Oregon Flashcards
What percentage of Oregon vines are PN?
57%
Name the three major AVAs of Oregon that fall west of the Cascades, from north to south.
Willamette Valley AVA
Umpqua Valley AVA
Rogue Valley AVA
What are the sub AVAs of Willamette Valley AVA?
West to east: McMinnville AVA Van Duzer Corridor AVA Yamhill-Carlton AVA Eola-Amity Hills AVA Dundee Hills AVA Ribbon Ridge AVA Chehalem Mountains AVA
When was the Willamette Valley AVA extended, by how much, why?
In 2016 it was extended by 10,000 acres south to accommodate King Estates, Oregon’s largest producer
When were the first vines planted in Willamette?
David Lett started Eyrie in Dundee in 1966.
Charles Coury also planted in 1965/66 just north of Chehalem Mountains.
Who owns Charles Coury’s vineyards today?
David Hill Winery
What Willamette wine caught the attention of Robert Drouhin?
1975 Eyrie South Block PN
It scored 2nd at a competition in 1980 in Beaune organized by Drouhin
Aside from Coury and Lett, what were some other early wineries in Willamette?
Dick Erath 1969 Dick Ponzi 1970 David Adelsheim in Chehalem in 1972 Amity Vineyards 1974 Elk Cove 1974 Sokol Blosser 1977 Cameron 1984
When and where did Robert Drouhin start Domaine Drouhin? Who makes the wine?
Purchased Dundee Hills property in 1987, first vintage was 1988. Made by his daughter, Veronique.
Which has a shorter growing season- Willamette or Burgundy?
Burgundy is about 2 weeks shorter.
Summer highs are higher, Spring and fall have more extreme highs and lows.
About what percentage of Willamette’s total acreage is certified Sustainable?
~50%
What are some viticultural challenges in Willamette Valley AVA?
Birds migrating in the fall, gophers and voles
Grape rust mites
When did Willamette get hit w phylloxera?
1990
Why do Willamette growers tend to not till the soil between their vines?
Tilling can spread phylloxera, nematodes and other soil pests. The hardened topsoil also helps keep ground water in during the windy, dry summer.
How were the original boundaries of Willamette Valley AVA drawn?
The boundaries of Willamette were marked to match the reach of the Missoula floodwaters
Why are most Willamette Valley AVA vineyards planted on slopes above 275 ft?
The valley floors have a thick overly fertile Missoula flood deposited soils, and are frost prone.
What are the four major soil types of Willamette Valley AVA?
- Uplifted Marine Sediments
- Volcanic Soils
- Loess
- Missoula Flood Deposits
What type of soil is Jory series and where is it found?
What qualities does it give the wine?
Volcanic origin.
Dundee Hills AVA
Contains more clay, so water retentive. Gives the PN a lighter color and red fruit profile.
What type of soil is Willakenzie series and where is it found?
What qualities does it give the wine?
Uplifted Marine Series, derived from sandstone on shale that once composed the ocean floor.
Ribbon Ridge AVA.
Noted for darker color and fruit
What type of soil is Laurelwood series and where is it found?
What qualities does it give the wine?
Loess, wind blown soil collected over the past 2.6 mil years. Reddish silt, predating the last ice age. Water-retentive.
Chehalem Mountians AVA
Lighter
What type of soil is Woodburn series and where is it found?
Missoula Flood Deposits.
Only in ~10% of Willamette’s vineyards.
What PN clones were originally planted in Willamette?
Pommard and Wadenswill
When did Willamette start planting Chardonnay?
Not until 1988, when the Dijon clones became available.
When did Dijon Chard and PN clones reach Willamette?
They reached the US in 1984, were quarantined at Oregon State University, and became commercially available in 1988.
How are most Oregon vines trained?
Guyot and vertical trellis
When was Willamette Valley promoted to AVA?
1983
What was Willamette Valley AVA’s first nested AVA? What year?
