Put Oregon on Your Wine Map

Sometimes when you’re super close to something you forget how you became aware of in the first place.  

That’s me when it comes to Oregon and Oregon wine.  

My wife and I started Violet Vines five years ago as a passion project originally focused on producing amazing Pinot noir.  It was back in 2005 when I discovered Oregon wine when visiting an amazing restaurant in La Jolla, The Marine Room.  It was there, during a business meeting, we ordered a bottle of Rex Hill Pinot Noir based on a recommendation from the waiter.  Like many, I thought wine came from France and California, and was surprised by the amazing aroma and taste (plus it paired so well with the seafood that everyone ordered).  

The time I was in town (for another business conference), my wife joined me and I repeated the same experience – Marine Room and Rex Hill Pinot Noir. It was about the same time I got to begin traveling to Portland, Oregon, and between business meetings, I ventured out and found Rex Hill – and many other wineries and tasting rooms.  I was hooked on the wine and experiences, and soon, my wife started traveling with me to Oregon.  That led to the dream of owning a winery and making exceptional Pinot – which has evolved into producing distinct Oregon-grown wines, not just Pinot’s.  

To date, we’ve planted and produced Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Albariño, Cabernet Franc, Grenache and Mourvèdre – all in the State of Oregon!  You’re reading this right – for many wine drinkers, or those that aren’t “in” to wine, you might have heard a rumor that Oregon only produces Pinot noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling.  Turns out the climate and soils – the terroir – are incredible for a wide range of varietals.

Fast forward to 2023, the year we began the process of selling wine to wine shops and restaurants, and all we heard from distributors as well as wine store and restaurant owners is that the majority of the public isn’t familiar with Oregon wines, and those that are, think of Oregon exclusively as Pinot noir and Pinot Gris producers.  A recent study commissioned by the Willamette Valley Winegrowers Association, targeting wine tourists in eleven key US markets, found that 29.7% were not familiar with the Willamette Valley (or had never heard of it), and another 35% stated they were moderately or slightly familiar with the region.  

Collectively, these observations led me to write this blog to help people interested in wine to identify Oregon as a world-class wine growing region and a great place to visit to experience it all!  

Let’s start with this question – why is Oregon wine world-class? In summary, it’s an ideal wine growing region, and in many ways, similar if not better suited to growing world-class grapes when compared to places like Burgandy, France and in California (Russian River Valley, Sonoma, Santa Barbara).

Did you know?

• Latitude – Oregon sits perfectly from a latitude perspective at approximately 45 degrees north (or at least our estate vineyard does). This compares to Burgandy, France at 47 degrees north and the Russian River Valley at 38.4 degrees north.  This matters because of milder temperatures and more sunlight in the summer.  
• Daylight – The grapes get more sun in Oregon.  For example, at the Summer Solstice each year, McMinnville gets 25 more minutes of sunlight than the Russian River Valley.  Multiply that by all of the days in a typical growing season and that’s a significant difference in the amount of sun reaching the grapes.  This would be a bad thing if not for…
• Temperature – The Willamette Valley is known for its Coastal Climate, with warm dry summers yet good precipitation in the Fall, Winter and Spring.  More on that in a moment…
• Cooling Winds – And large portions of the Willamette Valley receive cooling winds from the Pacific Ocean in the afternoons, which drives sugar and flavor development.  Look up “The Van Duzer Winds” for more information on this!
• Precipitation – Because of our soils and the amount of rain during the non-growing season, most vineyards don’t have to irrigate and “dry farm” instead which also has a direct correlation to flavor development and quality.   
• More on Terroir – And there’s so many other positive growing influences, including varying soils and elevations.
• Innovative and Entrepreneurial Wine-Making Styles – Visit Oregon and you’ll notice the vast majority of wineries are small in comparison to those in France and California.  More on the benefits of visiting these wineries in a moment, but each small winery brings a wealth of innovative wine-making experiences and an overall entrepreneurial spirit.  

I borrowed this table from a class I took at UC Davis which compared wine growing outcomes to temperature, and the Willamette Valley very much falls in the right column – all of which has an impact on quality.

But it’s not just about the wine, Oregon is a great place to visit! I’m going to write a separate blog on visiting the town of Carlton, which is where our tasting room is located, but let me highlight a few key points.

• Natural Beauty
• Outdoor Activities
• Quaint, relaxing vibe
• A fantastic restaurant scene
• Access to vineyard and winemaking teams
• Friendly people who are there to help you create amazing Oregon memories

At the risk of sounding negative, many potential visitors watch the news and think what’s taking place in Portland is happening everywhere in Oregon.  Much of wine country is more than 45 minutes from Portland, it’s very rural in nature, and traveling to wine country doesn’t require traveling through Portland.  This is not to say that Portland is all about crime, homelessness and narcotics – it’s not.  

Regardless, visit us in wine country and you’ll see what I’m talking about.  And next time you’re in your favorite restaurant or wine store, look for Oregon wines.  They won’t disappoint.