California may be the most famous wine-growing state in the USA, but the entire West Coast produces wines of world-class quality. I'd like to introduce you to the styles of the Pacific Northwest — specifically, Oregon and Washington. Oregon and Washington are the USA's answer to Burgundy and Bordeaux, respectively. The wines made there are beautiful and quite different from the same versions made in California. Oregon, which sits on the same latitude as France's famed Burgundy region, is best known for its “Burgundian”-styled pinot noirs and elegant chardonnays. Read full article
New Discoveries in Willamette Valley
Seattle Magazine – September 24, 2012
Oregon and the Willamette Valley AVA have established their oeuvre with Pinot Noir, but their repertoire is growing. A newfound love affair with Oregon Chardonnay has received notice in The New York Times, and several dedicated winemaker evangelists, such as Rollin Soles of Argyle Winery, are touting the joys of Oregon sparkling wine. Read full article
Oregon’s Willamette Valley a must visit for Pinot Noir fans
The Herald – August 8, 2012
One of the most enjoyable wine regions in the Pacific Northwest to visit is Oregon's northern Willamette Valley. While liking pinot noir will help here in the heart of Oregon wine country, it isn't required. Plenty of wineries not only make such white wines as pinot gris, pinot blanc and riesling, but some also bring in warm-climate grapes from southern Oregon, including syrah, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Read full article
Passing the baton in Oregon’s Willamette Valley
Los Angeles Times – April 28, 2012
In 1966, Eyrie Vineyards founder David Lett planted Pinot Noir vines in Oregon's Willamette Valley, hoping he'd found a place that shared traits with his beloved Burgundy. Four years later, the man who would come to be known as “Papa Pinot” made his first commercial harvest. Read full article
Uncorking Oregon’s favorite wine region
StarTribune – March 31, 2012
Our group of eight stumbled upon the tastiest peach I have ever eaten, and one of the best cheeses. As we made Homer Simpson yummy sounds over our lunch at Bistro Maison, our waitress suggested that we check out the McMinnville farmers market. Where is it, we asked? "Just a few blocks that way," she said with a smile. Read full article
Oregon Chardonnay Speaks Up
The New York Times – March 12, 2012
In the beginning, there was chardonnay, and it was not good. This was a blow to the pioneering wine producers of Oregon, who regarded their land as a sort of new Eden. Back in the 1960s and ’70s, when the firmament of the Oregon wine industry was created, a lot of chardonnay was planted. And why not? Chardonnay was the single most popular fine white wine among Americans. Read full article
Willamette Valley’s Boutique Vineyards
Travel + Leisure – November 2011
“This isn’t Napa Valley.” Fifteen years later, I can still hear the words of the manager of one of Oregon’s best wineries. I’d asked, innocently enough, why he didn’t allow visitors. His response was shorthand for all the ways in which the Willamette Valley, a bucolic stretch of rolling farmland that begins some 100 miles southwest of Portland, wanted to distance itself from America’s most successful wine region. Napa had given itself over to wine tourism, lock, stock, and new oak barrels, but grapes are merely one of 225 cash crops in the Willamette. Read full article
