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Company type | Winery / Public |
---|---|
Nasdaq: WVVI | |
Industry | Wine |
Founded | 1983 |
Founder | Jim Bernau and Don Voorhies |
Headquarters | Turner, Oregon United States |
Website | www.wvv.com |
Willamette Valley Vineyards is an American winery located in Turner, Oregon. Named after Oregon's Willamette Valley, the winery is the leading producer of Willamette Valley-appellated Pinot Noir in Oregon, [1] and also produces Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. [2] In 2016, the winery was the largest producer of Riesling wine in the Willamette Valley. [3]
Willamette Valley Vineyards was founded by Jim Bernau and Don Voorhies. [4] In 1997, Willamette Valley Vineyards merged with Tualatin Estate Vineyards, which was established by Bill Fuller in 1973.
The winery was established via an early crowdfunding campaign. In 1989, around 1,200 shareholders invested an average of $1,700 each in an unlisted stock offering approved by Oregon regulators. [5] [6] [7] By 1993, the number of shareholders had grown to 4,500 and many shareholders were directly involved with operations, collectively donating 6,000 to 7,000 hours of labor per month. Over 300 shareholders passed an OLCC class to be certified to pour wine in the tasting room. [7] The winery is now listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol WVVI. [8]
In 2021, the winery hosted the season 18 finale of Bravo's Top Chef: Portland. [9]
In 2015, founder Jim Bernau and winery director Christine Clair founded the Oregon Estate Vineyards division to manage subsidiary vineyards.
Since 2007, Willamette Valley Vineyards has managed Elton Vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. [10] Elton Vineyards is primarily planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. [11] In 2017, Willamette Valley Vineyards began selling a boutique wine label under the "Elton" name. [12] [13]
In 2015, the company purchased new vineyard sites in the Walla Walla Valley AVA for a new subsidiary, "Pambrun Vineyard", named after Bernau's ancestor, Pierre Pambrun, a Walla Walla pioneer. [13] [10] Pambrun produces Cabernet Sauvignon along with other Bordeaux varieties. [11] In 2018, Willamette Valley Vineyards acquired nearby Maison Bleue Winery, previously owned by Jon Meuret, who was also the consulting winemaker for Pambrun Vineyard. [13]
In 2015, Wine Enthusiast named Willamette Valley Vineyards' Whole Cluster Pinot Noir as one of "America's Best Value Pinot Noirs". [14]
The Wall Street Journal included Willamette Valley Vineyards' Pinot Gris in the article, "Why Wine Remains a Great Connector". [15]
The Eyrie Vineyards is an American winery in Oregon that consists of 60 acres (24 ha) in five different vineyards in the Dundee Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley. In 1965, against the advice of his viticultural professors at the University of California, Davis, David Lett moved to Oregon to plant Pinot noir in the Willamette Valley. David and Diana Lett produced the first Pinot noir in the Willamette Valley, and the first Pinot gris in the United States. Their first vintage was in 1970.
Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard is a family-owned wine company based in Milawa, Victoria, Australia. Brown Brothers was founded in 1889 by John Francis Brown and continues to be owned and operated by his descendants on the original property. Brown Brothers makes wine from a wide range of grape varieties and into a range of styles.
Washington wine is a wine produced from grape varieties grown in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine. By 2017, the state had over 55,000 acres (220 km2) of vineyards, a harvest of 229,000 short tons (208,000 t) of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 940+ wineries located in the state. While there are some viticultural activities in the cooler, wetter western half of the state, the majority (99.9%) of wine grape production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half. The rain shadow of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia River Basin with around 8 inches (200 mm) of annual rain fall, making irrigation and water rights of paramount interest to the Washington wine industry. Viticulture in the state is also influenced by long sunlight hours and consistent temperatures.
David Lett was the founder and winemaker for The Eyrie Vineyards in the U.S. state of Oregon. He was a pioneer in the Oregon wine industry.
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.
Walla Walla Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located within Washington state and extending partly into the northeastern corner of Oregon. The wine region is entirely included within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. In addition to grapes, the area produces sweet onions, wheat and strawberries After the Yakima Valley AVA, the Walla Walla AVA has the second highest concentration of vineyards and wineries in Washington State. Walla Walla hosts about 140 wineries. The area was recognized on March 7, 1984 by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury after reviewing the petition submitted by Mr. Richard L Small, President of the Walla Walla Valley Winegrowers Association, for the establishment of a viticultural area in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon, east of Lake Wallula, to be known as "Walls Walls Valley." At the time, Walla Walla Valley viticultural area was approximately 178,560 acres (279 sq mi) with two bonded wineries and about 60 acres (24 ha) from several vineyards.
