The Ramona Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located 28 miles (45 km) northeast of the city of San Diego in San Diego County, California, centered on the community of Ramona. It was designated the 162nd American Viticultural Area in January, 2006 by the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which recognized the area for its distinctive microclimate, elevation, and soil attributes. Approximately 89,000 acres (360 km2) in area, it is 14.5 miles (23.3 km) long and 9.5 miles (15.3 km) wide. Geographically, the Ramona Valley is described as being a broad, flat valley ringed by hills and mountains that isolate it from the surrounding areas. The valley has an average vineyard elevation of 1,400 feet (430 m) and an annual average rainfall of 16.5 inches (41.9 cm).
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.
Willamette Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) 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, 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 Umpqua Valley AVA is one of the first American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Oregon and located entirely within Douglas County, Oregon. It became a sub-appellation within the larger Southern Oregon AVA when it was established in 2004. Its boundaries are detailed in Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27 Chapter I Part 9 section 89(C).
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 Applegate Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southern Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Rogue Valley AVA, which is itself included within the larger Southern Oregon AVA. The region is named for the Applegate River, which flows through the town of Applegate and near the city of Jacksonville. The Applegate Valley has been a grape-growing region since 1870 when A. H. Carson began planting 30 acres of grapes along North Applegate Road. One of Oregon's first wineries was established in the Applegate Valley. This region contains vineyards at altitudes ranging from 1,000 feet (300 m) to 1,500 feet (500 m) above sea level, and is warmer and drier than the Illinois Valley to the west, but less so than the Bear Creek Valley to the east. Grapes that thrive here include Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tannat, Vermentino, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel.
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 McMinnville AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, roughly running from McMinnville to Sheridan. The AVA was created as a result of a successful petition from Kevin Byrd of Youngberg Hill Vineyards. McMinnville is one of few AVAs that is designated in part based on elevation, with vineyards required to be between 200 feet (61 m) and 1,000 feet (305 m) above sea level, where the soil and rock formations differ from surrounding areas. Primarily uplifted marine sedimentary loams and silt, the top soil is shallow and relatively infertile.
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 Howell Mountain AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Napa Valley AVA of California.
The McDowell Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeastern Mendocino County, California near Hopland. The wine appellation is located on sloped bench land at elevations as high as 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level that overlook the Russian River to the west. McDowell Valley is slightly cooler than the surrounding areas of Mendocino County. McDowell Valley Vineyards is currently the only winery operating within the boundaries of the AVA.
The Redwood Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Mendocino County, California. The earliest vineyards were planted in the valley by Italian immigrants in the 19th century. The valley sits at an elevation that is 200 feet (61 m) higher than the surrounding area. It is cooler in climate and requires a later harvest for grapes to achieve ripeness.
York Mountain is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, California. It lies within the larger Central Coast AVA located on the eastern side of the Santa Lucia Mountains and west of Paso Robles viticultural area. The mountainous terrain features vineyards that are mostly cultivated at an elevation around 1,500 feet (460 m). York Mountain climate is cooler and wetter than Paso Robles being just 8 miles (13 km) from the Pacific Ocean. York Mountain viticultural area was recognized as the county’s second AVA by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) effective on September 23, 1983 after reviewing the petition submitted by Stephen and Max Goldman, owners of York Mountain Winery, to establish a area known as “York Mountain.” Historically, Andrew York, a British immigrant, planted the first vineyard on York Mountain in the 1870s and established Ascension Winery, the first bonded winery in the Central Coast. It survived through Prohibtion and later renamed York Mountain Winery, staying in the York family until 1970 when it was purchased by Max Goldman.
The Red Hill Douglas County, Oregon AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Douglas County, Oregon, near the town of Yoncalla. It is entirely contained within the Umpqua Valley AVA, which is itself included within the larger Southern Oregon AVA.
The Chehalem Mountains AVA is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in the Yamhill and Washington counties of northwestern Oregon. It contains two sub-regions, Laurelwood District AVA and Ribbon Ridge AVA.
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 Van Duzer Corridor AVA, a sub-appellation of the Willamette Valley AVA located within Polk County, Oregon, in the United States, is an American Viticultural Area approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on December 13, 2018 and effective January 14, 2019.
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) after reviewing the petition from Rudolf Marchesi, president of Montinore Estate, Alfredo Apolloni, owner and winemaker of Apolloni Vineyards, and Mike Kuenz, general manager of David Hill Vineyard and Winery, on behalf of themselves and other local grape growers and vintners, proposing the establishment of the "Tualatin Hills" viticultural area in portions of Multnomah and Washington Counties. It lies entirely within the northernmost 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.
