Wine With Everything? Grants Pass Has the “Everything”.
The Rogue Valley earned the #1 wine region ranking from the 2026 USA Today Reader’s Choice Awards, and the Rogue Valley Vintners Association wants you to feel inspired by their motto: “Wine With Everything”!
Grants Pass is the perfect basecamp for your wine weekend, sitting at the northern end of the valley and the entrance to two distinctive regions of the Rogue Valley AVA: the Applegate Valley AVA and the Illinois Valley. The Rogue Valley brings the “wine”, Grants Pass brings the “everything”.
Here’s what that looks like on the ground.
Wine With Mountain Biking
Start the morning on two wheels before the tasting rooms open. The Dollar Mountain Trail System sits just a short ride from downtown Grants Pass, with 11+ miles of purpose-built mountain bike trails ranging from beginner-friendly flow to terrain that’ll keep advanced riders honest. Burn the legs in the morning, earn the glass in the afternoon. It’s a formula that holds up.
Wine With Rafting
The Rogue River runs right through town, and Labor Day weekend falls squarely in prime rafting season. Flows are dam-regulated and reliable well into September, making this one of the most predictable stretches on the calendar. Half-day trips are the perfect complement to a wine weekend: enough whitewater to feel the adrenaline, back on dry land in time for afternoon tastings. Local outfitters through the Wild Rogue Outfitters Association have options for every skill level.
Wine With Hiking
The trails around Grants Pass and the Illinois Valley earn their keep in any season, but early September is something special: the heat is breaking, the light is golden, and the wildflowers have given way to late-summer color. The Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside and the Eight Dollar Mountain Boardwalk Trail are both short, accessible walks through genuinely remarkable ecosystems. For those wanting more elevation and a bigger view, London Peak Trail offers old-growth forest and ridge-top panoramas before you descend back to wine country.
Wine With Fishing
The Rogue River is legendary for its steelhead and salmon runs, and the fall season is when serious anglers start paying attention. September marks the beginning of the fall Chinook run, which is one of the most anticipated fishing events of the year in Southern Oregon. Local guides know these waters well. Spend the morning on the river, and then find the perfect wine pairing in the afternoon.
Wine With Paragliding
For a perspective on wine country that most visitors never see, AirXpansion offers tandem paragliding flights over the Southern Oregon landscape: vineyard-covered hillsides, the Rogue River corridor, and the surrounding mountain ridges all laid out below. It’s a hard experience to top, and it pairs surprisingly well with a bottle of Viognier afterward.
Wine With Spelunking
A scenic 50 mile drive from Grants Pass, the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve offers ranger-guided tours through a marble cave system carved by millions of years of dripping rainwater. Cool, otherworldly, and unlike anything else in the Pacific Northwest. The hard-core adventurers can step up their exploration with an exhilarating off-trail caving tour. Reward yourself with a stop at one of the Illinois Valley’s exceptional wineries (Foris Vineyards, Augustino Estate, Bridgeview, or Deer Creek Vineyard) on the way back.
Plan Your Long Weekend
The Wine With Everything: Labor Day Weekend Celebration runs September 4-7, 2026, with events at participating wineries throughout the Rogue Valley. For the full lineup of winery events and trip-planning information, visit roguevalleywine.com.
Find accommodations in Grants Pass, the perfect basecamp for a weekend of adventure and wine, at visitgrantspass.com/stay.
