineyards produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, with vintages spanning 2022–2024.
Can I buy Elk Cove Vineyards wine online?
Yes. You can buy Elk Cove Vineyards's wines directly on Vesper, ranging from $20.00 to $105.00. The winery ships your order directly.
Does Elk Cove Vineyards host live tastings?
Elk Cove Vineyards can host live tastings on Vesper where you watch the winemaker pour and buy featured wines as they're presented.
Do I need a ticket or a reservation to join a tasting?
No. Live tastings on Vesper are free to watch and open to anyone. Follow Elk Cove Vineyards and you are notified when they go on camera. You only pay if you decide to buy a wine.
Who ships my order, and who am I buying from?
Elk Cove Vineyards. On Vesper the winery is the merchant of record: it sets the price, takes the order, and ships the wine directly to you. Vesper handles the video, the checkout, and the payment, and earns a commission on the sale.
Be in the room when Elk Cove Vineyards pours
Following puts you on the list for their next live tasting. Watch from wherever you are, ask the winemaker anything while the bottle is open, and buy direct from the winery in the same window.