Oregon is situated in the Pacific Northwest and it is the 4th largest wine producing state in the US. Bordered by Washington to the north and California to the south with a marginal climate. It has 19 AVA's four of which is shared with Washington on the north. The other 15 AVAs situated on the western part of the state just inland from the Pacific Ocean between the Coast Range and the Cascade Ranges. The Coast Range provide some shelter from Pacific influences like strong winds and the cold currents. It has a cool, moderate climate with long daylight hours that aids ripening and develops flavour and tannins and provides a marked vintage variation. Frost is rarely a problem. The wind and dry summers reduce disease pressure and helps with organic, biodynamic sustainable vineyard practices. Almost 50% of all vineyards are certified sustainable. 35% of all sustainable vineyards in the US is in Oregon. Although most vineyards experience high annual rainfall (1000mm per annum), this mainly falls in the winter with very little rain in the summer. Autumn rains can cause dilution and rot. Irrigation is allowed all but the oldest producers, but it is too expensive for little businesses. Harvest dates can vary from the beginning of September to the end of November. Despite the climatic challenges there has been a strong movement towards organic and even biodynamic viticulture.
Oregon's wine industry is dominated by smaller, family-owned businesses. On the northwest Willamette Valley with sub-AVAs like Dundee Hills, Ribbon Ridge provides almost two-thirds of Oregon's wine output, whereas Southern Oregon with sub-AVAs like Umpqua Valley and Rouge Valley just over 20%.
Following in the footsteps of pioneers like David Lett and Dick Erath, the industry has managed to maintain a “farmhouse”, estate grown, artisanal, almost “blue collar” feel in Oregon. Nowadays bigger players are also involved in the wine sector (e.g., King Estate and Drouhin). There was, and to some extent still is, an advantage in keeping that image for Oregon when the bigger industries of California and Washington lie to the south and north respectively since this helps to sustain premium pricing. Even Robert Parker got involved as a partner in the Beaux Frères boutique estate.
The soils are free-draining marine sedimentary rock like sandstone and volcanic rock like basalt with loess. The diverse range of soils found in the area, but fertile loam soils are on the valley floors which was left behind by floods happened thousands of years ago. In general, the soils of Oregon are not particularly fertile.
The most famous specific soil is the ruddy coloured clay-like Jory loams found in the Red Hills of Dundee, perhaps the most prestigious sub-district within the Willamette Valley.
The lands are suited For Pinot Gris, but Pinot Noir is grown here too, but it needs to be managed because of its vigour with large vine training systems. At higher altitudes and on slopes sandstone and volcanic basalt with loess can be found with much less fertile and usually cordon trained with VSP trellising. Aromatic varieties, like Riesling and Gewürztraminer, have performed well and can be used to make ice wine. The wines have more aromatic lift than most Pinot Grigio but avoid the oily fatness sometimes can be found in Alsace.
It is more suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Although Oregon has a wide range of grapes, by far is the most planted is Pinot Noir at around 60% of all plantings. Pinot Gris is coming second but seem to be falling out of favour to Chardonnay, but Riesling, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot are also common and a little Gamay. The most traditional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay style is Burgundian, but Chardonnay has performed patchily, at least in part because of clonal issues. Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley (south of Willamette): Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are dominant due to warmer climate, also some Syrah. A fair amount of replanting was necessary because Phylloxera is now present in parts of Oregon.
Clonal selection is very important for Pinot Noir traditionally using Pommard clones, but Dijon clones were introduced in the 1980's to suit different soils and microclimates. For Chardonnay originally used Californian clones from Wente, but they had trouble of getting them ripened. Earlier ripening, higher density Dijon clones (e.g., 113, 114, 115, 667, 777 and 882) were introduced, but with climate change producers tend to prefer Californian clones again. Oregon has the strictest labelling laws in the US. 100% of grapes must be grown in Oregon to be able to label it as such. Multi state appellation may follow either state's labelling. 70% of wineries are family-owned, owning their own land, producing 5000 cases a year. In the last couple of decades there has been a considerable growth in the number of wineries. It went up from just under 150 to almost 800. It is the result of investment from other states like California, and from countries like France, (joint ventures, like Drouhin). Almost 80% of all Oregon wine is sold in the US, with quarter of production sold direct to consumers. Very little has been exported, but the main destinations are Canada, UK and Japan.
