Oregon | Wine Terms - WineTasteTV

WINE TERMS

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Oregon

Along with Washington and Idaho, Oregon makes up the region known as the Pacific Northwest. Although grapes were planted here in the nineteenth century, most of the vineyards were abandoned during PROHIBITION. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that Oregon was viewed as a promising site for vineyards, particularly for cooler climate varieties like RIESLING, which Richard Sommer planted at his Hillcrest Vineyard in 1961, and PINOT NOIR, which has become this state’s most celebrated grape. David Lett of Eyrie Vineyard first demonstrated the promising marriage of Oregon and Pinot Noir with his 1975 vintage, which showed extremely well in a 1979 BLIND TASTING with a number of wines from BURGUNDY. Today, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and CHARDONNAY are Oregon’s most popular grape varieties, followed by PINOT GRIS. Other grapes planted in smaller amounts include CABERNET SAUVIGNON, GEWÜRZTRAMINER, MÜLLER-THURGAU, SÉMILLON, SYRAH, and ZINFANDEL. The best growing areas are situated between the coastal range to the west and the Cascade Mountains to the east, running from north of the city of Portland to the south. There are six approved AVAs in Oregon. The WILLAMETTE VALLEY AVA is in the northern portion, starting north of Portland and stretching to just south of Eugene. The UMPQUA VALLEY AVA is just south of the Willamette Valley and encompasses the towns of Umpqua and Roseburg. Just before the California border and west of Medford and Ashland is a smaller area, ROGUE VALLEY AVA and its subzone, APPLEGATE VALLEY AVA. Although primarily associated with the state of Washington, the COLUMBIA VALLEY AVA and WALLA WALLA AVA both have portions that extend into northern Oregon. At this writing, there are six new AVA areas under consideration, all in the north Willamette Valley—Chehalem Mountains, Eola Hills, McMinnville Foothills, Red Hills of Dundee, Ribbon Ridge, and the Yamhill-Carlton District. Oregon has over 11,000 acres of vineyards and is adding wineries at a rapid pace; soon it will have over 200. A majority of these are located in the northern part of the Willamette Valley, where Pinot Noir is king. In Oregon, a VARIETAL WINE must contain at least 90 percent of the named variety, except for Cabernet Sauvignon, which requires only 75 percent. Wines labeled with a named region must contain 100 percent of the wine from that region.

Related Links: Applegate Valley AVA, Prohibition, Riesling

Email Icon E-Mail | Digg Icon Digg this! | del.icio.us