Tualatin Hills
Established: 2020
Total Area: 144,000 acres (58,275 ha)
Planted Area: 970 acres (395 ha)
Predominant Soils: Loess (Laurelwood series)
Predominant Varieties: Pinot noir, Pinot gris and Chardonnay
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Cole Danehower—wine writer, James Beard award winner and great friend of Northwest wine—had it right: Great Wine = (Place + Plant) x People. Few places in the world maximize that equation the way Oregon does. It’s not just our perfect location—the languid summer days, breezes sweeping in from the Pacific, primordial soils making vines struggle and develop complex flavors. And it’s not just that we’ve invested in decades of painstaking research about which grapes thrive best in which areas, under what conditions. It’s that our winemakers, despite their successes, have never rested on their laurels. They welcome feedback and collaborate to share advances, but always maintain a fierce independence, determined to make distinct wines that reflect their land, their grapes, what this year has brought. Wine enthusiasts recognize quality when they taste it, and in Oregon that quality comes from hand-tended vines, small-scale production and thoughtful winemakers dedicated to their craft.
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Neighborhood bee collectives. EV charging stations atop Mt. Hood. CSA farm shares offering so many beets you just have to pickle some. Oregonians may push the quirk factor, but we know a good thing when we see it—and we think this state, with its bountiful resources and beautiful scenery, is worth protecting. For us, being green isn’t about being trendy, it’s who we are. Oregon winemakers have demonstrated these qualities from the get-go, matching the joyful pursuit of great wine with a fierce commitment to the land.
The Oregon wine industry was born into a culture of sustainability, as the state of Oregon has had a longtime commitment to protecting the environment and preserving its natural resources. This commitment dates back to 1889, when state legislature enacted Oregon’s first environmental law: prohibiting pollution of waters used for domestic or livestock purposes. In 1966, Oregonians elected Tom McCall, an innovative governor who enacted key environmental legislation to protect Oregon’s environment and natural resources.
1966
Oregon elected Tom McCall as governor.
1967
Gov. McCall signed the Beach Bill, calling it “one of the most far-reaching measures of its kind enacted by any legislative body in the nation.” The bill granted the public recreational rights to the dry sands of Oregon’s beaches all the way to the vegetation line.
1971
Oregon passed the nation’s first Bottle Bill, implementing refunds on soft drink, beer and water containers reducing litter and increasing recycling.
1973
Oregon Senate Bill 100 created an institutional structure for statewide urban planning. It required cities and counties to adopt comprehensive land-use plans and placed restrictions on urban sprawl into farmland.
During this period of sweeping environmental protection legislation, Oregon’s wine pioneers – including Richard Sommer, the Letts, the Ponzis, the Adelsheims, Dick Erath and the Sokol Blossers – began setting up shop in Oregon.To the state’s early winemakers, Oregon represented not just an ideal place for winegrowing, it represented a frontier where winegrowers could practice their trade in a biologically diverse and ecologically balanced way. They would produce the highest quality wine possible, but they would do it in synergy with nature while upholding their responsibility as stewards of the land.Oregon Senate Bill 100
Perhaps one of the most significant milestones in the sustainability of the Oregon wine industry was Oregon Senate Bill 100. Signed into law by Governor McCall in May 1973, Oregon Senate Bill 100 created an institutional structure for statewide land-use planning. It required cities and counties to adopt comprehensive land-use plans and placed restrictions on urban sprawl into farmland.
The early winemakers of the Willamette Valley actively worked on the passage of Senate Bill 100 to preserve hillside properties not previously considered prime farmland, but which were ideal for the future development of vineyards. As a result, some of Willamette Valley’s most esteemed vineyard sites exist, sometimes very near to urban centers, without the threat of impending housing developments.
47% of Oregon’s vineyards are certified sustainable, the most of any major U.S. winegrowing region.Future of Sustainability
From past to present, Oregon wine producers have been driven to capture the beauty and elegance of the Pacific Northwest in a glass of wine. This noble goal has resulted in a significant commitment by winemakers and grapegrowers to preserve the land for generations to come. To light the way in sustainable grapegrowing and winemaking, standards of the following agencies have been adopted:
Geographic Span: International
Established: Informally established in 1927, formally established in 1985
Philosophy: “Healing the planet through agriculture.” Demeter Certified Biodynamic vineyards look to not only “cause no harm,” but also to engage in practices that will help to heal the planet.
