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Oregon’s wine-producing regions are unique in geography, climate, varietals and winemaking styles.

Columbia Gorge and Columbia Valley
Mt. Hood and the cliffs of the Columbia River look down on waterfront towns, countless waterfalls and the world’s best windsurfing waters. This brewpub mecca and up-and-coming wine region is also the home of the Hood River Fruit Loop driving trail.

Located in the Hood River area, the Columbia Gorge AVA’s climate varies widely. From the high desert-like east to the cooler, wetter west, a range of grape varietals − Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, among them – thrive in this region.

While much of the arid Columbia Valley AVA is located on the Washington side of the Columbia River, a number of new, innovative Oregon wineries are making Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and a host of other wines in The Dalles area.

Resources:
Columbia Gorge Winegrowers
Hood River Chamber of Commerce
Oregon Wine Board / Columbia Gorge
Oregon Wine Board / Columbia Valley
Travel Oregon / Mt. Hood / Columbia River Gorge

Southern Oregon
With orchards and vineyards set against alpine meadows, crystal-clear rivers and lush valleys, this rugged, diverse region is home to Crater Lake National Park.

Oregon winemaking originated here when the first wine grapes were planted in the 1800s. Today, new vineyards and wineries are reigniting the established wine culture by producing top-notch wines. Comprised of 170 microclimates, Southern Oregon is the state’s largest warm-climate growing region.

With five Sub AVAs − Umpqua Valley, Red Hills Douglas County, Rogue Valley, Applegate Valley and the new Elkton – in addition to the Southern Oregon AVA, and more than 65 wineries, it’s one of the most diverse winegrowing regions in the world. Cooler areas produce Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Sauvignon blanc and more. The warmer, arid regions ripen Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Syrah and others.

Resources:
Southern Oregon Winery Association
Southern Oregon Visitors Association
Oregon Wine Board / Southern Oregon
Travel Oregon / Southern Oregon

Eastern Oregon
The spirit of the West is alive and well in Eastern Oregon, where visitors can take in rodeos, fishing, hunting, snow sports and incredible wildlife viewing. Orchards, wheat fields and vineyards dot the countryside graced by the Blue Mountains on the horizon.

Located in northeastern Oregon eight miles south of Walla Walla, Wash., this region is open, spacious and home to vineyards along the Columbia River. Diverse soils form the basis of distinctive Walla Walla AVA terroirs: silty, sandy earth from the Missoula Floods, basalt cobblestones and fractured basalt bedrock.

Earthy and spicy, full-bodied Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Semillon, Pinot gris, Chenin blanc and Syrah produced here are easily recognized for their distinctive minerality.

More than 50% of Walla Walla AVA wine is made from grapes grown in Oregon.

The Snake River Valley AVA straddles the Oregon-Idaho border and is one of the state’s newest. Currently, there are no wineries in the Oregon portion of the AVA.

Resources:
Milton-Freewater Travel
Oregon Wine Board / Walla Walla Valley
Travel Oregon / Eastern Oregon

Willamette Valley
With its namesake river running through it from Portland to south of Eugene, the region of more than 500 wineries is protected by the Coast Range to the west, the Cascades to the east and a chain of hills to the north. The Willamette Valley is the heart of Oregon’s agricultural production with farms growing everything from fruit and nuts to Christmas trees and flowers, and, of course, wine grapes.

In addition to the Willamette Valley AVA, Sub AVAs include Chehalem Mountains, Yamhill-Carlton District, Ribbon Ridge, Dundee Hills, McMinnville and Eola-Amity Hills.

Wet, cool winters and warm, dry summers make this an ideal climate for Pinot noir and other cool-climate grapes, including Pinot gris, Chardonnay and Riesling.

Resources:
Willamette Valley Visitors Association
Willamette Valley Wineries
Oregon Wine Board / Willamette Valley
Travel Oregon / Willamette Valley

What grows together goes together.

Oregon wines are made for the table.

Before Oregon became famous as a foodie haven, Oregon winemakers were creating food-friendly wines. Because of the natural refreshing fruit flavors inherent in Oregon wines, they make easy and memorable matches for a wide variety of ingredients and cooking styles.

Matching food and wine: At its best, Oregon wine is paired with the season’s freshest ingredients grown from nearby farms or drawn from Oregon’s rivers and coast.

The subtle earthiness of a Willamette Valley Pinot noir is perfectly matched with fresh-picked wild mushrooms from the forest, while the wine’s dry fruit flavor wonderfully complements the richness of wild-caught Pacific salmon. The notes of spice and fruit in a brisk Pinot gris pair well with native hazelnuts and farm-fresh cheeses. Steely dry Riesling and crisp Chardonnay easily enhance oysters from the coast or free-range heritage turkey.

