Oregon

Question 1

Oregon

What is the general climate?
What are the climate influencers?

Answer 1

Cool to moderate climate;

Cold ocean currents + cool Pacific winds. - cooling
latitude - moderate
altitude

Question 2

What helps grapes to achieve full ripeness in Oregon?

Answer 2

Long daylight hours, both in summer and fall.

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Its dry summers and breezy conditions.

Question 4

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

Answer 4

Whole bunches in fermentation;
Ambient yeasts;
Amphorae.

Question 5

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

Answer 5

dry - off dry styles
Fruity style made with whole bunch pressing and cool fermentation in stainless steel;
Fuller style made with skin and lees contact in old oak.

Question 6

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

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Typical Oregon Chardonnay winemaking style

Answer 7

Whole bunch pressing followed by fermentation and maturation in oak, generally with a high proportion of old oak. Full malolactic conversion and lees contact are common, influencing flavour and texture.

Question 8

Which three AVAs does Oregon share with Washington?

Answer 8

Columbia Gorge AVA;
Columbia Valley AVA;
Walla Walla Valley AVA.

Question 9

What mountain range lies to the west of Willamette Valley?

Answer 9

Coast Range.

Question 10

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?

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

What are the soils of the valley floor in the Willamette Valley?
Which grape is best suited to these soils?

Answer 11

Fertile loam soils which were deposited by floods that occurred several thousand years ago;
Pinot Gris.

Question 12

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

Answer 12

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

Question 13

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

Answer 13

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).

Question 14

Why can’t Chehalem Mountains AVA be easily defined?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

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

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

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

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Why does Van Duzer Corridor AVA produce lower grape yields?

Answer 17

The cool Pacific winds

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;
Early in the season, the winds can disrupt flowering and fruit set, and lead to lower yields;
Later in the season, the winds can cause the vine leaf stomata to shut and slow ripening.

Question 18

What are the geographical influencers of McMinnville AVA?

Answer 18

Coast Range (rain shadow);
Van Duzer Corridor.

Question 19

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

Answer 19

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

Question 20

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

Answer 20

Warmer climate;
Lower rainfall.

Question 21

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

Answer 21

Umpqua Valley AVA;
Rogue Valley AVA.

Question 22

Typical varietals planted in Southern Oregon

Answer 22

Syrah
Merlot
Tempranillo

Question 23

What is the overall climate of Southern Oregon?

Answer 23

Mediterranean-like

Question 24

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.

Answer 24

100% must be grown in Oregon;
95% must come from a stated appellation.

Question 25

If a grape variety is stated on a label of Oregon wine, ___% of the wine must be that grape.
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.

Answer 25

90% stated grape;
100% for “estate bottled”.

Question 26

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

Answer 26

~200mm