Oregon Wines Essay

Although wine-colouredmaking dates back to 1840s, in operating room, commercial production began in 1960s (Hall). Having a relatively short history of 50 years, today, operating theatre is the third largest wine producer bring up of United States. As of 2009, the state hosts to 453 wineries which atomic number 18 mostly crushed and family-owned ( booze Communications Group). History of the operating room wine Industry The for the first time grape vine plantation in the region was made by horticulturist Henderson Luelling, in Willamette vale by 1847. By the 1850s Peter Britt started ontogeny wine grapes in his valley View Vineyard, todays Applegate vale.According to the census in 1860, wine production was 11,800 litres (2,600 gallons) in operating theater (Hall). By the 1880s, Edward and John von Pessls planted Zinfandel, Riesling, and an unkown variety of Sauvignon in southern operating theater. At the same times in the north, in Willamette vale, Ernest Reuter has been f estering Klevner wines which brought him a gold medal at St. Louis Worlds Fair of 1904 (Hall). The wine industry in Oregon closed down in 1919 because of the Prohibition. It revived by the late 1930s as a fruit wine-based producer region. At that time t here were only two producers, Louis Herbold and Adolph Doener growing grapes.Oregons wine industry was also damaged by the success of California winemakers (Hall). The spiritual rebirth of Oregon wines dates back to 1961, when Ric exhausting Sommer founded Hill Crest Vineyard near Roseburg. Although the production was based on Riesling, he also planted some Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1965, David Lett, the owner of aerie Vineyard, planted his first Pinot Noir near Convallis and afterward 1966, continued the production at Willamette valley in the Dundee pitchers mounds. This was the beginning of the era of Pinot Noir which Oregon is nowadays far-famed for (Hall).By the 1970s many winemakers i mmigrated to Oregon from California. Some of them where David and Ginny Adelsheim, Dick Erath, Dick and Nancy Ponzi, Jerry and Ann Preston, Pat and Joe Campbell, Susan and Bill Sokol Blosser and Myron Redford. However, David Lett was the iodin who placed Oregon on the worlds wine map. In 1980, 1975 Eyrie Vineyards South Block Reserve Pinot Noir came second in the grand tasting of wines sponsored by the French Gault Millau die and this called the attention of press to Oregon as a wine producer state (Hall). In 1990, Oregon was hosted to 70 wineries and 320 growers in 5,682 acres vineyard.In the early 1990s, Oregon wine industry got into the danger of genus Phylloxera infestation which was prevented quickly by the use of resistant rootstocks. Some beneficial laws for winemakers were enacted by the Oregon legislative body in 1995. For instance, direct in-state shipment from wineries to customers and in-store tasting were legalized (Chemeketa Community College). In 2000, the number o f wineries had increased to 135 and cholecalciferol growers had been engaged in grapery in 10,500 acres vineyard. In the 2000s producers have began giving importance to color wine production in Oregon (Chemeketa Community College).An Oregon non-profit organization, Low Input Viticulture and enology, Inc. , has been licenseing wineries for concourse certain environmental standards (Low Input Viticulture and Enology, Inc. ) In 2005, there were 314 wineries and 519 vineyards in Oregon (Chemeketa Community College). word of mouth Varietals Grown in Oregon Red booze Varieties White Grape Varieties Baco Noir Chardonnay Barbera Chenin Blanc Black muscadel Early Muscat Cabarnet Franc Gewurtztraminer Cabarnet Sauvignon Huxelrebe Carmine Melon Dolcetto Muller Thrugau Gamay Noir Muscat Canelli Grenache Pinot Blanc.Leon Millot Pinot Gris Malbec Riesling Marechal Foch Sauvignon Blanc Merlot Scheurebe Petit Verdot Semillon Pinot Meunier Viognier Pinor Noir Sangiovese Syrah Zinfandel ( Bernards booze Gallery) Types of fuddle Produced in Oregon In Oregon, wine production is mostly based on Pinot Noir and the state is virtuoso of the first Pinot-producing regions in the world. Apart from the list below indicating the wine varieties, the state also produces sparkling wine, late harvest-time wine, chicken feed wine, and dessert wine (Hall). Red vino Varieties White Wine Varieties.Produced in great essence Cabarnet Sauvignon Gewurtztraminer Pinot Noir Muller Thurgau Syrah Pinot Blanc Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Produced in smaller amount Baco Noir