Willamette Valley ~ Wine Region

Oregon's climate and weather makes viticulture very difficult. Warmth and sun is limited, it rains considerably, and there's the constant threat of frost in the spring and fall. This is perfect weather for Christmas tree farms, not so much for grapevines. But... a struggling grapevine spends less energy on its own happiness (such as focusing on beautiful foliage) and more energy on reproduction (grape quality). So, while this can be a frustrating place for winemaking, it's rewarded with incredible results.

(This article was written for GrapeBunch, our weekly wine periodical. Click here to read the original!)

Oregon & Willamette Valley on "V is for Vino"

Willamette Valley is Oregon's most famous region, named after the Willamette River that runs through it, and it's on the 45th parallel north. That's the same latitude as France's Burgundy, where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay rule. So you can bet that Oregon's focus on these grapes is no coincidence. But now we're talking about taking one of the most fickle and difficult wine grapes to grow, Pinot Noir, and growing it in an already difficult place to grow grapes. This fact certainly makes you appreciate Oregon Pinot Noir much more.

VIEW WINE FOLLY'S WILLAMETTE VALLEY MAP

Although Oregon's official birthyear for their wine industry is listed as 1961, the first vineyards in Oregon were planted in Rogue Valley in 1854. Willamette Valley became an AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1983, but the Oregon wine industry didn't start to blossom until the early 2000's. Sure, they'd been producing award winning wines since the 60's, but the 00's is when they began to really take off. This is when Oregon winemakers abandoned French viticulture and winemaking methods to blaze the trail for what works best in this specific region of the world. This is also when the sub-regions within Willamette were mapped out. The most well known sub-region is Dundee Hills, where the first vines planted were Pinot Noir in 1965.

Pinot Noir is the #1 most planted grape in Willamette Valley (a whopping 57%!!!) with 21,344 acres planted, while Chardonnay comes in at #3 with 2,588 acres planted. So what's #2? It's none other than Pinot Gris with 5,117 acres planted, and done in the fuller French Pinot Gris style rather than the lighter Italian Pinot Grigio style. And Willamette Valley makes my favorite Pinot Gris in the world, hands down. It's soooo goooood. You gotta try it!

Stoller Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley

Stoller Pinot Noir is rich with deep cherries, bramble, warm spices, and firm tannin.
Pairing: Pulled pork.

This article was written for The GrapeBunch Wine Periodical.

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Joey Casco
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Certified Specialist of Wine
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