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Willamette Valley Vineyards is an American
Willamette Valley Vineyards was founded by Jim Bernau and Don Voorhies. In 1997, Willamette Valley Vineyards merged with Tualatin Estate Vineyards, which was established by Bill Fuller in 1973.
The winery was established via an early
Official website
{{Oregon wine Wineries in Oregon Turner, Oregon Companies established in 1983 Companies listed on the Nasdaq Companies based in Marion County, Oregon 1983 establishments in Oregon
Willamette Valley Vineyards is an American winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...
located in Turner, Oregon
Turner is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,854 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on February 10, 1905.
...
. Named after Oregon's 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 east, ...
, the winery is the leading producer of Willamette 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 language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
in Oregon, and also produces Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
and Pinot Gris. In 2016, the winery was the largest producer of Riesling wine in the Willamette Valley.
History
Willamette Valley Vineyards was founded by Jim Bernau and Don Voorhies. In 1997, Willamette Valley Vineyards merged with Tualatin Estate Vineyards, which was established by Bill Fuller in 1973.
The winery was established via an early crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
campaign. In 1989, around 1,200 shareholders invested an average of $1,700 each in an unlisted stock offering approved by Oregon regulators. By 1993, the number of shareholders had grown to 4,500 and many shareholders were directly involved with operations, collectively donating 6,000 to 7,000 hours of labor per month. Over 300 shareholders passed an OLCC class to be certified to pour wine in the tasting room. The winery is now listed on the NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
under the symbol WVVI.
In 2021, the winery hosted the season 18 finale of Bravo's Top Chef: Portland.
Subsidiaries
In 2015, founder Jim Bernau and winery director Christine Clair founded the Oregon Estate Vineyards division to manage subsidiary vineyards. Since 2007, Willamette Valley Vineyards has managed Elton Vineyards in theEola-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 south. ...
. Elton Vineyards is primarily planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In 2017, Willamette Valley Vineyards began selling a boutique wine label under the "Elton" name.
In 2015, the company purchased new vineyard sites in the Walla Walla Valley AVA
The Walla Walla Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Washington state and extending partly into the northeastern corner of Oregon. The wine region is entirely included within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. In addition to ...
for a new subsidiary, "Pambrun Vineyard", named after Bernau's ancestor, Pierre Pambrun, a Walla Walla pioneer. Pambrun produces Cabernet Sauvignon along with other Bordeaux varieties. In 2018, Willamette Valley Vineyards acquired nearby Maison Bleue Winery, previously owned by Jon Meuret, who was also the consulting winemaker for Pambrun Vineyard.
Press coverage
In 2015,Wine Enthusiast
''Wine Enthusiast'' magazine is an American wine magazine published by Wine Enthusiast Companies in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1979 by Adam and Sybil Strum, Wine Enthusiast Companies engages in the wine accessories, storage, information, educat ...
named Willamette Valley Vineyards' Whole Cluster Pinot Noir as one of "America's Best Value Pinot Noirs".
The Wall Street Journal included Willamette Valley Vineyards' Pinot Gris in the article, "Why Wine Remains a Great Connector".
References
Further reading
* * * * * * * * *External links
Official website
{{Oregon wine Wineries in Oregon Turner, Oregon Companies established in 1983 Companies listed on the Nasdaq Companies based in Marion County, Oregon 1983 establishments in Oregon