Several Central Oregon businesses recently received Readers’ Choice awards in the USA Today 10Best annual polls across a plethora of lifestyle and travel categories.
Readers vote on the annual awards after a panel of experts, chosen by USA Today, nominates 20 finalists in each division. The news organization adds new categories regularly throughout the year, so people can vote for the top 10 nationwide in the areas of food and drink, travel, attractions, shopping and sports and the outdoors. Readers can cast one vote daily until a category closes.
Central Oregon is well represented across several divisions thus far for 2026, although more categories are still to be voted on before the year ends. And, with no further ado, the winners are…
Best Wine Shop
Viaggio Wine Merchant, located on Century Drive in Bend, placed fifth in the Best Wine Shop category. The independent boutique wine shop opened in 2023 and specializes in hand-selected wines from around the world, offering curated retail selections, educational tastings, wine-club memberships and special events.
“We are incredibly honored to be recognized,” said Benjamin Richardson, owner of Viaggio Wine Merchant. “This recognition is a reflection of the support we’ve received from our guests, wine club members, event attendees and the broader Bend community. We’re grateful for everyone who took the time to vote and be part of our journey.”
Taking the top spot in the Best Wine Shop division was Perry’s Fine Wines & Liquors in Palm Springs, California.
Best Fly Fishing Guide
Fly & Field Outfitters, which operates out of Bend, was voted fourth overall in the Best Fly Fishing Guide category. Fly & Field organizes trips on the Crooked, Deschutes and Fall rivers, and to the Cascade Lakes and Diamond Lake. The company also has two storefronts, including one at 35 SW Century Dr. and another on Venture Lane in Sunriver.
“Everyone’s pretty excited. It’s a really nice accolade to get for the fly shop and the guide service,” said Kyle Schenk, business operations manager for Fly and Field Outfitters. “We’re fortunate to have really good tenureship in our guides. We have 14 guides that operate across Central Oregon who work really hard for us, and it’s really great to see them being honored. And then there’s the back-office side of things with the fly-shop staff supporting those guys out on the water. It’s really great to see them all being recognized for their hard work.”
Schenk said he originally didn’t think the award was for real when he first heard about the USA Today selection for the company, which was founded in 1999.
“We were definitely surprised to see the nomination come through,” said Schenk. “We’ve been around a long time, and we just put our heads down and do our work. It’s an honor because we put a lot of hard work into it.”
Part of what he thinks sets Fly & Field apart is that everyone at the company works collaboratively to ensure each trip is “a really great, holistic experience on the water.”
Voted seventh in that same division was The Fly Fisher’s Place in Sisters, which also offers guided trips and has gear for sale at its Main Street storefront in Sisters.
First in that category was Blue Ribbon Angler from Boone, North Carolina.
Best New Brewery
Terranaut Beer, located on High Desert Lane in Bend, offers a rotating selection of fresh craft beer. It was recently voted sixth overall in the Best New Brewery category. No stranger to awards, Terranaut won the Small Brewery of the Year in the 2025 Oregon Beer Awards, after opening in 2024. Terranaut offers innovative craft beers and a fun vibe.
Hearth Brewing in Harrison, Ohio was voted top in the Best New Brewery category.
Best New Festival
Reggae Rise Up Oregon was sixth in the Best New Festival category. The three-day festival in Redmond, at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds, features a huge lineup of acts, and it’s part of a chain of Reggae Rise Up events that are held across the U.S. each summer, including in Florida, Nevada and Utah.
First place in the Best New Festival division went to Holy Smokes! Festival in Garrettsville, Ohio.
Best Winery Restaurant
Named the top Best Winery Restaurant was Portland’s Amaterra Winery, which has a Bend offshoot. The Amaterra Kitchen + Social Club is located on Bond Street and offers a tasting room and a full lunch and dinner menu.
Best Wine Tasting Room
Willamette Valley Vineyards won the 2026 Best Wine Club and Best Wine Tasting Room awards. Willamette Valley Vineyards, founded in 1983 in a former plum orchard in the Salem Hills in Marion County, outside of Salem, opened its Bend Tasting Room & Restaurant in December 2023.
Placing seventh in the Best Wine Tasting Room category was Stoller Family Estate, which is a 400-acre operation in Yamhill County, approximately 30 miles from Portland. Stoller has been named among the Best Tasting Rooms pool every year since 2018. Stoller also operates the Stoller Wine Bar in Bend, which offers a wide selection of Stoller wines and flights, cocktails, mocktails and food. It’s located in the former home of the Brooks-Scanlon Box Factory where scrap lumber was used to create shipping crates beginning in 1916.
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