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Willamette Valley
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The Willamette Valley is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. Centered around the Willamette River, and home to the state's three largest cities and much of the state's agriculture industry and the Oregon Wine Country. This area of the Pacific Northwest was one of the first Western areas to be settled, thanks to the Oregon trail that ended in Oregon City near Portland.
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The climate of Willamette Valley is mild year-round. Winters are typically cool and wet, summers are dry and warm; heat above 90 °F (32 °C) only occurs 5 to 15 days per year, and the temperature drops below 0 °F (−18 °C) 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 (5 inches (13 cm) to 10 inches (25 cm)) per year. [5]
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In a state known for being a little off-the-norm, the vintners in Oregon’s Willamette Valley have a different philosophy. For these winemakers, it’s not about large droves of visitors, but about a quality, hands-on experience where they can share their love of exceptionally good wine with fellow wine lovers. For this reason, many have incorporated additional elements into their wineries to broaden the visitor’s experience, whether it’s an equestrian wine adventure, a traditional grape stomp or a good old-fashioned murder mystery.
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The 100-mile-long Willamette Valley is currently Oregon’s largest appellation. It encompasses 5,200 square miles and the bulk of the state’s wineries, which now number over 200. Flanked by the Coastal and Cascade mountains, this appellation has built its reputation on small, quality-oriented producers who are fervently devoted to Pinot Noir. The grape benefits from growing on a variety of hillside slopes and on a range of soils, created by volcanic activity and weathered sedimentary rocks. Increasingly, Pinot Gris is ... grown, mostly in the foothills of the Coastal Range.
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The Willamette Valley province forms a catch basin between the Coast Range and the Cascades. The sediments collected in it record multiple Ice Age floods that originated in Montana, poured through the Cascades (via the Columbia River) and backed up here in the valley before eventually draining to the Pacific Ocean.
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The Willamette Valley is relatively mild throughout the year, with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. While moisture is abundant, most of the rainfall occurs in the winter, not during growing season. This temperate climate, combined with coastal marine influences, make the gentle growing conditions within the Valley ideal for cool climate grapes, including Pinot noir. The Valley enjoys more daylight hours during the growing season than in any other area of the state. During this longer growing season, the Willamette Valley enjoys warm days and cool nights, a diurnal temperature swing that allows the wine grapes to develop their flavor and complexity while retaining their natural acidity.
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Willamette Valley