Oregon Wine History

Unlike the States of California and neighboring Washington, the State of Oregon isn’t a very big player in producing wine. After all, the state has only devoted some 9000 acres to vineyards. That being said, Oregon still boasts of more than 120 wineries which produce some of the best vintages in the Pacific Northwest.

This is quite an achievement for a state which only began growing grapes during the 1960’s. This also happens to be one of the most exciting features of Oregon. The fact that the state has come such as long way in such a short time means that its able to develop further with the help of its older quality minded vintners along with well funded newcomers.

According to the stats, it is clear that the Oregon State is dominated by many small but premium quality wine producers, who seem to prefer growing light red varieties of wine, which is no surprise due to the cool and rainy climate which encourages elegant instead of powerful wines. In fact, Oregon is famous for its Pinot Noir (especially that from Domaine Drouhin) which has brought the State international recognition. In fact, according to Forbes Magazine we’re among the world’s best wine clubs simply because we do such a good job at bringing in Oregon’s wines to California and beyond.

The vast majority of wineries in the state of Oregon are situated in the Willamette Valley, which runs north to south, from Portland to Eugene, which is only a few miles from the coast. Apart from the well documented Pinot Noir of Oregon, other vintages such as the Pinot Blanc and the Chardonnay have also managed to make a place for themselves, while the Pinot Gris reigns supreme when it comes to the whites.