Hello friends...
Hello wine tasters!... Can I interest you in a little background read about Oregon wine country?
... OK...
The Oregon Wine Country... An Amazing Place... And A Wine Country Intro.
Burgundy represents the pinnacle of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Yet, prestigious Burgundy producers are spreading their wine making skills across the pond to Willamette Valley. What lures these world-class winemakers to the new world?
There is a soul, an inspiration, a source of energy in Willamette Valley, it is engaging....a true energy on site, and a unique 'somewhereness'.
The Willamette Valley vineyards encompasses 30 thousand acres with geology dating back 15 million years, when lava flowed from northeast Oregon and eastern Idaho, and pushed into the Willamette Valley, covering all but the highest hills with up to 1000 feet of basalt.
Then, the catastrophic Missoula Floods 13 to 15 thousand years ago, deposited a blanket of sediment on land below 200 feet. Today, the 200 foot contour line defines the Willamette Valley soils.
Oregon has a wild geology, shaped by tectonic plates, volcanoes (A-K-A, Columbia River Basalt Group), ice age floods, wind and time.
And pinot noir is all about the place. It doesn't have an overriding varietal character that stamps the place, it is ALL about the place (the mother rock), it's a blank canvas.
There is no food or beverage on the planet that connects you with place more than pinot noir.
And this place and its varied geology is the reason why the Northern Willamette Valley is an excellent area for growing grapevines. Today, the three dominant soil types (or mother rock) for growing Pinot Noir in this region are, Willakenzie (or Marine Sediment), Laurelwood (or Windblown Silt) and Jory Volcanic Clay.
When the pioneers of Oregon Pinot Noir arrived in the Willamette Valley in the late 1960's they recognized that the nourishing volcanic and ocean/lake sedimentary soils and the climate, were perfect for cool climate viticulture.
It is this mother rock which gives our wines its character (see Ken Wright video). Volcanic mother rock will be typically fruity (berry) wines (Dundee for example), whereas marine sediment mother rock, being completely different, will give you spice & floral; violet, anise, clove, chocolate & tobacco (Yamhill/Carlton & Ribbon Ridge for example).
Some terroirs speak in gradations of nuance, Burgundy for instance. The Willamette Valley is another. The famous wine-growing region in Oregon was named an American Viticulture Area (A-V-A) in 1984, and now has 6 main sub A-V-A and a number of other lesser-known A-V-A, known as the wine routes, to reflect the differing gradations of nuance. The different A-V-A were created based on their mother rock, not their soil.
The Willamette Valley enjoys a long, late growing season, perfectly suited for world class Pinot Noir. Oregon is the premier Pinot Noir wine growing region in the world; as no other area except Burgundy, has a climate as ideal for producing this complex, elegant red wine!
It's a young wine growing region, and Oregon wines are considered to be rare, as you can put the entire Oregon production of about 22,000 acres, into 1 large-sized California winery. But it's estimated there is the potential of 100 thousand acres in the future.
This Valley is eerily similar to the Napa Valley of 70 years ago; but cooler, and filled with orchards before the vineyards came. It is a potential paradise for wine production.
The winemakers produce mostly Pinot Noir (70%) with Pinot Gris (15%), Chardonnay, Reisling, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Muller Thurgau and other white wines. Other delicious red wines include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah & Zinfandel, typically from vineyards in southern Oregon and eastern Washington.
Now with over 730 wineries in Oregon, it's still a small-scale, artisan wine making environment, where the winemakers who tend their own vines and live next door to their vineyards, are called Vēn-ye-rōns. The Willamette Valley is full of Vēn-ye-rōns.
The Willamette and Tualatin Valleys, (which is the gateway for the Willamette Valley's bounty going to Portland that shapes wine country's very Northern tip), charming towns will embrace you with extraordinary hospitality. It's the way the Wine Country used to be -- Un-crowded and Unpretentious.
Authentic wine, food, and people. The original winemakers began in the 1960s with no wine making experience, no business skills and no money. But the 10 original families stuck together, and focused on quality right from the beginning, and the pinot noir grape.
Most people stay in the tasting room while visiting wine country. But here are things you should do while visiting a winery:
"We will, on this tour, have a good road to drive on, something worthwhile to see, something worthwhile to eat, and some good wine to drink..."
Does anyone have any questions???
Hello wine tasters!... Can I interest you in a little background read about Oregon wine country?
... OK...
The Oregon Wine Country... An Amazing Place... And A Wine Country Intro.
Burgundy represents the pinnacle of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Yet, prestigious Burgundy producers are spreading their wine making skills across the pond to Willamette Valley. What lures these world-class winemakers to the new world?
