Oregon Wines

Although wine has been made here since the 1800s, the success of Oregon is largely down to the Californian wine pioneers of the late 1960s. Until those days, this region, and in particular, the now premium Willamette Valley was deemed too cold to grow grapes. However, Californian Pinot Noir lovers on the hunt for more Burgundian climes, settled on the Dundee Hills AVA. In the Wine Olympics of 1979, an Oregon wine came 10th in the world Pinot Noir category putting the region firmly on the world stage. Famous Burgundy producer Robert Drouhin, of Domaine Joseph Drouhin, organised a rematch where the 1975 Oregon Pinot came second behind a 1959 Chambolle-Musigny - it caused quite the stir and led to Drouhin purchasing Oregon land and creating a stateside winery that continues to be run by the family today.

Important Grape Varieties And Wine Styles Of Oregon

Pinot Noir is king here, with around 60% of plantings in the whole state. Many of the winemaking practices mirror Burgundy, with a host of small, family wineries, rather than large-scale operations. The typical weather means long, moderate summers, wet springs and autumns, and frost in the winter, but the producers have learnt to adapt vineyard and winemaking techniques to help improve vintage consistency.

Pinot Gris, as the second most planted, has long been popular in making aromatic wines, but this is slowly being caught up by Chardonnay plantings now, which are also in the Burgundian style. Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer are also making some lovely aromatic whites, along with smaller plantings of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot on the red side.

Oregon Wine Regions

Most of Oregon's wine regions are near the Pacific, benefitting from cooling ocean breezes and long sunshine hours in the growing season. Still, there is a complex mixture of topography, geology and mesoclimates, which has led to the creation of 19 different AVAs (American Viticultural Areas). The important ones are:

Willamette Valley AVA

• Dundee Hills AVA
• Chehalem Mountains AVA
• Ribbon Ridge AVA
• Yamhill-Carlton District AVA
• Eola-Amity Hills AVA

Southern Oregon AVA

• Umpqua Valley AVA
• Rogue Valley AVA

Shared State AVAs

• Walla Walla Valley AVA
• Columbia Gorge AVA
• Columbia Valley AVA