Arneis Cabarnet Franc Chenin Blanc Dolcetto Viognier Gamay Noir Grenache Marechal Foch Malbec Muscat Nebbiolo Petit Syrah Sangiovese Tempranillo Zinfandel Viticultural Area of Oregon Willamette valley Willamette Valley is the largest AVA of Oregon, foot race from the Columbia River in Portland south through Salem to the Calapooya Mountains outside Eugene.The valley is 150 miles long and intimately 60 miles wide (Oregon Wine Board). In the valley, summers are generally warm and arid and the winters are quiet and rainy. It is ideal for cool climate grapes due to its temperate climate and coastal marine influences. During the growing season, the valley has more daylight hours than new(prenominal) orbital cavitys of Oregon (Oregon Wine Board). The Willamette Valley is an old volcanic and sedimentary ocean bottom that has been overlaid with gravel, silt, rock and boulders brought by the Missoula Floods from Montana and Washington between thousands of years ago.Red Jory soil is the most viridity volcanic type in the region and permits excellent drainage for superior quality wine grapes. (Oregon Wine Board) The valley is surrounded by the Coast stove to the westward, the cascades to the easternmost and a series of hill chains to the north (Oregon Wine Board). The Willamette River runs through the middle of the valley. Most of the vineyards are concentrated on the west of this rive r, on the slopes of the Coast swear, or among the valleys and they are mostly located a few hundred feet supra sea level (Oregon Wine Board).Columbia Valley Although the Columbia Valley AVA is an 11 million acre growing region, only a small section with 185 miles wide and 200 miles long lies in Oregon (Oregon Wine Board). The valley has a mostly continental high desert climate. The hot days and cool nights provide slow, even ripening and helps grapes keep their natural acidity. yearbookly, the area only receives 6 to 8 inches of rainfall which makes secondary irrigation essential in the entire region (Oregon Wine Board). The area is covered with silt and sand which was deposited astir(predicate) 15,000 years ago.The deposited silt and sand came to the region 15,000 years ago because of a series of massive ice age floods and wind-blown loess sediment. Today the region is mostly covered by loess (fine grained calcerous silt) which is well drained and ideal for grapevines (Oregon W ine Board). The Columbia Valley mostly lies on the Columbia River Plateau. The valley is bordered by the mountain ranges on the west and north, by the Columbia River on the south and by the Snake River near Idaho on the east (Oregon Wine Board). Walla Walla Valley.As a sub-appellation of the Columbia Valley AVA, The Walla Walla Valley AVA is in the northeast of Oregon. Although most of the wineries of Walla Walla Valley are located in Washington, almost half of the vines are produced in the Oregon side (Oregon Wine Board). The region has long sunshine-filled days and cool evening temperatures. Annual rainfall is 12. 5 inches due to the Cascade Mountain Range. Therefore, irrigation is necessary for grape growing (Oregon Wine Board). The soils of the region consist of varying combinations of well-drained loam, cobbles, silt and loess (Oregon Wine Board).The valley is located at the foot of the Blue Mountains, with vineyard elevations varying from 650 to 1,500 feet. Cascade Mountain Ra nge borders the western side of the valley (Oregon Wine Board). Umpqua Valley The Umpqua Valley AVA is surrounded by the Coast Range from the west, the Cascade Range from the east, the Willamette Valley AVA from the north and the rapscallion Valley AVA from the south. The valley is 65 miles long and 25 miles wide. Umpqua River runs nearby the valley (Oregon Wine Board). There are three different climatic sub-zones in the valley. archetypal one is the northern area around the town of Elkton which has a cool, marine-influenced climate suitable for cool-climate grape varieties. Annual rainfall is around 50 inches therefore, the viticulturists only benefit from the rain to grow their vines. Second is the central area to the northwest of Roseburg which has an intermediate climate allowing both cool and warm varieties to grow. Last area is located on the south of Roseburg. It is suitable for warm-climate varieties, such as Tempranillo, Syrah and Merlot. This area is more arid which makes irrigation necessary (Oregon Wine Board).The Valley has versatile soils with more than 150 soil types. The valley floor levels have mostly deep alluvial or heavy mud