Washington is in the extreme north-west of the mainland USA. The second largest producer of wine in the US. The majority of vineyards are situated in the Columbia Valley in the eastern part of the state. The Cascade Mountains block the wet Pacific weather and create a dry, arid, almost dessert-like warm condition with cold winters. The absence of Pacific influence results in an extreme continental climate. The desert conditions (around 200mm annual rainfall) mean that all the vineyards need to be irrigated. The main threat is winter freeze. Winters are long and harsh, so much so that it is not unheard of it to stay below -20°C for weeks. Site location is important, as is the employment of strategies to survive winter frost (fan training, vine burial etc.).
A small number of vineyards situated west of the Cascades, in a cooler, much wetter climate, like Puget Sound AVA. It is a vast area with only 1% of all vineyards in Washington state, predominantly planted with hybrids, but some Riesling and Pinot Noir can be found here as well.
The vast majority of vineyards are in the Columbia Valley AVA spreading out on an enormous area, that is the third of Washington state itself, with 99% of all plantings. It has AVAs like Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, Walla Walla Valley. The Cascades provide such protection against the Pacific that there is only 150- 250mm of rainfall annually, with hot summers, cold winters, rapidly cooling autumns, but very long daylight hours, an hour longer daily here than in California, that aids ripening. Irrigation is essential, and the cool Columbia River and its tributaries with the help of snowmelt from the Cascades provide plentiful supply. The hot summers help the accumulation of sugar, but it slows it down in the autumn. The high diurnal range helps to retain acidity. Climate change is a concern, and producers already looking for cooler sites. The harvest period is brief as temperatures fall away rapidly in the autumn with everything having to be picked before the first frost.
Soils are complex volcanic basalt bedrock with sandy, silty loess and alluvial topsoil’s, which are the result of glacial movements, floods and volcanic activity. In some places the bedrock has risen to the surface creating sloped sites with a variety of aspects, that provides base to many sub-AVA's. The soils are free-draining and low in nutrients. Drip irrigation is common and disease pressure is low, the sandy soils are even Phylloxera free, so vine can be planted on its own roots.
Although Washington grows a wide range of grape varieties, almost 70, none of them is particularly dominant. 60% of all wines produced here is red and the most planted varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon just above quarter of the production, but you can find Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Syrah, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau here as well. Lemberger is a local speciality making soft fruity quaffing reds. Concord is still widely grown but nearly all of the production is used for non-wine purposes, like fruit jellies.
Riesling was the most popular white but loosing favour to Chardonnay. Recently they are experimenting new styles of Riesling, not the general off-dry style, but drier and sweeter styles, even botrytized or ice wine. Through the joint venture of Ernie Loosen and Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling gained new success with the Eroica brand.
Reds can often be ripe and high in alcohol but with sufficient acidity and new oak is often used. Washington being the second largest producer of wine in the US evolved from 10 wineries in the 1970's to almost a thousand nowadays.
Production is dominated by one large company Ste Michelle Wine Estates that produces well-over half of the state’s production. Most of all production is sold within the state, just some iconic labels get sold nationwide. Exports are very little, whereas cellar-door sales are very important.
With over three times the vineyard acreage of Oregon (50,000 acres versus 14,000 acres) the Washington wine sector appears more “agro-industrial”.
At one stage the Chateau Ste Michelle group was responsible for a third of the state’s total production, sourcing grapes from its own vineyards and a number of sizeable contract growers.
Before the banking crisis this position was changing with an explosion in the number of boutique wineries.
Photographs by The Tannin Addict.