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WSET® Level 4 D3 Wines of the World > D3 - Oregon > Flashcards

D3 - Oregon Flashcards

Examines the regions, grapes, methods of production, and styles of Oregon.

1
Q

The first person to plant v. vinifera in the Willamette Valley was _____ in the year _____.

What grape did this person plant?

A
  • David Lett;
  • 1966;
  • Pinot Noir.
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2
Q

Oregon

  1. What is the general climate?
  2. What are the climate influencers?
A
  1. Cool to moderate climate;
  2. Cold ocean currents + cool Pacific winds.
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3
Q

What helps grapes to achieve full ripeness in Oregon?

A

Long daylight hours, both in summer and fall.

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4
Q

Oregon

  1. What are its soils?
  2. What is its annual rainfall, and when during the year does most of the rain fall?
A
  1. Marine sediment, volcanic, loess – all free draining;
  2. High rainfall (~1000mm), mostly during winter.
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5
Q

What makes Oregon such a good place to practice sustainable, organic, and biodynamic viticulture?

A

Its dry summers and breezy conditions.

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6
Q

What are the 3 most common Pinot Noir clones planted in Oregon?

A
  1. Wadenswil;
  2. Pommard;
  3. Dijon.
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7
Q

What winemaking techniques for Pinot Noir are on the rise in Oregon?

A
  1. Whole bunches in fermentation;
  2. Ambient yeasts;
  3. Amphorae.
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8
Q

What two general styles of Pinot Gris will one find in Oregon?

A
  1. Fruity style made with whole bunch pressing and cool fermentation in stainless steel;
  2. Fuller style made with skin and lees contact in old oak.
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9
Q

Oregon Chardonnay tends to have a reductive, struck match aroma to it. What causes this aroma?

A

Leaving the Chardonnay in contact with the lees but not stirring the lees promotes low levels of sulfur compounds.

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10
Q

Are Oregon Chardonnays typically leaner (no malo/stainless steel) or richer (malo/oak matured)?

A

Richer (malo/oak matured).

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11
Q

Which three AVAs does Oregon share with Washington?

A
  1. Columbia Gorge AVA;
  2. Columbia Valley AVA;
  3. Walla Walla Valley AVA.
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12
Q

Which AVA does Oregon share with Idaho?

A

Snake River Valley AVA.

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13
Q

What are the 11 sub-AVAs of the Willamette Valley AVA?

A
  1. Chehalem Mountains;
  2. Dundee Hills;
  3. Eola-Amity Hills;
  4. Laurelwood District;
  5. Lower Long Tom;
  6. McMinnville;
  7. Mount Pisgah, Polk County;
  8. Ribbon Ridge;
  9. Tualatin Hills;
  10. Van Duzer Corridor;
  11. Yamhill-Carlton District.
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14
Q

What mountain range lies to the west of Willamette Valley?

A

Coast Range.

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15
Q

What makes the diurnal range so large in parts of the Willamette Valley?

What are the greatest effects of this diurnal shift, and which AVAs sees the strongest effects of this shift?

A
  • Warm air rises further inland from the Willamette Valley, which sucks in cool Pacific air through breaks in the Coast Range (strongest early in the day, also happens in the early evening);
  • This cool air drops temperatures quickly, so fluctuations happen fast – the breezes also lower humidity and keep the growing season pretty dry;
  • Van Duzer AVA, Tualatin Hills, Eola-Amity AVA, and parts of McMinnville AVA.
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16
Q
  • What are the soils of the valley floor in the Willamette Valley?
  • Which grape is best suited to these soils?
A
  • Fertile loam soils which were deposited by floods that occurred several thousand years ago;
  • Pinot Gris.
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17
Q

This isn’t in the reading materials, but what’s the best way to remember that Dundee Hills AVA has volcanic soils?

A

They’re known as “the red hills of Dundee” – the soils are iron-rich clay derived from volcanic basalt.

Photo courtesy of author
18
Q

Dundee Hills AVA is warm yet is known for making Pinot Noirs with higher acidity. How is this explained?

A

Warm → protected from the Pacific by the Coast Range and by the Chehalem Mountains to its north, so it’s well insulated;

Acidity → vineyards planted at higher altitudes here than most other AVAs (60-325m asl).

19
Q

Why can’t Chehalem Mountains AVA be easily defined?

A

It has a range of altitudes, soils, aspects, and a variety of grapes planted with winemakers making various styles of wine.

20
Q

Why is Ribbon Ridge AVA known for making wines with concentration?

