Casa Roco Casa Roco Northeast Hendricks Road, just outside Carlton, Oregon, rises above Marsh Estate Vineyard. (Michael Alberty/Michael Alberty/For The Oregonian) 
Casa Roco Guests enjoy Casa Roco’s outdoor patio on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Casa Roco is located on Northeast Hendricks Road, just outside Carlton, Oregon. (Michael Alberty/Michael Alberty/For The Oregonian) 
Casa Roco Yes, Virginia, they serve Italian pinot noir at Casa Roco on Northeast Hendricks Road, just outside Carlton, Oregon. (Michael Alberty/Michael Alberty/For The Oregonian) 
Casa Roco Mediterranean cypress trees line the road as you approach Casa Roco on Northeast Hendricks Road, just outside Carlton, Oregon. (Michael Alberty/Michael Alberty/For The Oregonian) 
Casa Roco Each parking space at Casa Roco is like a miniature bocce court covered in crushed gravel. Casa Roco is located on Northeast Hendricks Road, just outside Carlton, Oregon. (Michael Alberty/Michael Alberty/For The Oregonian) 
Casa Roco Beautiful views hide around every corner at Casa Roco on Northeast Hendricks Road, just outside Carlton, Oregon. (Michael Alberty/Michael Alberty/For The Oregonian) 
Casa Roco Casa Roco is located on Northeast Hendricks Road, just outside Carlton, Oregon. (Michael Alberty/Michael Alberty/For The Oregonian) 
Casa Roco It’s always a nice day for a round of bocce at Casa Roco. (John Valls/John Valls) 
Casa Roco Casa Roco’s tasting room has a distinctly Tuscan palazzo vibe. (Herita USA/Herita USA) 
Casa Roco Casa Roco’s library room is a delightful location for a wine tasting. (Devin White/Devin White) 
Casa Roco Along with an assortment of antipasti, chef Mason Goucher is making some of Oregon’s best pizza at Casa Roco’s new tasting room. (Devin White/Devin White) 
Casa Roco The opportunity to taste Oregon and Italian wines side-by-side is one of Casa Roco’s major appeals. (John Valls/John Valls)
Casa Roco in Carlton, Oregon, was my favorite wine tasting stop this summer. The newly opened hospitality center is where Willamette Valley flavor meets Italian flair, and I can’t wait to return.
Casa Roco replaces Roco Winery’s tasting room on Northeast Red Hills Road in Newberg. Corby Stonebraker-Soles and Rollin Soles founded Roco in 2003, and for the past 23 years they have produced world-class sparkling wines, pinot noir and chardonnay. That’s the Willamette flavor.
The Italian flair arrived in 2021, when the Soleses sold Roco Winery to Herita USA, a subsidiary of the Venice, Italy-based Marzotto Wine Estates. Roco is the Marzotto family’s first winery outside Italy in the company’s 91-year history. Rollin Soles and assistant winemaker Jarod Sleet continue to make Roco’s wines.
Eager to upgrade Roco’s tasting facilities, Herita USA purchased a 52-acre property in 2025 from Pat and Doug Marsh. The acquisition included the 23-acre estate vineyard the Marshes planted in 2007, as well as the 10,000-square-foot Tuscan-style villa they built as a residence. That structure is now home to Casa Roco.
The drive to Casa Roco is like approaching a Tuscan hilltown, right down to the Mediterranean cypress trees lining the road. Even the parking spaces, with their well-manicured crushed gravel surfaces, look like a game of bocce could break out in one of them at any moment.
Walking past a beautiful fountain to Casa Roco’s front door has the feel of walking through a piazza. Once inside, the tasting room’s Tuscan vibe, from the art on the walls to the aromas from the pizza oven in the wall, had me dreaming of my grandmother’s pomarola sauce. I felt closer to Cortona, Italy, than Carlton, Oregon.
Casa Roco can accommodate 80 guests indoors, with seating for another 40 people in the outdoor areas. The patio area offers panoramic views of the vineyard and easy access to a regulation-sized bocce court that keeps players out of the parking spaces.
Once seated, you can choose from three tasting flight options. Each flight includes pours from five wines for $40 or $50. A tasting fee will be waived with a two-bottle purchase. Wines are also available by the glass and bottle if you care to freestyle.
The Portfolio flight includes the Santa Margherita & LoveShackFancy Rosé, an Italian blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot nero, as well as a pair of chardonnays and pinot noirs from Roco. The rosé pairs well with the antipasti menu’s bruschetta topped with cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil.
Looking for bubbles? The Diamond flight offers five stellar sparkling wines from Roco and Herita USA’s portfolio. This flight offers a rare chance to taste Roco’s 2015 RMS 10-Year Brut Delayed Disgorgement sparkling wine. Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s editorial staff named the 2013 vintage of this sparkler the “top wine in the world” in 2024.
Finally, the Taste of Italy flight features wines imported by Herita USA. My favorite from this flight is the Ca’ del Bosco Cuvée Prestige Edizione 48 Franciacorta DOCG. This sparkling wine from Italy’s Lombardy region pairs beautifully with Casa Roco’s toasted filberts seasoned with fennel and sea salt.
Casa Roco’s executive chef is Mason Goucher, an ōkta alum with a strong reputation in the Willamette Valley food scene. While the antipasti and gelato on his menu are uniformly excellent, Casa Roco’s pizza is on par with the pies in Portland.
Casa Roco’s eight-inch pizzas are made using an old Marzotto family recipe that would make any nonna proud. Even the sourdough starter came from Italy.
The vegetarian pizza featuring mozzarella di buffala, fresh basil, Calabrian chili and sautéed zucchini made me particularly happy, especially when paired with a glass of the 2019 Ca’ del Bosco Pinéro Sebino. It turns out that Italian pinot noir and pizza is a mighty fine combination.
Need another reason to visit Casa Roco? Check out their “Shellabration” event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept 26. A $75 ticket gets you a flight of three RMS sparkling wines, including the debut of the 2016 RMS Brut 10-Year Delayed Disgorgement, a dozen fresh-shucked oysters, raw or fried, French fries and an assortment of house-made mignonettes and sauces.
I can’t think of a better place than Casa Roco to kick back, sip some wine and greet autumn’s arrival.
11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily, 11425 N.E. Hendricks Road, Carlton, rocowinery.com or tastingroom@rocowinery.com.
