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AVA

Southern Oregon

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Southern Oregon

Taste any of the superb wines from the Southern Oregon AVA and you’ll understand why many writers are talking about this region as Oregon’s “next big thing.” Southern Oregon has been garnering attention for its wide range of outstanding wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Tempranillo, Pinot noir, Viognier and more. With 170 microclimates and five AVAs defined by four rivers, Southern Oregon is a region of discovery and experimentation. Among the rolling hills and lush valleys of this rugged region, Southern Oregon winemakers are, quietly and without pretention, putting their focus squarely on quality.

Established: 2004
Total Area: 2,283,600 acres (924,500 ha)
Planted Area: 9,240 acres (3,740 ha)
Predominant Soils: Marine sedimentary, alluvial gravels, volcanic
Predominant Varieties: Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Viognier, Chardonnay, Tempranillo

*Updated Feb. 2021

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About

The Southern Oregon AVA lies in the southwest portion of the state, stretching 125 miles (200 km) south of Eugene to the California border, and 60 miles (95 km) at its widest between the Cascade Mountain Range to the east and the Coast Range to the west. It encompasses the Applegate Valley, Elkton Oregon, Red Hill Douglas County, Rogue Valley and Umpqua Valley appellations. 

The Klamath Mountains, Coast Range and Cascade Mountains all merge in the Southern Oregon AVA, creating a varied, mountainous topography with vineyards typically situated in high mountain valleys at elevations between 1,000 to 2,000 feet (305-610 m). The lofty southern coastal mountains provide a barrier to the west, blocking marine air and casting a rain shadow to the area’s south and east.

Southern Oregon experiences one of the widest growing season diurnal temperature swings in the world, helping to preserves grapes’ acidity and complexity in an otherwise warm climate. Additionally, there are many cool micro-climates within its varied hillsides and valleys that enable Southern Oregon to successfully grow both cool- and warm-climate varieties.

Southern Oregon’s soils are varied; however, the many rivers that meander through Southern Oregon, including the Umpqua, Applegate, Illinois and Rogue, all have contributed to the development of well-draining stream terraces and alluvial deposits.

Wines produced from this region’s grapes are very diverse but offer good structure and balance.

Region History:

Southern Oregon has the oldest history of grapegrowing in the state. It dates back to 1852 with an early settler named Peter Britt, who operated a winery in Jacksonville called Valley View Winery. Post-Prohibition winemaking started in 1961 when vintner Richard Sommer migrated from UC Davis and founded HillCrest Vineyards in the Umpqua Valley, planting Oregon’s first Pinot noir vines. Impressed with the diversity of growing conditions in this area, other winemakers began planting roots in the 1970s, resulting in a patchwork of vineyards growing both cool- and warm-climate varieties. Today, this winegrowing region continues to grow and turn out a great variety of high-quality wines. The appellation became official in 2004.

Snake River Valley

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Snake River Valley

Established: 2007
Planted Area: 1,205 acres (490 ha)
Predominant Soils: Varies throughout the region
Predominant Varieties: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Merlot, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay

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The Snake River Valley is an AVA that spans from eastern Oregon into southwestern Idaho. The total area is approximately 8,000 square miles (20,720 square km). At elevations of 2,500 feet (760 m) to 3,000 feet (915 m) above sea level, the region is also more than 400 miles (645 km) from the tempering effects of the Pacific Ocean.

From a purely geographical standpoint, the Snake River Valley offers ideal growing conditions. Wine grapes thrive in this distinctly four-season climate. The characteristic cold winters, which might at first seem a disadvantage, are in fact quite conducive, allowing vines to go dormant, to rest and conserve important carbohydrates for the coming season, while ridding the plants of bugs and discouraging disease.

Located on the same latitude as Oregon’s Umpqua Valley AVA, the Snake River Valley has a diurnal temperature variation of 30-40 oF (16.5-22 oC). This swing is more dramatic than most other appellations in the Pacific Northwest due to the high elevation of most of the region’s vineyards. The region’s combination of cold nights and warm days during the summer serves to balance grape acids and sugars favorably.

To date there have been few wines produced from the Oregon side of this region, but it continues to evolve and grow. With similar latitudes comparable to many famous wine regions from around the world (43° – 46°), the Snake River AVA has a very bright future.

Region History:

Approved in April 2007, Snake River Valley AVA is thinly populated with wineries and vineyards in Oregon, yet it features the largest density of vineyards and wineries in Idaho.

Rogue Valley

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Rogue Valley

Established: 1991
Total Area: 1,139,800 acres (461,260 ha)
Planted Area: 5,635 acres (2,280 ha)*
Predominant Soils: Stream sediments
Predominant Varieties: Pinot noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot gris, Syrah, Viognier, Chardonnay, Merlot

*Updated Feb. 2021

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The Rogue Valley AVA is the southernmost winegrowing region in Oregon. It is defined by the Rogue River and three tributaries – Bear Creek, Applegate and Illinois rivers – that extend from the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains along the California border north to the Rogue River. It is 70 miles (110 km) wide by 60 miles (95 km) long and encompasses the Applegate Valley AVA. Vineyards here are typically at elevations of 1,200 to 2,000 feet (365-610 m) and are planted on hillsides rather than valley floor.

Rogue Valley is made up of three distinct valleys with progressively warmer micro-climates, enabling the region to successfully grow both cool- and warm-climate grape varieties. To the west, the region is affected by mountain and ocean influences, making it suitable for some cool-weather varieties, including Pinot noir. Farther east, Rogue Valley has the highest elevations (nearly 2,000 feet (610 m)) of Oregon’s winegrowing regions, but it is also the warmest and the driest, making it well suited for warm-weather varieties including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon blanc.

