The Willamette Valley AVA ( ) is an

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about t ...

which lies in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the eas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. The AVA is the wine growing region which encompasses the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

. It stretches from the

Columbia River The Columbia River ( Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia ...

in the north to just south of Eugene in the south, where the

ends; and from the

Oregon Coast Range The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean. This north-south ru ...

in the west to the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, a ...

in the east. At , it is the largest AVA in the state, and contains most of the state's wineries; approximately 908 as of 2021. The boundaries of the Willamette Valley AVA were established in 1984. Since then, ten smaller AVAs (sometimes termed "sub-AVAs" or "sub-appellations") have been created entirely within the Willamette Valley AVA, with nine of them in the northern Willamette Valley and the Lower Long Tom AVA in the south. The Willamette Valley has a cool, moist climate, and is recognized worldwide for its

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for ''pine'' and ''black.'' The word ''pine ...

. Although this distinction is not officially recognized, many wine connoisseurs further divide the Willamette Valley into northern and southern regions, the dividing line being the approximate latitude of Salem (approximately 45° north latitude).

Climate

The climate of Willamette Valley is mild year-round. Winters are typically cool and wet, summers are dry and warm; heat above only occurs 5 to 15 days per year, and the temperature drops below once every 25 years. Most rainfall occurs in the late autumn, winter, and early spring, when temperatures are the coldest. The valley gets relatively little snow ( to ) per year. The

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

is mostly 8b. Not all portions of the Willamette Valley are suitable for vineyards, however, and the largest concentration of wineries is found west of the

, on the leeward slopes of the Coast Range, or among the numerous river and stream valleys created by Willamette River tributaries. By far, the largest concentration of wineries is in

Yamhill County Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe. Yamhill C ...

Sub-appellations

There are ten American Viticultural Areas within the Willamette Valley AVA. These smaller AVAs recognize regions within the larger Willamette Valley AVA that have distinctive

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former ...

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

, or other physical features that make them noteworthy for wine production.

Chehalem Mountains AVA

The Chehalem Mountains AVA, established in 2006, stretches from Wilsonville in the southeast to Forest Grove in the northwest. The Chehalem Mountains includes

Ribbon Ridge The Ribbon Ridge AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Yamhill County, Oregon. It is the smallest AVA in Oregon and is entirely contained within the Chehalem Mountains AVA, which in turn is entirely contained within the larger Willamette ...

Parrett Mountain The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset. Flowing northwest through Somerset and the Somerset Levels to ...

, and

Bald Peak Bald Peak is a mountain top and highest point in the Chehalem Mountains in the Northwest area of the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Yamhill County near the county line with Washington County, the summit at 1624+ feet (495+ m) is the highest poi ...

. The petition process for the creation of the AVA began in 2001 and was led by David Adelsheim of

Adelsheim Vineyard Adelsheim (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Alleze'') is a small village in northern Baden-Württemberg, about 30 km north of Heilbronn. The state-recognized resort of Adelsheim in the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis looks back on a 1,200 ...

. It contains two sub-regions, Laurelwood District AVA and Ribbon Ridge AVA.

Dundee Hills AVA

The Dundee Hills AVA in the hills north and west of

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

. The area is in total size, with cultivated. Over 25 wineries and independent vineyards in this region produce over 44,000 cases of wine. The area is particularly noted for its

; several wineries in the AVA have won international recognition for their wines.

Eola-Amity Hills AVA

The Eola-Amity Hills AVA stretches from the town of Amity in the north to Salem in the south. The hills cover an area west of the

approximately long by wide. The Eola-Amity Hills area benefits from steady winds off the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

that reach the

through the

Van Duzer corridor H. B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor is a scenic driving route along Route 18 in Lincoln, Tillamook, and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Oregon that passes through a forested corridor. The Van Duzer Corridor stretches from northwes ...

, a gap in the

, moderating the summer temperatures. The name Eola is a tribute to the windy conditions in the area, and is derived from

Aeolus In Greek mythology, Aeolus or Aiolos (; grc, Αἴολος , ) is a name shared by three mythical characters. These three personages are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which A ...

, the

Greek god The following is a list of gods, goddesses, and many other divine and semi-divine figures from ancient Greek mythology and ancient Greek religion. Immortals The Greeks created images of their deities for many purposes. A temple would house the ...

of wind.

Laurelwood District AVA

The Laurelwood District AVA is located west of the city of Portland and lies entirely within the Willamette Valley and Chehalem Mountains AVAs since it was established by the TTB in May 2020. It covers approximately and contains 25 wineries and approximately 70 commercially-producing vineyards that cover a total of approximately . The distinguishing feature of the Laurelwood District is the predominance of the Laurelwood soil series.

Lower Long Tom AVA

The Lower Long Tom AVA was established in 2021. It is located in the southern

Lane In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...

and Benton Counties, near the towns of Junction City and Monroe. Its coverage is approximately and contains 12 wineries and 24 commercially-producing vineyards that plant approximately . As of 2022, the Lower Long Tom is the only nested appellation located in the southern Willamette Valley AVA, in contrast to nine nested appellations in the north. The region is primarily known for its

and

Pinot gris Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...

McMinnville AVA

The McMinnville AVA near McMinnville was established in 2005, in the hills to the southwest of McMinnville, roughly running from McMinnville to

Sheridan Sheridan may refer to: People Surname *Sheridan (surname) *Philip Sheridan (1831–1888), U.S. Army general after whom the Sheridan tank is named *Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816), Irish playwright (''The Rivals''), poet and politician ...

. The AVA includes 14 wineries and of vineyards, and includes lands with elevations ranging from 200 to .

Ribbon Ridge AVA

The Ribbon Ridge AVA, between Newberg and

Gaston Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) * Gaston ...

, is a ridge containing uplift of ocean sediment. It lies at 45° 21' N, 123° 04' W, at the northwest end of the Chehalem Mountains. The name originates in the 19th century. The ridge is approximately wide and long, and is in area, with planted on 20 vineyards. It is estimated that between and in the region is suitable for planting.

Tualatin Hills AVA

The Tualatin Hills AVA was established in May 2020 and is located in the upland hills of the

Tualatin River The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon in the United States. The river is about long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the W ...

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

and encompasses elevations between . To the south and southeast are the Chehalem Mountains, which includes elevations of over , are considered to be a separate, distinct landform from the Tualatin Hills. The AVA is approximately with 33 commercially-producing vineyards covering approximately and 21 wineries. The distinguishing features of Tualatin Hills are its soils, elevation and climate.

Van Duzer Corridor AVA

The Van Duzer Corridor AVA is located just west of the

Eola-Amity Hills AVA The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Polk County and Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, and stretches from the city of Amity in the north to Salem in the sout ...

covering approximately . The Van Duzer wind AVA is known low elevations and gently rolling hills, cool breezes from the

, and soils which are primarily uplifted marine sedimentary loams and silts with alluvial overlay. The AVA was established in 2019.

Yamhill-Carlton District AVA

The Yamhill-Carlton District AVA is located in the area surrounding the towns of Yamhill and Carlton. Only grapes grown in vineyards with elevations ranging from to may be used to produce wines that bear the appellation name on their labels. The AVA includes over of vineyard, and the region is in the

rain shadow A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side. Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is ca ...

of the Oregon Coast Range, a short distance to the west. The AVA was established in 2005.

References

{{coord, 45, 21, N, 123, 4, W, source:enwiki-plaintext-parser, display=title American Viticultural Areas Oregon wine Willamette Valley 1984 establishments in Oregon