The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, east of the Northern Oregon Coast Range. Most of the valley is located within Washington County, separated from Portland by the Tualatin Mountains. Communities in the Tualatin Valley include Banks, Forest Grove, Cornelius, Hillsboro, Aloha, Beaverton, Sherwood, Tigard, and Tualatin.
The state of Oregon in the United States has established an international reputation for its production of wine, ranking fourth in the country behind California, Washington, and New York. Oregon has several different growing regions within the state's borders that are well-suited to the cultivation of grapes; additional regions straddle the border between Oregon and the states of Washington and Idaho. Wine making dates back to pioneer times in the 1840s, with commercial production beginning in the 1960s.
The history of Oregon wine production stretches back to before the state was incorporated. Settlers to the Oregon Territory planted grapes as early as the 1840s, however the production of wine has only been a significant industry in Oregon since the 1960s. Oregon wines first achieved significant critical notice in the late 1970s; in 2005, the industry sold 1.6 million cases of Oregon vintages with a retail value of US$184.7 million. In 2015, there were 702 wineries and 28,034 acres of vitis vinifera planted.
The Willamette Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area which lies in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The AVA is the wine growing region which encompasses the drainage basin of the Willamette River. It stretches from the Columbia River in the north to just south of Eugene in the south, where the Willamette Valley ends; and from the Oregon Coast Range in the west to the Cascade Mountains in the east. At 5,360 square miles (13,900 km2), it is the largest AVA in the state, and contains most of the state's wineries; approximately 908 as of 2021.
The Southern Oregon AVA is an American Viticultural Area which lies in Southern Oregon, United States. The Southern Oregon AVA was established in 2005 and was created to include the land of two smaller AVAs: the Rogue Valley AVA and the Umpqua Valley AVA. Southern Oregon AVA was established to allow the two principal winegrowing regions in the southern part of the state to market themselves jointly. This creation of a "super-AVA" is a departure from the trend in the Willamette Valley AVA or northern Oregon of establishing smaller AVAs specific to a particular locale's climate or soil conditions.
The Rogue Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southern Oregon. The federal government approved this appellation in 1991. It is entirely contained within the larger Southern Oregon AVA and includes the drainage basin of the Rogue River and several tributaries, including the Illinois River, the Applegate River, and Bear Creek. Most wineries in the region are found in the valleys formed by one of these three tributaries, rather than along the Rogue River itself. The region is 70 miles (113 km) wide by 60 miles (97 km) long ; there are fewer than 20 wineries with only 1,100 acres (450 ha) planted. Each river valley has a unique terroir, and grows different varieties of grapes. Overall, however, this region is the warmest and driest of Oregon's wine-growing regions.
The Dundee Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, and is approximately 28 miles (45 km) southwest of Portland, near the towns of Dundee and Dayton. The area is 6,940 acres (2,809 ha) in total size, with 1,300 acres (526 ha) planted with grapes. The Dundee Hills are a north-south oriented line of hills on the western side of the Willamette River valley. The soil is red in color, rich in iron, relatively infertile, making it suitable for grape cultivation. The region gets 30 inches (76 cm) to 45 inches (114 cm) of rainfall per year. The Chehalem Mountains to the north protect the region from the cool breezes that enter Willamette Valley from the Columbia Gorge. Over 25 wineries and independent vineyards in this region produce over 44,000 cases of wine.
The Yamhill-Carlton AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in both Washington County and Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, and surrounds the towns of Carlton and Yamhill. The mountain ridges surrounding the AVA form a horseshoe shape, and most of the vineyards are located on south-facing slopes. The AVA includes only land between 200 feet (61 m) and 1,000 feet (305 m) above sea level where marine sediments are some of the oldest soils in the Willamette Valley and create unique conditions for viticulture. The region is in the rain shadow of the 3,500 feet (1,100 m) Oregon Coast Range, a short distance to the west.
The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area in southeastern Washington, and is part of the larger Columbia Valley AVA. The Horse Heaven Hills AVA borders the Yakima Valley AVA on the north and the Columbia River on the south. Elevations in this AVA range from 200 feet (61 m) above sea level in the south to 1,800 feet (549 m) above sea level at the northern boundary. Grapes planted in the south-facing slopes of the Horse Heaven Hills benefit from strong winds that arrive from the west via the Columbia Gorge, reducing the likelihood of rot and fungal diseases.