Generous sunshine and warmth during the growing season allow later-ripening varieties to thrive, resulting in fully developed fruit character and rich, full-bodied wines.

Region History:

Rogue Valley’s wine history dates back to the 1840s, when European immigrants began planting grapes and eventually bottling wines. In 1852, an early settler named Peter Britt joined in on the grapegrowing adventure, though it wasn’t until 1873 that he opened Valley View Winery – Oregon’s first official winery. Valley View closed in 1907 (though its name was resurrected by the Wisnovsky family in 1972), then Prohibition began. It wasn’t until after an Oregon State University professor planted an experimental vineyard here in 1968 that winemakers rediscovered the Rogue Valley as a superb winegrowing region. Rogue Valley became an official appellation in 2001.

The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater

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Rocks District of Milton-Freewater

Established: 2015
Total Area: 3,770 acres (1,525 ha)
Planted Area: 330 acres (138 ha)*
Predominant Soils: Basalt cobbles and gravels (Freewater series)
Predominant Varieties: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache

*Updated November 1, 2018

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The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater is wholly contained within both Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley AVAs and is found in northeastern Oregon, 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Pendleton, Oregon and five miles (eight km) south of Walla Walla, WA. The Rocks District occupies a very gently sloping alluvial fan that was deposited by the Walla Walla River where it exits the foothills of the Blue Mountains and enters the broad flat floor of the Walla Walla Valley. Elevations range from 800 to 1,000 feet (245-305 m).

Most days during the growing season are sunny and clear with very low humidity, so large daily temperature variations are common. During summers, the region often experiences 5-10 days with temperatures exceeding 100 °F (38 oC).

The unique soils of The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater are its defining characteristic. They consist of pebbles and cobbles of basalt (dark volcanic rock) in a matrix of sand and silt. The rocky soil is extremely well drained, encouraging the vines to root deeply, and the dark rocks efficiently transfer heat into the soils and radiate heat to the ripening grapes. The Rocks District is the only AVA in the United States whose boundaries were determined by a single land form and a single soil series.

Wines produced from this region showcase a lovely perfumed bouquet with a savory palate and a prominent, lingering minerality on the finish.

Region History:

Wine grape production in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater was initiated by Italian emigrants who first arrived in the area in the 1860s. By the early 1880s, the region was producing thousands of gallons of wine, mostly for consumption by miners in the gold fields of northern Idaho. A series of very cold winters in the late 1880s, combined with the end of the gold rush, forced the farmers to turn most of their vineyards into orchards. However, many farmers maintained small vineyards and continued to produce limited quantities of wine for family and friends. Isolated wild vines that are the remnants of these small family vineyards can still be found in The Rocks District.

The modern era of wine production began in the 1990s when vineyards planted by winemakers in the region earned acclaim for producing wines with sumptuous aromas and unique flavor profiles. By 2015, the cobble soils near Milton-Freewater hosted more than 280 acres (115 ha) of vineyards and The Rocks District was approved as Oregon’s 18th AVA.

Ribbon Ridge

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Ribbon Ridge

Established: 2005
Total Area: 3,500 acres (1,400 ha)
Planted Area: 620 acres (250 ha)
Predominant Soils: Marine sedimentary (Willakenzie series)
Predominant Varieties: Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Pinot gris, Riesling, Gamay noir

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Ribbon Ridge is a 6.1 mi2 (15.8 km2) ridge within the Chehalem Mountains AVA, located 22 miles (35 km) southwest of Portland and 40 miles (64 km) east of the Pacific Ocean. The ridge rises 683 feet (208 m) from the Chehalem Valley floor, giving it an island-like appearance. Protected by geographical features to the north, south and west, Ribbon Ridge’s grapegrowing hillsides are slightly warmer and drier when compared to the adjacent valley floors.

The Ribbon Ridge region is comprised primarily of the Willakenzie series of sedimentary soil. Willakenzie is a younger, finer and more uniform soil series than the sedimentary and volcanic soils of neighboring regions. It is moderately deep and well-drained, making it ideal for growing high-quality wine grapes and results in Pinot noirs with rose petal, dark cherry, earthiness and spice complexity.

Region History:

In 1980, Harry Peterson-Nedry planted the first wine grapes on Ribbon Ridge at his Ridgecrest Vineyards. Two years later, the first commercial vineyard was established with the planting of 54 acres of Pinot noir and Chardonnay, and Yamhill Valley Vineyards first used these grapes to make wine in 1985. Other vineyards were soon planted in this relatively small ridge. The appellation became official in 2005.

Red Hill Douglas County

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Red Hill Douglas County

Established: 2005
Total Area: 5,600 acres (2,200 ha)
Planted Area: 460 acres (185 ha)*
Predominant Soils: Volcanic
Predominant Varieties: Pinot noir, Pinot gris

*Updated Feb. 2020

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Red Hill Douglas County is a single-vineyard AVA wholly contained within the Umpqua Valley AVA. Vines sit between 800 and 1,200 feet (245-365 m) and do not benefit as much from the protection of the Coast Range, resulting in cooler growing season temperatures.

Red Hill Douglas County is dominated by iron-rich, red volcanic Jory soils, which were formed from the uplifting of ancient volcanic basalt. They are mostly deep and considered premier wine grape growing soils.

Wines from this region tend to be leaner with more structure compared to other AVAs within Southern Oregon.

Region History:

The Applegate and Scott families, pioneers of Southern Oregon, settled at the foot of Red Hill in the mid-1800s. Jesse Applegate planted Douglas County’s first established vineyard in Yoncalla in 1876. Red Hill Douglas County appellation was approved in 2005.