A hearty Umpqua Valley Tempranillo seems made-to-order for a roast of hormone-free Oregon lamb, while a silky Syrah from the Walla Walla Valley has a delicious affinity for elk loin and other game meats. The soft succulence of a Columbia Gorge late harvest Viognier marries with a dessert of Hood River apples, while a compote of Southern Oregon peaches is a wonderful foil to a zesty blanc de blancs.

Whatever your palate preference, there’s an Oregon wine to make the perfect pairing.

Oregon is now home to 23 American Viticultural Areas. Below is a timeline of when each AVA was established.

1983:
Willamette Valley

1984:
Columbia Valley
Umpqua Valley
Walla Walla Valley

1991:
Rogue Valley

2001:
Applegate Valley

2004:
Columbia Gorge
Dundee Hills
Yamhill-Carlton
Southern Oregon

2005:
McMinnville
Ribbon Ridge
Red Hill Douglas County

2006:
Eola-Amity Hills
Chehalem Mountains

2007:
Snake River Valley

2013:
Elkton Oregon

2015:
The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater

2018:
Van Duzer Corridor

2020:
Laurelwood District
Tualatin Hills

2021:
Lower Long Tom

2022:
Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon

Applegate Valley: soil types are typically granite in origin, and most of the area’s vineyards are planted on stream terraces or alluvial fans, providing deep, well-drained soils that are ideal for high-quality wine grapes.

Chehalem Mountains: a combination of Columbia River basalt, ocean sedimentation, and wind-blown loess derivation soil types.

Columbia Gorge: soils are generally silty loams collected over time from floods, volcanic activity and landslides.

Columbia Valley: roughly 15,000 years ago a series of tremendous ice age floods (dubbed the Missoula Floods) deposited silt and sand over the area. These deposited sediments, along with wind-blown loess sediment, make up the area’s present-day soils, which are well drained and ideal for grapevines.

Dundee Hills: known for its rich, red volcanic Jory soil, which was formed from ancient volcanic basalt and consists of silt, clay and loam soils. They typically reach a depth of 4 to 6 feet and provide excellent drainage for superior quality wine grapes.

Eola-Amity Hills: predominantly contain volcanic basalt from ancient lava flows as well as marine sedimentary rocks and alluvial deposits at the lower elevations of the ridge. This combination results in a relatively shallow, rocky set of well-drained soils, which typically produce small grapes with great concentration.

McMinnville: soils are typically uplifted marine sedimentary loams and silts, with alluvial overlays. As compared to other appellations in the Willamette Valley, these soils are uniquely shallow for winegrowing with low total available moisture.

Red Hill Douglas County: soils are iron-rich, red volcanic Jory soils, which were formed from ancient volcanic basalt and consist of silt, clay and loam soils. They are mostly deep, well-drained to the 15-foot depth, and considered premier wine grape growing soils.

Ribbon Ridge: primarily sedimentary soils that are younger, finer and more uniform than the alluvial sedimentary and volcanic soils of neighboring regions. These moderately deep, well-drained silty-clay loam soils are part of the Willakenzie soil series and are of low fertility and ideal for growing high-quality wine grapes.

Rogue Valley: soil types are many and varied, including mixes of metamorphic, sedimentary and volcanic derived soils ranging from sandy loam to hard clay.

Southern Oregon: soils are varied and complex, though generally derived from bedrock, specifically from the 200 million year old Klamath Mountains, which are comprised of sedimentary rocks, to the west.

Umpqua Valley: soils are as varied as the climate. Generally, they are derived from a mix of metamorphic, sedimentary and volcanic rock; though more than 150 soil types have been identified in the region. The valley floor levels have mostly deep alluvial or heavy clay materials, while the hillsides and bench locations have mixed alluvial, silt or clay structures-all typically excellent for winegrowing.

Willamette Valley: an old volcanic and sedimentary seabed that has been overlaid with gravel, silt, rock and boulders brought by the Missoula Floods from Montana and Washington between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago. The most common of the volcanic type is red Jory soil, which is found above 300 feet elevation (as it had escaped the Missoula Floods deposits) and is between four and six feet deep and provides excellent drainage for superior quality wine grapes. Anything below 300 feet elevation is primarily sedimentary-based soil.

Yamhill-Carlton: comprised of coarse-grained, ancient marine sedimentary soils, over sandstone and siltstone that all drain quickly, making them ideal for viticulture. Grapes grown in such soil often result in wines lower in acid than those made from grapes grown in basaltic or wind-blown soils.