Oregon AVAs
There are, loosely speaking, three main wine producing regions with a major presence in the state of Oregon, as defined by non-overlapping AVAs. Two of them—the Willamette Valley AVA and the Southern Oregon AVA—are wholly contained within Oregon; a third, the Columbia Gorge AVA straddles the Columbia River and includes territory in both Oregon and Washington; however, this AVA is considered to be an Oregon AVA. Portions of the Walla Walla Valley AVA, an area primarily in Washington (along with the Columbia Valley AVA, which contains it), descend into Oregon in the Milton-Freewater area.
The Southern Oregon AVA was created as the union of two Southern Oregon winegrowing regions long considered distinct, the Rogue Valley and the Umpqua Valley. Several other smaller AVAs are found within some of these larger regions. The Snake River Valley AVA, which straddles Oregon's border with Idaho along the Snake River, is the first AVA to include a part of Eastern Oregon.
Northern Oregon AVAs
On the Oregon side of the state border, the Columbia Valley wine history dates back to the early 1900s, when settlers planted the area’s first vineyard on a steep, southward-sloping hill near the small town of The Dalles. These Zinfandel vines, which are now more than 100 years old, still produce wine grapes.
Around the same time, as the Washington side of the Columbia Valley appellation began to flourish with large-scale wineries, reputable winemakers started tagging the smaller Oregon side as an excellent location for high-quality wine grapes.
Nearest Large Cities
Portland
Yakima
Nearest Airports
PDX
Portland International Airport
YKM
Yakima Airport Terminal (McAllister Field)
Snake River AVA
Established on 8 March 2007, the Snake River Valley AVA is located in Southwestern Idaho (stretching across 11 counties) and two counties in eastern Oregon. Located near the state capital, Boise, it covers five million acres along the Snake River, and includes more than 90 percent of Idaho’s vineyards.
The Snake River Valley AVA’s borders are defined by the ancient (now dry) Lake Idaho and the moderating climate created by the Snake River, which transverses across southern Idaho before turning north to mark the border between the states of Oregon and Idaho, finally joining the larger Columbia River near the Yakima Valley AVA. A small, northern portion of the Snake River Valley AVA crosses into the southeast of Oregon.
Located on the same latitude as Oregon's Umpqua Valley AVA, the Snake River Valley AVA has a more drastic diurnal temperature variation than other AVAs in the Pacific Northwest due to the high elevation of most of the region's vineyards. At elevations of 2,500 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level, the region is also more than 400 miles from the tempering effects of the Pacific Ocean.
The Snake River is vital to the region's overall terroir because it provides not only water for irrigation (necessary in the AVA's dry environment), but also unique microclimates. Air currents cooled by the river help, in turn, to cool nearby areas, which is particularly beneficial in this hot climate. In winter, the wind currents work in the opposite way, warming the surrounding areas sufficiently to stop the vines from being killed by the cold.
The Snake River Valley AVA is made up of flat, river-basin land with altitudes ranging from 2,100 to 3,400 feet above sea level, surrounded by even higher mountains. Although the growing season in the Snake River Valley AVA is considerably shorter than in regions in Washington and Oregon, the intense sunlight and high diurnal temperature variation brought about by the altitude are often sufficient to ripen the grapes.
Soils are varied, but are generally free draining, derived from sediments left by the now-dry Lake Idaho. The sandy soils and extreme temperatures mean that the vine-killing phylloxera louse cannot survive here.
White wine from the region has a piercing acidity and minerality, crisp fruit flavors and lower alcohol – all of which are related to the short and extreme growing season. Red wines are more problematic, they often show balance and harmony with an Old World elegance but they can also be thin, tannic and lacking in ripe flavors.
Roughly 1,800 acres of commercial vineyards exist in the Snake River Valley AVA. A diverse range of wines are produced in the valley from grape varieties including Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot and Syrah.
Nearest Large Cities
Boise
Nearest Airports
BOI
Boise Airport
Southern Oregon AVAs
Southern Oregon AVA was established to allow the two principal winegrowing regions in the southern part of the state to market themselves jointly.
The creation of a "super-AVA" is consistent with the trend in the Willamette Valley AVA, and multiple equivalent areas in California and Washington where such areas have been established to bundle up and market the smaller AVAs that are specific to a particular locale's climate or soil conditions.
Nearest Large Cities
Eugene
Brookings
Nearest Airports
EUG
Eugene Airport
BOK
Brookings Airport
Willamette Valley AVAs
The Willamette Valley AVA is huge in total area. It stretches from the Columbia River in the north to well south of the city of Eugene, nearly 150 miles north to south. It’s 60 miles across at the widest point. Total area is 3,438,000 acres or 5,372 square miles. That’s almost as big as the entire state of Connecticut.
The Willamette Valley AVAs have been some of the most-respected in the country. Their Pinot Noir wines are particularly high-scoring. Because their overall quality level is high and production limited, the wines average price points are high too. But the Willamette Valley is not a small, homogenous region.
Nearest Large Cities
Portland
Salem
Eugene
Nearest Airports
PDX
Portland International Airport
SLE
Salem Municipal Airport
EUG
Eugene Airport