Practices: Developed in the 1920s based on the teachings of Dr. Rudolf Steiner – a noted German scientist, philosopher and founder of the Waldorf School – biodynamic practices aim to maintain farms as living organisms, not factories: self-contained and self-sustaining, responsible for creating and maintaining their own individual health and vitality.
Demeter Certified Biodynamic practices include but are not limited to:
Note: Salmon-Safe requirements are embedded in Demeter certification standards.
For more information: http://www.demeter-usa.org/
Geographic Span: Regional: Oregon, Washington, California, British Columbia
Established: 1995
Philosophy: “Transform land management practices so Pacific salmon can thrive in West Coast watersheds.”
Practices: The Salmon-Safe certification was developed to protect the livelihood of salmon on the West Coast, however, salmon are a key indicator species in the Pacific Northwest. Their conservation is tightly intertwined with the health of the larger ecosystem. Compliance with Salmon-Safe certification standards is intended to promote landscape-level conservation and protection of biological diversity.
Salmon-Safe practices include but are not limited to:
Note: LIVE and Demeter Certified Biodynamic have Salmon-Safe requirements embedded in their certification standards. Any vineyard or winery with these certifications is also certified Salmon-Safe.
For more information: http://www.salmonsafe.org/[toggle title=”USDA ORGANIC / OREGON TILTH” open=”no”]
Geographic Span: National
Established: 1990
Philosophy: The federal National Organic Program (NOP) develops national standards for organically-produced agricultural products so consumers know products with the USDA Organic seal meet consistent, uniform standards.
Practices: The USDA Organic regulations describe organic agriculture as the application of a set of cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that support the cycling of on-farm resources, promote ecological balance and conserve biodiversity.
USDA Organic practices include but are not limited to:
Note: The NOP sets the USDA Organic certification standards but vineyards enlist a local certifying entity for inspection, such as Oregon Tilth. Not-for-profit Oregon Tilth is the third-largest USDA accredited organic certifier in the country.
For more information: http://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program
Geographic Span: Regional: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia
Established: 1995
Philosophy: “Minimize environmental impacts, preserve agricultural fertility and sustain economic viability for generations to come.”
Practices: LIVE takes a whole-farm and whole-winery approach to sustainability. The entire property, including non-grape crops, landscaping, building operations, labor practices and packaging must be managed by LIVE standards.
LIVE practices include but are not limited to:
Note: Salmon-Safe requirements are embedded in LIVE certification standards.
For more information: https://livecertified.org/
Geographic Span: Willamette Valley
Established: 2003
Philosophy: Grapes from non-irrigated vineyards produce authentic wines while conserving water.
Practices: Wineries in the Deep Roots Coalition grow and source grapes exclusively from non-irrigated vineyards for conservation of agricultural water supplies as well as the authenticity of the resulting wine.
Deep Roots Coalition practices include but are not limited to:
For more information: www.deeprootscoalition.org/
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Established: 1984
Planted Area: 9,010 acres (3,645 ha)
Predominant Soils: Loess, sandy silts, loams
Predominant Varieties: Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon blanc, Pinot gris, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Franc, Viognier
The Columbia Valley AVA is a very large growing region with 11 million acres (4.5 million ha) of land in total. Most of the Columbia Valley lies in Washington State, with a small section in Oregon stretching from The Dalles to Milton-Freewater. The region is 185 miles (300 km) wide and 200 miles (320 km) long.
The Columbia Valley has a largely continental high desert climate. The hot days promote slow, even ripening, while the cool nights ensure that grapes retain their natural acidity. The area receives just 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) of annual rainfall, making supplemental irrigation a necessity throughout the region.
Roughly 15,000 years ago a series of tremendous Ice Age floods (dubbed the Missoula Floods) deposited silt and sand over the area. These deposited sediments, along with wind-blown loess sediment, make up the area’s present-day soils, which are well drained and ideal for grapevines.
Region History:
On the Oregon side, the Columbia Valley wine history dates back to the early 1900s, when settlers planted the area’s first vineyard on a steep, south-sloping hill near the small town of The Dalles. These Zinfandel vines, which are now more than 100 years old, still produce wine grapes at what is today known as The Pines 1852 Vineyard, whose vintner revitalized the land in the early 1980s. Around that time, as the Washington side of the Columbia Valley appellation began to flourish with large-scale wineries, reputable winemakers started tagging the small Oregon side as an excellent location for high-quality wine grapes. The appellation became official in 1984.