Oregon settlers first planted grapes in the early 1800's but they were likely of the American Vitis lambrusca species, which is mainly used for table grapes, raisins, and preserves. They did make wine from those grapes, but it was mostly used for consumption as food. The European Vitis vinifera species, wine grapes, wouldn't be officially recorded as being planted until the 1854 when Peter Britt planted them in Rogue River Valley and founded Oregon's first winery, Valley View Winery.
(This article was written for GrapeBunch, our weekly wine periodical. Click here to read the original!)
From there, Oregon showed promise as an excellent place to make wine. In 1904, Ernest Reuter earned the the first award given to an Oregon wine, winning silver for his Riesling. But then in 1916 prohibition hit Oregon four years before it was forced nationally.
After the repeal of prohibition in late 1933, it took awhile for Oregon to get back into producing wine again. 1961 saw Richard Sommer plant a bunch of vitis vinifera vine varieties on his HillCrest Vineyard in Umpqua Valley, kicking off the start of the comeback. He would bottle Oregon's first vintage of Pinot Noir in 1967. Two year's prior (1965), Pinot Noir had just been planted in Willamette Valley for the first time by David Lett. So many people and families in the 60's and 70's helped pioneer the Oregon wine industry, and many who build upon that after, to make it is what it is today. Check out this fascinating timeline of wine history in Oregon by Oregonwine.org.
Today, Oregon is known for producing Pinot's: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay (Chard is an offspring of Pinot Noir). It also produces quite a bit of Riesling, too. Meanwhile, its Washington State neighbor to the north has a much wider range of varieties. The reason for this is the location of the vineyards. The climate is just so darn good for Pinot's that they've fully embraced it.
The big wine region for this state is Willamette Valley, which is between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains. This is the Burgundy of the United States.
Willamette Valley's volcanic soil makes it a great place for all sorts of crops, and it's also a hotspot for growing Christmas trees. But the conditions that the ocean and mountains create, such as temperature and cloud cover, as well as sharing a similar latitude, make it very similar in climate to that of Burgundy, France. So Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are a natural fit! And as time goes on, Pinot Gris has become more of a flagship white for Oregon than Chardonnay.
Some place you may see Oregon wines from outside of Willamette are Umpqua Valley, Rogue Valley, and Columbia Valley. And yes, that is the same Columbia Valley in Washington State. The region crosses over into Oregon, and this is where you'll see varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon come out of Oregon.
Oregon's Pinot Noir is very "Burgundian", as they say, but also has its own uniqueness. Oregon Pinot Noir tends to be less acidic, have a bit more weight, and can be earthier than Burgundian Pinots. Firesteed Pinot Noir pops with cherries, cranberries, toasted oak, and mouthwatering acidity. Pairing: Grilled veal chops.
Joey Casco
Beverage Marketer
Certified Specialist of Wine
Certified Specialist of Spirits
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