The Duckhorn Portfolio Inc. is an American wine company producing varietal labelled and blended red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines from California and Washington State. The main winery, Duckhorn Vineyards, is outside St. Helena, California.
Bridgeview Vineyard and Winery is one of the largest wineries in Oregon. Located in Cave Junction, Oregon, Bridgeview is noted for its chardonnay, pinot gris, and pinot noir. Its 85-acre (340,000 m2) estate in the Illinois Valley is planted in the European style of dense six-foot row and four-foot vine spacing. Bridgeview also has an 80-acre (320,000 m2) vineyard in the Applegate Valley.
Oak Knoll Winery is a privately held winery located in the Tualatin Valley near Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Established in 1970, it is the oldest winery in Washington County, and produces Pinot noir, Pinot gris, and Chardonnay. The winery also known for producing Frambosia, a red raspberry wine.
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.
Foris Vineyards Winery is an American winery located near Cave Junction, Oregon in the Illinois Valley region of the Rogue Valley AVA of Southern Oregon. As one of Oregon's pioneering grape growers, Ted Gerber planted his first vineyard in 1974. For 15 years, Gerber provided fruit to other winemakers, until 1986 when the winery was founded by Ted and Meri Gerber and the Foris label was launched.
Reif Estate Winery is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada. Reif Estate is primarily known for playing an important in role pioneering the Ontario wine Industry, as well as planting some of the first Vitis vinifera vines in the Niagara region.
Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery is a subsidiary of Concha y Toro Winery and is the third largest exporter of bottled wine in Chile. Established in 1993, its name is a reference to its location in the Southern Cone of South America and a play on the word connoisseur. In 2015, it was the official wine of the Tour de France.
Trisaetum is a winery located in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Established in 2003 by Andrea and James Frey, the winery, pronounced "tris-say-tum", was named after the founders two children, Tristen and Tatum. The winery is still family owned and operated and produces small lots of critically acclaimed Pinot Noir and Riesling from its estate vineyards. Trisaetum's older vineyard, the Coast Range estate, is a 22-acre (89,000 m2) vineyard located in the southwestern corner of the Yamhill-Carlton District AVA. Trisaetum's winery is located on its newer 17-acre (69,000 m2) vineyard in the heart of the Ribbon Ridge AVA.
Acacia Winery, also known as Acacia Vineyard or simply Acacia, is a winery in the Carneros Valley appellation in Napa County, California, United States. Acacia Winery was founded in 1979 by co-founder Michael Richmond and others on Las Amigas Road. The winery primarily produced pinot noir and Chardonnay wines including the following lines: Reserve, SVS Wines, Carneros Blend, A, From Acacia, and Estate Pinot (2001-2002). Paul Perret became the sole general partner of Lakeside Winery, the owner of Acacia, and sold the winery to Chalone in July, 1986.
Bethel Heights Vineyard is an Oregon winery in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley. Founded in 1977 by twin brothers Ted and Terry Casteel, their wives Pat Dudley and Marilyn Webb, and Pat's sister Barbara Dudley, the vineyard was one of the earliest plantings in the Eola-Amity Hills region. A winery soon followed, with the first estate wines produced in 1984. Bethel Heights specializes in Pinot noir, offering several individual block and vineyard designated bottlings, but also produces wines made from Chardonnay, Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, and Gewürztraminer.
Sokol Blosser Winery is a vineyard, tasting room and winery facility located northeast of Dayton, Oregon in the Red Hills of Dundee in Yamhill County. It was founded by Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser in 1971 in what is now known as the Dundee Hills AVA. Sokol Blosser Winery is family owned and operated by second-generation co-presidents, siblings Alex and Alison Sokol Blosser, and is the 6th largest wine producer in Oregon. Sokol Blosser is considered to be “synonymous with sustainability,” and produces Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, proprietary blends Evolution White and Evolution Red, a range of other Evolution wines, and small quantities of single block Pinot Noirs, Rosé of Pinot Noir, White Riesling dessert wine, and sparkling wine.
Dick Ponzi is an American winemaker, a pioneer of the Oregon wine industry and the Oregon brewing industry, and the founder of Ponzi Vineyards, one of the Willamette Valley's founding wineries. He also had a successful career as a structural engineer. Ponzi is regarded as an enological and viticultural innovator. He was a founding member and the first president of the Oregon Winegrowers Association and a founding director of the Oregon Wine Board. He and his wife also established Oregon's first craft brewery, Bridgeport Brewing Company.
Nancy Ponzi is an American vineyard owner and winemaker. She is a pioneer of the Oregon wine industry and the Oregon brewing industry, and the founder of Ponzi Vineyards, one of the Willamette Valley's founding wineries. She and her husband Dick Ponzi also established Oregon's first craft brewery, Bridgeport Brewing Company.