Dundee Hills AVA
2004
What year was Van Duzer Corridor promoted to AVA? Where is it located?
2018
West of Eola-Amity Hills AVA, south of McMinnville
Name 3 important vineyards of Dundee Hills AVA?
Maresh Vineyard
Abbey Ridge
Thomas Vineyard
Name 3 wineries in Dundee Hills AVA.
Eyrie Vineyard Sokol Blosser Domaine Drouhin Archery Summit Domaine Serene
What is the soil of Yamhill-Carlton District AVA?
Uplifted marine sedimentary, silty-loam, well drained. Riper, rounder style
What is the most important vineyard of Yamhill-Carlton District AVA?
Shea Vineyard
Name 3 wineries in Yamhill-Carlton District AVA.
Elk Cove
Ken Wright
Penner-Ash
Belle Pente
Where is the highest point in Willamette Valley AVA?
Bald Peak at 1,633 ft in Chehalem Mountains AVA
What is the soil of Chehalem Mountains AVA?
Laurelwood loess on the hillsides and northern slopes
Volcanic and marine sediment on the southern and western slopes
Name 3 producers of Chehalem Mountains AVA
Erath
Ponzi
Adelsheim
What AVA is Ribbon Ridge AVA nested in?
Chehalem Mountains AVA
What is the westernmost AVA within Willamette Valley AVA?
McMinnville AVA
Hwo does McMinnville’s location affect the grapes?
Super intense winds from the Van Duzer Corridor tears away leaves and reduces yield. The berries are smaller w thicker skins, more tannic wines, darker fruit and concentrated color.
What direction do most vineyards in McMinnville AVA face?
east-facing to shelter from the winds
What mountains are to the west of the Willamette Valley?
the Coastal Range
What is the southernmost AVA of Willamette Valley AVA?
Eola-Amity Hills AVA
What are the soils of Eola-Amity Hills AVA? What are some characteristics of the PN from here?
Nekia Series, volcanic.
Pronounced acid, rugged tannin. Very windblown
Name 3 vineyards of Eola-Amity Hills AVA
Seven Springs (Evening Land) Jerusalem Hill (Dmn Serene) Roserock (Drouhin) Bethel Heights Justice Vineyard Temperance Hill Spirit Hill (Argyle)
What is the lowest lying and coolest nested AVA of the Willamette Valley AVA?
Van Duzer Corridor AVA
What are the sub AVAs of Umpqua Valley AVA?
Elkton Oregon AVA
Red Hills Douglas County, Oregon AVA
Name a producer of Umpqua Valley AVA.
What grape is their specialty?
Abacela
Tempranillo
(they also make an Albarino)
What is the nested AVA of the Rogue Valley AVA?
Applegate Valley AVA
What is the warmest growing region of Oregon?
Where is it on the Winkler Scale?
Rogue Valley AVA
Region II-III
What are the mountains of Rogue Valley AVA?
the Klamath Mountains
What grapes are popular in Rogue Valley AVA?
Rhone grapes for both red and white
When was Idaho first planted with Vinifiera?
There were a few plantings atthe turn of the century, but they disappeared w Prohibition. Nothing after that till 1970 in Snake River.
Where is the LIVE organization, and what does it stand for?
Oregon
Low Input Viticulture and Enology
When was LIVE started and what does it do?
1997, led by Ted Casteel of Bethel Heights.
Non-Profit for sustainability. Promotes reducing raw material used in the vineyard and winery. Also offers third party sustainability certification for vienayrds and wineries in OR and WA.
What can LIVE certified wineries put on their labels?
If the winery is certified and using grapes from a certified vineyard, they can out the LIVE logo on their label. If the vineyard is certified but the winery isn’t, they can state “made with grapes that come from a LIVE-certified vineyard”
What are the AVAs of Idaho?
Snake River AVA (w OR)
Lewis-Clark Valley AVA (w WA)
Eagle Foothills AVA