A
  • Deep, infertile, sedimentary soils (low vigor) with moderate water-holding capacity;
  • Most vineyards low in elevation;
  • AVA protected from cold Pacific winds so it’s always dry and warm.
21
Q

Why is Yamhill-Carlton AVA also known to be a warmer AVA producing full-bodied wines with ripe flavors?

A
  • South-facing slopes;
  • Warm, free-draining sedimentary soils;
  • Protected by Coast Range from cold Pacific winds.
22
Q

Why does Van Duzer Corridor AVA produce lower grape yields?

A

The cool Pacific winds

  1. Cool Pacific air enters the AVA through the Van Duzer Corridor, cooling down the AVA in the afternoons during what would be the warmest time in the day;
  2. Early in the season, the winds can disrupt flowering and fruit set, and lead to lower yields;
  3. Later in the season, the winds can cause the vine leaf stomata to shut and slow ripening.
23
Q

What are the geographical influencers of McMinnville AVA?

A
  1. Coast Range (rain shadow);
  2. Van Duzer Corridor.
24
Q

What three factors make the diurnal range so high in Southern Oregon?

A
  • Altitudes;
  • Cool mountain downdrafts;
  • River valleys funnel in cool breezes in the afternoon and evenings.
25
Q

Compared to Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon generally has a ____er climate and ____er rainfall.

A
  • Warmer climate;
  • Lower rainfall.
26
Q

The two AVAs of Southern Oregon you need to know for the exam are:

A
  1. Umpqua Valley AVA;
  2. Rogue Valley AVA.
27
Q

What creates the diverse vineyard sites in Umpqua Valley AVA?

A
  • It sits at the convergence of 2 mountain ranges*, so lots of altitudes, aspects, and soils;
  • Umpqua River and its tributaries carved out various aspects.

*The two mountain ranges are the Coast Range and the Cascade Range

28
Q

Oregon’s warmest and driest grape growing conditions are found in this AVA.

A

Rogue Valley AVA.

29
Q

What are the cooling influencers in Rogue Valley AVA?

A
  1. Altitude (250-950m asl);
  2. Cool Pacific breezes funneled in through the Rogue River Valley.
30
Q
  • What is the sub-AVA in Walla Walla Valley AVA?
  • What makes it unique?
A
  • The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA;
  • Unique soil: basalt stones and graveled silt loam, which radiate warmth → extra ripeness.
31
Q
  • Which part of Columbia Gorge AVA is cooler and wetter?
  • Why?
A
  • The western side – it’s closer to the Pacific.
  • The eastern side is warmer and drier.
32
Q

Wine laws are a lot more strict in Oregon than they are elsewhere in the United States.

For an Oregon wine, ___% of the grapes must be grown in Oregon.

If an Oregon appellation is on the label, ___% of the grapes must come from that appellation.

A
  • 100% must be grown in Oregon;
  • 95% must come from a stated appellation.
33
Q
  1. If a grape variety is stated on a label of Oregon wine, ___% of the wine must be that grape.
  2. If an Oregon wine has “estate bottled” on the label, ___% of the grapes must be grown in the winery’s AVA and it must be fully finished at the estate.
A
  1. 90% stated grape;
  2. 100% for “estate bottled”.
34
Q

Oregon’s top three export markets are:

A
  1. Canada;
  2. UK;
  3. Japan.
35
Q

Laurelwood District AVA is nested entirely within which other AVA?

A

Chehalem Mountains AVA.

36
Q

Laurelwood District AVA is known for what type of soil?

A

Laurelwood windblown Loess.

37
Q

500m asl is the highest altitude found in the Willamette Valley in this AVA.

A

Laurelwood District AVA.

38
Q

Which AVA is in the northwesternmost corner of the Willamette Valley?

A

Tualatin Hills AVA.

39
Q

What are the soils of Tualatin Hills AVA?

How does the soil impact the grapes’ ripening?

A

Laurelwood windblown loess with basalt at the lower levels, resulting in late ripening grapes.

40
Q
  • What is Tualatin Hills AVA named for?
  • Where is the Pacific Ocean in relation to Tualatin Hills AVA?
A
  • Named for and defined by the watershed of the Tualatin River;
  • Pacific Ocean is only 39 kilometres / 24 miles to west, so the ocean impacts the AVA.
41
Q

Willamette Valley is the wettest region in Oregon, but it only receives __mm of rain during April to September.

A

~200mm

WSET® Level 4 D3 Wines of the World (47 decks)

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