There is a soul, an inspiration, a source of energy in Willamette Valley, it is engaging....a true energy on site, and a unique 'somewhereness'.
The Willamette Valley vineyards encompasses 30 thousand acres with geology dating back 15 million years, when lava flowed from northeast Oregon and eastern Idaho, and pushed into the Willamette Valley, covering all but the highest hills with up to 1000 feet of basalt.
Then, the catastrophic Missoula Floods 13 to 15 thousand years ago, deposited a blanket of sediment on land below 200 feet. Today, the 200 foot contour line defines the Willamette Valley soils.
Oregon has a wild geology, shaped by tectonic plates, volcanoes (A-K-A, Columbia River Basalt Group), ice age floods, wind and time.
And pinot noir is all about the place. It doesn't have an overriding varietal character that stamps the place, it is ALL about the place (the mother rock), it's a blank canvas.
There is no food or beverage on the planet that connects you with place more than pinot noir.
And this place and its varied geology is the reason why the Northern Willamette Valley is an excellent area for growing grapevines. Today, the three dominant soil types (or mother rock) for growing Pinot Noir in this region are, Willakenzie (or Marine Sediment), Laurelwood (or Windblown Silt) and Jory Volcanic Clay.
When the pioneers of Oregon Pinot Noir arrived in the Willamette Valley in the late 1960's they recognized that the nourishing volcanic and ocean/lake sedimentary soils and the climate, were perfect for cool climate viticulture.
It is this mother rock which gives our wines its character (see Ken Wright video). Volcanic mother rock will be typically fruity (berry) wines (Dundee for example), whereas marine sediment mother rock, being completely different, will give you spice & floral; violet, anise, clove, chocolate & tobacco (Yamhill/Carlton & Ribbon Ridge for example).
Some terroirs speak in gradations of nuance, Burgundy for instance. The Willamette Valley is another. The famous wine-growing region in Oregon was named an American Viticulture Area (A-V-A) in 1984, and now has 6 main sub A-V-A and a number of other lesser-known A-V-A, known as the wine routes, to reflect the differing gradations of nuance. The different A-V-A were created based on their mother rock, not their soil.
The Willamette Valley enjoys a long, late growing season, perfectly suited for world class Pinot Noir. Oregon is the premier Pinot Noir wine growing region in the world; as no other area except Burgundy, has a climate as ideal for producing this complex, elegant red wine!
It's a young wine growing region, and Oregon wines are considered to be rare, as you can put the entire Oregon production of about 22,000 acres, into 1 large-sized California winery. But it's estimated there is the potential of 100 thousand acres in the future.
This Valley is eerily similar to the Napa Valley of 70 years ago; but cooler, and filled with orchards before the vineyards came. It is a potential paradise for wine production.
The winemakers produce mostly Pinot Noir (70%) with Pinot Gris (15%), Chardonnay, Reisling, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Muller Thurgau and other white wines. Other delicious red wines include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah & Zinfandel, typically from vineyards in southern Oregon and eastern Washington.
Now with over 730 wineries in Oregon, it's still a small-scale, artisan wine making environment, where the winemakers who tend their own vines and live next door to their vineyards, are called Vēn-ye-rōns. The Willamette Valley is full of Vēn-ye-rōns.
The Willamette and Tualatin Valleys, (which is the gateway for the Willamette Valley's bounty going to Portland that shapes wine country's very Northern tip), charming towns will embrace you with extraordinary hospitality. It's the way the Wine Country used to be -- Un-crowded and Unpretentious.
Authentic wine, food, and people. The original winemakers began in the 1960s with no wine making experience, no business skills and no money. But the 10 original families stuck together, and focused on quality right from the beginning, and the pinot noir grape.
Most people stay in the tasting room while visiting wine country. But here are things you should do while visiting a winery:
- Get in the vineyard, get your hands dirty, feel the soil, walk the vineyard as if you’re working it, eat a grape right off the vine and try to understand how that fruit expresses itself in the bottle. It’s amazing when you can taste the similarities in the fresh fruit and the wine it created.
- The magic happens when you’re not in a hurry. Ask if the winemaker is around. See if there are any animals on the property you can say hello to. Ask all of the questions your heart desires. Once in Forest Grove we got to sit on a tractor and play with a little baby goat. That was my favorite visit of the entire day and it happened because we weren’t in a rush.
"We will, on this tour, have a good road to drive on, something worthwhile to see, something worthwhile to eat, and some good wine to drink..."
Does anyone have any questions???
Do you want to make your tour educational and fun?
Please let me know if you do for additional reads!
Please let me know if you do for additional reads!
Highly Recommended!
