Winery Tours: Tour France without leaving home
by Randal C. Hill
50plus Magazine
It may surprise you that Oregon’s Willamette Valley sits on the same latitude as many of France’s prime wine regions.
Knowing this allows you to scrap any budget-busting plans you may have of touring overseas vineyards and instead spending your cash right here at home.
Some of the finest wines found anywhere come from the 5,000-square-mile expanse between the Oregon Coast and the Cascade Mountain Range. Located southwest of Portland and northwest of Eugene, the nearly 300 wineries here can boast of having the most fertile volcanic soil anywhere on the planet.
Local sommelier Dixie Huey says, “The overall style of wines made in the Willamette Valley tends to be balanced in terms of fruit, acidity, structure. Given the climate here, we do not tend to have very ripe, higher-alcohol wines, and [we] focus on growing cooler-climate varieties such as pinot noir, pinot gris, chardonnay and riesling. These wines are particularly beautiful for a versatile range of food pairing.”
The Willamette Valley — 60 miles wide and 150 miles long — is mainly known for five primary wine types. Leading in popularity is pinot noir, a dry, light-to medium-bodied product available in a variety of flavors. Pinot gris is spicy, and entices with flavors of tropical fruit, stone fruit or citrus. Dry, medium- to full-bodied chardonnay features several options of fruit flavors. Riesling has high acidity and a fragrant aroma in its dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Last but not least, gamay noir draws wine fans seeking seductive raspberry and strawberry tastes.
Within the Valley are six distinct areas called sub-appellations — boundaries within a larger defined and protected area. They include:
Dundee Hills. Grapes tend to be bright red. The pinot noir from the 100 Dundee Hills wineries is considered the finest anywhere and offers delicate hints of cherry or raspberry.
Eola-Amity Hills. This soil produces a darker fruit, resulting in a brawnier texture in the products offered by approximately 30 establishments.
Yamhill-Carlton. Over 50 wineries grow spicier grapes and beverages with an abundance of floral nuances in both flavor and aroma.
Chehalem Mountains. Mixed soil types mean darker fruit in hotter years at about 70 wineries located at the highest Valley point.
Ribbon Ridge. This tiny region with 20 wineries offers wines with a distinct licorice-like flavor.
McMinnville. Cool ocean winds help maintain the grapes’ acidity; dark fruit flavors dominate at the 20 wineries in this area.
Jeff Knapp, executive director of Visit McMinnville, says, “In my opinion, the best time to visit us is in winter. Our winters are mild. Traffic this time of year is slower. You are more likely to spend time with the owner or winemaker at the wineries you visit.”
Whenever you choose to go, pack rain jackets, because Oregon. Nine wine trails include posted signs along highways and roads that guide travelers from place to place. Wineries can be very spread out, so research distances ahead. Numerous mom and pop places to eat and stay can also be found as you meander down scenic country roads throughout the Valley.
Bus tours are available, as are hot-air-balloon rides. But if you drive, you can set your own pace and relax. Take care to not schedule too many destinations on your Oregon journey through faux France to enjoy, as author Robert Louis Stevenson once described wine, “bottled poetry.”
Liquid literature, anyone?