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Oregon is a wine-producing state in the northwestern U.S.A. Its Willamette Valley wines are well known, especially its Pinot Noirs.
edit Tasting
The rich variety of "micro climates" in Oregon provide distinctive vineyard locations capable of nurturing high-quality Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties, as well as French Burgundian varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
edit Facts and figures
- Red varietals:Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Zinfandel
- White varietals: Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Viognier, Müller-Thurgau, Sauvignon Blanc
- Number of wineries: more than 300
- Planted area: 12,000 acres (4,900 hectares)
- Production: 1.6 million cases/year
edit History
Wine has been produced in Oregon since the Oregon Territory was settled in the 1840s. However, winemaking has only been a significant industry in the state since the 1960s.
Oregon started gaining recognition from 1961, when winemaker Richard Sommer used winemaking techniques learned at UC Davis to plant Riesling and small amounts of other varieties. Soon after his successful establishment of Hillcrest Vineyards in Southern Oregon, other winemakers migrated to this warm, dry growing region and, in 1969, the Oregon Winegrowers Association was founded nearby.
The now famed Willamette Valley was first explored between 1965 and 1968 by David Lett, Charles Coury and Dick Erath, who were the first in Oregon to plant Pinot Noir. They also planted small amounts of related varieties, including Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling.
Within the next decade, other vintners started to explore the opportunities of this booming winegrowing region, until David Lett entered his Oregon Pinot Noir in the 1979 Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades and won top Pinot Noir honors against France’s best labels. From then on, The world started to take notice of Oregon as a serious winemaking region.
In just 40 years Oregon has evolved into a world-class wine growing state with 15 approved winegrowing regions, and more than 300 wineries producing wine from 72 grape varieties.
edit Geography
Oregon's nutrient-rich soil is ideal for producing succulent and robust wine, due in part to the rich volcanic soil, a direct result of a volcanic eruption at Mount Hood more than 10,000 years ago. Underneath is a layer of deep clay that retains water during long summer afternoons.
edit Climate
Oregon's northern latitude brings long hours of summer sunshine to its vineyards, usually adequate to fully ripen grapes for Oregon wines. Occasional marine breezes breach the Coastal range, and help moderate the climate, causing the ripening process for wine grapes to be gradual. The combination of these conditions encourages complex fruit flavors, aromatics and nuances in these northern-Oregon-grown wines, complexities that allow Oregon wineries to compete well with other world-class wineries.
edit Viticulture
Most Oregon wineries are relatively small, producing on average only 5,000 cases a year.
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