Oregon Wines
Oregon has more than 400 wineries located in five officially designated wine regions called appellations (“AVA’s”). The Willamette Valley AVA, first recognized in 1983, is Oregon’s largest wine region, with five sub-appellations of its own – Dundee Hills, McMinville Foothills, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton District, Chehalem Mountains and the Eola-Amity Hills District. The Eola-Amity Hills District lies in the middle of the northern Willamette Valley. Bryn Mawr Vineyards sits high in the Eola Hills.
The Eola-Amity Hills region enjoys warm summers and mild winters, with temperatures usually above freezing. The region gets 40 to 45 inches of annual rainfall, 85 percent of which falls between October and March. July’s daytime temperatures often reach 80 degrees, while ocean breezes through the Van Duzer Corridor, a break in the Coast Range, cool the afternoons dramatically, maintaining acidity in the grapes and contributing a brightness to the wines.
The soils of Eola-Amity are of igneous origin from ancient lava flows. These basaltic soils are high in iron, magnesium and calcium. The soil is relatively shallow, rocky and well-draining, typically producing small grapes with great concentration. The frost free growing season lasts between 160 and 210 days. The long season, moderate temperatures, cool nights, slope, elevation and soil types make the Willamette Valley an ideal place to grow Pinot Noir. The addition of ocean breezes passing through the Van Duzer Corridor over the Eola Hills further cools the vines, creating wines of exceptional quality and character.
The recent history of Oregon wine began in 1961, when winemaker Richard Sommer opened Hillcrest Vineyard near Roseburg. David Lett (Eyrie Vineyards), Charles Coury (Charles Coury Winery), Dick Ponzi (Ponzi Vineyards) and Dick Erath (Erath Vineyards) also emigrated from California to Oregon in the 1960’s. In 1979, a 1975 Eyrie Vineyard Pinot Noir made by David Lett stunned the international wine community with a top ten placement at a Paris tasting, competing against the world's best Pinots. Since then, Oregon wines have continued to improve, with many rivaling the best French Burgundies. Today, Oregon Pinot Noir represents some of the finest Pinot Noir in the world.
That Oregon produces wines of such quality is perhaps not surprising given that the Oregon wine regions have much in common with Burgundy. The mid-point of the Willamette Valley lies at the 45th Parallel, the same as Burgundy’s Cote d’Or. Oregon vintages tend to resemble those in Burgundy. Oregon wineries are generally small, family owned operations as are most of Burgundy’s wineries. Many of the most common Pinot Noir clones planted in Oregon, including the Dijon clones, were brought to the United States by workers at Oregon State University which has a close working relationship with the Burgundians.
In addition to its flourishing winery industry, Oregon has a natural abundance and diversity of agriculture and nature. Along with vineyards, Oregon white oak, big leaf maple, Douglas fir, madrone and cherry trees cover Oregon’s hillsides where rocky, steep slopes make it difficult to farm. Farmers in the valley grow a wide range of crops, including commercial vegetables, hops, grass seed, hazelnuts, oats, wheat, corn, sorghum and hay. Livestock is common as well, as local farms raise cows, goats, horses, lamas, alpacas, sheep, pigs and poultry. Oregon also has a thriving nursery industry and Christmas tree farms are common.