Oregon Flashcards
Oregon
What is the general climate?
What are the climate influencers?
Cool to moderate climate;
Cold ocean currents + cool Pacific winds. - cooling
latitude - moderate
altitude
What helps grapes to achieve full ripeness in Oregon?
Long daylight hours, both in summer and fall.
What makes Oregon such a good place to practice sustainable, organic, and biodynamic viticulture?
Its dry summers and breezy conditions.
What winemaking techniques for Pinot Noir are on the rise in Oregon?
Whole bunches in fermentation;
Ambient yeasts;
Amphorae.
What two general styles of Pinot Gris will one find in Oregon?
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.
Oregon Chardonnay tends to have a reductive, struck match aroma to it. What causes this aroma?
Leaving the Chardonnay in contact with the lees but not stirring the lees promotes low levels of sulfur compounds.
Typical Oregon Chardonnay winemaking style
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.
Which three AVAs does Oregon share with Washington?
Columbia Gorge AVA;
Columbia Valley AVA;
Walla Walla Valley AVA.
What mountain range lies to the west of Willamette Valley?
Coast Range.
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?
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.
What are the soils of the valley floor in the Willamette Valley?
Which grape is best suited to these soils?
Fertile loam soils which were deposited by floods that occurred several thousand years ago;
Pinot Gris.
q
This isn’t in the reading materials, but what’s the best way to remember that Dundee Hills AVA has volcanic soils?
They’re known as “the red hills of Dundee” – the soils are iron-rich clay derived from volcanic basalt.
Dundee Hills AVA is warm yet is known for making Pinot Noirs with higher acidity. How is this explained?
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).
Why can’t Chehalem Mountains AVA be easily defined?
It has a range of altitudes, soils, aspects, and a variety of grapes planted with winemakers making various styles of wine.
Why is Ribbon Ridge AVA known for making wines with concentration?
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.
Why is Yamhill-Carlton AVA also known to be a warmer AVA producing full-bodied wines with ripe flavors?
South-facing slopes;
Warm, free-draining sedimentary soils;
Protected by Coast Range from cold Pacific winds.
Why does Van Duzer Corridor AVA produce lower grape yields?
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.
What are the geographical influencers of McMinnville AVA?
Coast Range (rain shadow);
Van Duzer Corridor.
What three factors make the diurnal range so high in Southern Oregon?
Altitudes;
Cool mountain downdrafts;
River valleys funnel in cool breezes in the afternoon and evenings.
Compared to Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon generally has a ____er climate and ____er rainfall.
Warmer climate;
Lower rainfall.
q
The two AVAs of Southern Oregon you need to know for the exam are:
Umpqua Valley AVA;
Rogue Valley AVA.
Typical varietals planted in Southern Oregon
Syrah
Merlot
Tempranillo
What is the overall climate of Southern Oregon?
Mediterranean-like
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.
100% must be grown in Oregon;
95% must come from a stated appellation.
