Oregon - Willamette Valley

Bi-Pinot Land

I recently did a review of a Pinot Noir from Oregon, so I thought it would be helpful to do a post about Oregon wine. Winemaking is fairly new in Oregon, but it is growing rapidly. As you probably figured out at this point, I really enjoy regions that offer good value wine; and Oregon definitely is a good place to find quality wines that do not have the California prices. 

Oregon is a great region for people who enjoy Pinot Noir, but do not enjoy the heavy and overtly fruity Pinot Noirs of California. The reason for the generally lighter wines of Oregon occur from the cooler climate because of the cool ocean influences of the Pacific. The Ocean influence brings lower temperatures and rain. In California many of the wine regions are further inland and high mountains limit the cool winds from the Pacific from reaching the interior valleys. 

Oregon's Pinot Noirs, the state's flagship wine, is highly respected in wine circles. This grape variety needs cool climates to perform at its best, and a vast majority of the state's wineries make this wine. Generally, Oregon Pinot Noirs have characteristics of black-fruit aromas and flavors, with lots of depth and complexity. They are usually lighter in alcohol compared to California Pinot Noirs and for that reason not as heavy on the palate. 

Red wine encompasses a slight majority of Oregon's wine production; with white plantings Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Riesling making the majority of white plantings. Oregon's Chardonnays have been greatly improving in quality over the years after they replanted vineyards with French clones suited for cooler weather, instead of the California clones that were created for the warm climates. If you enjoy the crispness of French Chardonnay, Oregon is definitely a place to search for a similar style of wine. 

Surprisingly there is a white wine grape that out-produces the hugely popular Chardonnay variety, and it is Pinot Gris. A natural mutation of its ancestor, Pinot Noir, the Pinot Gris variety has grapes that are normally pale pink-yellowish in color when ripe. Almost every winery in the Willamette (Wil-lam-et) Valley, Oregon's most important wine region, makes Pinot Gris, along with Pinot Noir. Two styles of Oregon Pinot Gris exist:

• A lighter, fruity style (for which the grapes are picked early) - always made without oak; these wines can be consumed as soon as six to eight months after the autumn harvest.
• A medium-bodied, golden colored wine from grapes left longer on the vine, which sometimes has a little oak aging; these wines can age for five to six years or sometimes longer in a good vintage. 

In general, Oregon Pinot Gris is light to medium-bodied with aromas reminiscent of pears, apples, and sometimes of melon, and surprising depth for an inexpensive wine. It is an excellent food wine, even when it is slightly sweet; it works especially well with seafood and salmon - just the kind of food that Oregon is often associated. Most Oregon Pinot Gris are lower than $20 a bottle with quality ones that are just over $10. 

The main home of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris in Oregon is the Willamette Valley, directly south of Portland in northwestern Oregon. The Willamette Valley has established itself in the last 40 years as the most important wine region in Oregon; in fact, a majority of the state's winemakers are concentrated in the valley; all of them produce Pinot Noir. 

Willamette Valley is huge and encompasses several counties, Yamhill County, directly southwest of Portland, has the greatest concentration of wineries, all of which produce Pinot Noir. But quite a few wineries are located in Washington County, west of Portland, and in Polk County, south of Yamhill. In addition to the general Willametter Valley AVA (American wine origination designation), there are six specific AVAs that now exist in the Willamette Valley: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton District, Ribbon Ridge, McMinnville Foothils, and Eola-Amity Hills. The diverse soils of the Willamette Valley have inspired winemakes to differentiate the area and formalize these AVAs. 

Two other wine areas of some importance in Oregon are Umpqua Valley and the Rogue River Valley. Both these areas produce Pinot Noir, but also grow other international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon because the warmer weather. 

I hope everyone enjoys this post, for I believe Oregon is a great place to find lighter American Pinot Noir and interesting Pinot Gris at lower prices. 

Wikipedia Link if you would like to start looking up more information.