The Ribbon Ridge AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Yamhill County, Oregon. It is the smallest AVA in Oregon and is entirely contained within the Chehalem Mountains AVA, which in turn is entirely contained within the larger Willamette Valley AVA. Ribbon Ridge stretches between the towns of Newberg and Gaston. The ridge is defined by local geographic boundaries and an uplift of ocean sediment. It lies at 45° 21' N latitude and 123° 04' W longitude, at the northwest end of the Chehalem Mountains. Colby Carter, an early settler from Missouri, named Ribbon Ridge in 1865, and the ridge has been known by that name ever since. The first official use of the Ribbon Ridge name dates to 1888 with the creation of Ribbon Ridge School District No. 68. The ridge is approximately 0.25 miles (0.40 km) wide and 3.50 miles (5.63 km) long, and is 3,350 acres (1,356 ha) in area, with 500 acres (202 ha) planted on 20 vineyards. It is estimated that between 1,000 acres (405 ha) and 1,400 acres (567 ha) in the region is suitable for planting.
The Dry Creek Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area in Sonoma County, California, located northwest of the town of Healdsburg. The valley is formed by Dry Creek, a tributary of the Russian River, and is approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) long and 2 miles (3.2 km) wide. The appellation benefits from the proximity of the Lake Sonoma reservoir for irrigation in this relatively dry area.
Leona Valley AVA is an American Viticulture Area (AVA) in northeastern Los Angeles County, California. It is located in Leona Valley within the Sierra Pelona Mountains of Southern California.
The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Polk County and Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, and stretches from the city of Amity in the north to Salem in the south. The Eola and Amity hills cover an area west of the Willamette River approximately 15 miles (24 km) long by 6 miles (10 km) wide. The Eola-Amity Hills area benefits from steady winds off the Pacific Ocean that reach the Willamette Valley through the Van Duzer Corridor, a gap in the Oregon Coast Range, moderating the summer temperatures. The Eola Hills were named after the community of Eola, whose name was derived from Aeolus, the Greek god of the winds.
The Chehalem Mountains are a mountain range located in the Willamette Valley in the U.S. state of Oregon. Forming the southern boundary of the Tualatin Valley, the Chehalems are the highest mountains in the Willamette Valley. The range extends from the Willamette River east of Newberg northwest to the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range south of Forest Grove.
Big Valley District-Lake County AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Lake County, California. There was 6 wineries within the viticultural area, as well as 43 commercially-producing vineyards covering approximately 1,800 acres (728 ha) when officially established by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in October 2013 alongside the adjacent Kelsey Bench AVA.
Laurelwood District is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located west of the city of Portland and lies entirely within the northern end of Willamette Valley AVA with the Chehalem Mountains AVA covering its northern slopes including the towns of Cornelius, Scholls and Sherwood in Washington County. The district was established on May 13, 2020, by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Its coverage is approximately 33,600 acres (13,597 ha) and contains 25 wineries and approximately 70 commercially-producing vineyards that plant approximately 975 acres (395 ha). The distinguishing feature of the Laurelwood District is the predominance of the Laurelwood soil that predominates in the area. The district contains the highest concentration of the namesake soil in Oregon.
Tualatin Hills is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located due west of Portland and just east from the Oregon Coast Range in the upland hills of the Tualatin River watershed and encompasses elevations between 200 and 1,000 feet. It was established on May 13, 2020 by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). It lies entirely within the northern most location of the Willamette Valley AVA in and around towns like Gaston, Forest Grove, Sherwood and Cornelius. To the south and southeast are the Chehalem Mountains with elevations of over 1,000 feet (300 m) and considered to be a separate, distinct landform from the uplands within Tualatin Hills. The region stretches over approximately 144,000 acres (225 sq mi) and contains 21 wineries with 33 commercially-producing vineyards that covers approximately 860.5 acres (348 ha). The distinguishing features of Tualatin Hills are its soils, elevation, and climate.
Lower Long Tom is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Oregon's southern Willamette Valley in Lane and Benton Counties, near the towns of Junction City and Monroe. The district was established on December 10, 2021, by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Its coverage is approximately 25,000 acres (10,117 ha) and contains 12 wineries and 24 commercially-producing vineyards that plant approximately 575 acres (233 ha). It lies entirely within the Willamette Valley AVA. The region is primarily known for its Pinot noir and Pinot gris.
