Wine Tasting and Rally Racing: The Oregon Trail Rally at Shadowbuck Winery
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Down the back roads of eastern Oregon, surrounded by rolling hills and fields, sits a farm expanding 500-acres. Taking up 50-acres is an estate vineyard, growing a variety of grapes meant for wine production. Located on the same property is Shadowbuck Winery. Shadowbuck is a boutique family run winery – established in 2011 – they are one of only a handful of wineries in the United States powered entirely by solar energy.
This award winning winery boasts a large variety of wines, from their signature Pinot Noir, to an Albarino.
This farm is one of several locations that the drivers of the Oregon Trail Rally race through. The Oregon Trail Rally is a three day rally event that begins in urban Portland and continues through the Columbia gorge. Bringing competitors from all over the Pacific Northwest, as well as top national competitors such as Travis Pastrana and Red Bull Rampage mountain bike multi-champion Brandon Semenuk.
These rally racers speed down the back roads of Oregon competing for the championship.
The rally was started by the Oregon Rally Group. The ORG was founded in 1955 by local rallyists all sharing a love for forest rally racing. As a way to establish a base for the rally activity in Oregon they began a yearly stage rally event named the Oregon Trail Rally. Starting as a one day event, it has now evolved to being a multi-day event with national attention.
“There’s a hierarchy of insanity in motor sports. Normal people think all racers are crazy. Folks who race sedans think people in open-wheel cars are nuts. People who race cars of any kind think motorcycle racers are absolutely off their meds. But there’s one group that everyone agrees is made up of the most extreme, the most daring, and absolutely craziest people in racing” – rally racers.
The 2025 OTR took place on May 16, and ran through May 18, starting at the Portland International Raceway.
The morning of May 18, all hands were on deck at the Shadowbuck Winery. As one of their biggest events of the year the staff and family were working hard to bring everything together. The tasting room was ready for excited rally enthusiasts to experience their unique selections of wine. Owner of Shadowbuck, Tom Peters, started roasting one of their own farm raised lambs early in the morning. And cars full of people were making their way down the dirt road leading to the winery.
As the morning wore on, guests started making their way to a lookout point at the edge of the farm where they could watch the cars race by. This spot overlooked a sharp corner known as the “Shadowbuck Splash” because of the splash caused by the cars racing through a large puddle that spans the entire road. Seeing the cars drive through this puddle was an exciting moment for the crowd, watching as the cars were engulfed by water and then emerging on the other side like they were in a high stakes movie. Many of the cars lost bumpers or other pieces at this point. One car even started smoking and stalled for a moment, before they were able to continue on their way as the crowd cheered them on.
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The rally racers drove through this area twice, one time in the morning and once in the afternoon. Finishing in Dufur, Oregon where the awards would be given and drivers received a congratulatory bottle of Shadowbuck wine.
The Oregon Trail Rally is both an exciting event for rally racing enthusiasts and an amazing opportunity to experience the rolling hills of eastern Oregon while tasting wine. For those with a love of wine and an interest in rally racing, seeing the OTR from Shadowbuck Winery is not something to miss.
At a Glance:
The Oregon Trail Rally
Where: Shadowbuck Winery
When: May 16-18, 2025
What is it: The Oregon Trail Rally racers drive past Shadowbuck winery as they race through the PNW back roads.
Websites:
https://www.shadowbuckwinery.com/
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