Saturday, March 22, 2008

Diversity is growing in the Oregon Wine Industry

The Oregon Wine industry moves into its 41 year. It’s hard to believe that in 1961 grapes were just starting to take root in the state. The early days of the industry was confronted with disbelief and concern from renowned institutions such as the University of California at Davis. They believed this area was to wet and cold to consistently produce world-class wines. It was the persistence of the pioneers that paved the road for the industry that now brings over $207 million dollars in sales and produced 1.7 million cases in 2007. The early days of the industry saw Pinot Noir take root in the Willamette Valley in the mid 1960’s. As the Oregon vineyards started to grow so did the diversity of the plantings.

Today, Oregon’s wine regions continue to grow and develop. According to the Oregon Wine Center, currently there are 17 American Viticultural Area’s (AVA’s) within the State. These areas stretch throughout the state with the individual areas representing different soil, temperature, and growing conditions from one another. These areas also specialize in a wide variety of grapes like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, and the list goes on. At last count there were 72 different varieties of grapes being grown in the state.

This diversity of grapes can also be seen in the diversity of its styles produced within a specific AVA. For example, Pinot Noir grapes in Yamhill County account for approximately 44% of the Pinot Noir produced in the state. The styles produced from those grapes depended greatly on the specific site and the wine makers vision. They can range from red fruits flavors to black fruits intensity and everything in between. So next time your exploring Oregon raise your glass to diversity and thank the pioneers for moving forward when they were told they shouldn’t.

American Viticultural Areas of Oregon (AVA’s)