All you oenophiles out there, gather round. The Urban Cork is Medford’s hip wine tasting bar, featuring more than 50 custom wines handcrafted by owner and longtime winemaker, Linda Donovan. Visitors have unparalleled access to almost 90 outstanding varietals that represent the wines of her more than 25 winery clients, and her own label, L. Donovan Wines. Tasters will experience viogniers and tempranillos to more unusual selections like touriga nacional and müller-thurgau. Wines are available for purchase by bottle or case in the tasting room, as well as through The Urban Cork Wine Club.

All wines are produced on site at Pallet Wine Company, her adjacent 21,000 sq. ft. urban winery custom crush facility, and are poured in the tasting room. Tailored to the needs of her small-scale vineyard and winery clients, these are truly local…grown and harvested from Ashland to Roseburg, and they express the terroir of their respective viticulture regions. 

In addition to grapes grown locally in Medford, Ashland, Jacksonville, the Applegate Valley and the surrounding areas, they also process and bottle wines from producers in the Illinois Valley, Central Oregon, the Willamette Valley, and Umpqua Valley.

Tasting and glass offerings are rotated frequently to ensure a unique experience. For wine lovers, The Urban Cork is a convenient starting or finishing point on your adventure of the local and regional wine scene, a gathering place for locals and visitors to unite over a great glass of wine, a venue for local music and events, and a center for wine education.

We also offer charcuterie (meat and cheese boards), perfect for sharing.

Wines Available for tasting:

L Donovan Wines:
Pick Me: Red & White (Great value/Quality)
Late Bloomer: Red & White (Unique varietal & blends with Great Value)
Le Jeune Chien (Ode to Linda’s dog, Fennigan) Sauvignon Blanc
L. Donovan

Wines by L Donovan Estate Grown at Valley View Orchards
>Mourvèdre 100% (Unique to see this wine as a stand alone)
> Rhone Blend Orchard Red contains four grapes: Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault, and Carignane
> Zinfandel

Custom Crush Varietals:
Mourvèdre 100%
Syrah
Pinotage
Tempranillo

Winery tours can sometimes be accommodated, so be sure to inquire when you visit the tasting room.

At Buttercloud Bakery & Cafe, an artisan bakery and restaurant co-owned by Ellen and Gibson Holub, the focus is on scratch-made food using high-quality ingredients. Located just one block from the weekly farmers market, the cafe sources organic produce and farm products from local farmers. The local theme continues with their use of everything from Rogue Creamery cheese and Siskiyou Honey Bees honey to locally roasted Evans Valley Roasting coffee beans and dark chocolate mocha syrup from Lillie Belle Farms.

Talk to any Butterpal (aka their bakery fans) and you’ll hear kudos about the menu item that made Buttercloud a favored destination: “breakfast & lunch sandwiches on housemade buttermilk biscuits.” Customer favorites include The Farmhouse (Fried egg, bacon, tomato and basil aioli) and Chicken & Chile (Chicken breast, cilantro mayo, roasted poblano pepper, Tillamook pepper jack cheese and tomato). The cafe also offers breakfast plates such as the Smoked Salmon Scramble, French Toast made with their biscuits and a healthy Kale and Avocado Breakfast Salad (topped with eggs).

Lunch offerings include sandwiches featuring beef brisket & pulled pork, scratch-made soups and a smoky Mac and Cheese. Make sure to save room for dessert, as they always have a selection of delectable desserts by the slice daily! Whole cakes are also available by pre-order only.

Read more about the Buttercloud Bakery story.

The Rogue Grape is Medford’s newest wine bar, pouring varietals exclusively from Southern Oregon’s growing list of boutique and long established wineries in a cozy setting.

Private parties and public events are held between original brick-walls and only the best of the Rogue Valley’s wines are served at The Rogue Grape. “We wanted to create a fun and hip place to enjoy wines of our region without the stuffiness or pretentiousness that can sometimes intimidate people who enjoy wine,” says owner of the Rogue Grape Natasha Hopkins.

The wine bar’s food menu was carefully designed to complement whichever type of wine the customer orders. The menu was created by Chef Justin Wolf, Hopkins, and her manager by discussing which types of food they like best with wine. “We are fortunate to have a Level One Sommelier, Audrey Smith, who helps with food pairings, tasting notes, and helps to direct our wine menu,” she adds. “What we did know is that we wanted to continue our intention of showcasing local ingredients and to be as seasonal as possible.”

Food options are tapas-style with a meat and cheese platter, a hummus plate with flatbread, and more. The food menu rotates with whichever wines featured or served at the Rogue Grape based on the time of year.