materials, while the hillsides and bench locations have mixed alluvial, silt or clay structures (Oregon Wine Board). The Umpqua Valley is made up of a series of interconnecting small mountain ranges and valleys. The complex topography of the valley is a result of the collision of the Klamath Mountains, the Coast Range and the Cascades (Oregon Wine Board). Rogue Valley The Rogue Valley AVA is located in the border of California.It is 70 miles wide by 60 miles long. Rogue Valley has the highest elevations of Oregons winegrowing regions on the east. However, it is also the warmest and the driest, allowing the winemakers to grow warm-weather varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Cool-weather varieties, including Pinot noir do well here due to the mountain and ocean influences (Oregon Wine Board ). Rogue Valley has various soil types, ranging from sandy loam to hard clay (Oregon Wine Board). Vineyards are generally located 1,200 to 2,000 feet above the sea level and planted on hillsides.The Klamath Mountains, the Coastal Range and the Cascades converging in Rogue Valley lead to a diverse landscape. Besides, the namesake river and its tributaries, the Applegate, Illinois and Bear Creek Rivers run though the valley (Oregon Wine Board). Viticultural Practices in Oregon In Oregon, viticulturists in the first place use vertical shoot position (VSP) training. However, combination of Scott Henry and Lyre is also utilize, with lesser amounts of GDC and hanging. Standard rootstocks used in Oregon are 101-14 and 3309, with a lot of 5C and SO4. Low to moderate vigor sites are world developed to keep the canopies small.Although some meter by meter plantings exist, majority of the vineyards are falling into the 84 to 95 range for quality. Creative viticultural practices are being use d in Oregon, for example, Joel Myer, a local vineyard consultant, uses a sensible linear feet of trellis formula to determine yields. He suggests that a pound of fruit per foot of trellis will give optimal fruit quality. At Bethel senior high school Vineyard, Ted Casteel thins all Pinot Noir to one cluster per shoot. He is also experimenting with planting vines side by side, about a foot apart, and training to single guyot, to increase vine competition and slow vigor.He is also taking one of his most successful Pinot Noir fields on vertical shoot position (VSP) training and converting it to Scott Henry, just to guarantee if opening the canopy will help enhance the ripening process and flavor development (Chien). Oregon has been committed to sustainable winegrowing and earth-friendly practices. Numerous vineyards of the state are certified sustainable, organic, or biodynamic (Voorhees). Two main organizations that certify Oregons vineyards and wineries as sustainable are LIVE and O CSW. Low Input Viticulture & Enology (LIVE).LIVE is an organization that provides education and independent third-party certification approving that the vineyards and wineries use international standards of sustainable viniculture and enology practices. They have been certifying vineyards and wineries in Oregon since 1999, in Washington since 2006 and nowadays in all of the pacific Northwest. LIVE cooperates with Salmon-Safe in order to point out the watershed impacts and administers the Carbon Reduction Challenge, an organization help wineries achieve energy efficiencies (Voorhees). Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW).Founded in 2008, OCSW highlights the commitment of Oregon wineries to the responsible grape growing and winemaking. The organization certifies wine growers who meet both agricultural and winemaking requirements on sustainability and provides them a certification logo to be easily recognized by customers. To meet the agricultural requirements, 97% of the grape must be certified by LIVE, USDA Organic, Demeter Biodynamic, or nutriment Alliance and Salmon-Safe. On the other hand, to meet the winemaking requirements, the winery must be certified by LIVE, USDA Organic, Demeter Biodynamic, or Food Alliance (Voorhees).Producers within Oregon Valley View Winery Valley View Winery, owned by Wisnovsky family, is located in the Applegate Valley AVA, Southern Oregon. Valley View was founded in 1972 and it is one of the oldest wineries in Oregon. Valley View is famous for its pioneering efforts in producing Bordeaux varieties and blends. They mainly use grapes from the Applegate and Bear Creek Valleys of Southern Oregons Rogue Valley and produce Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Viognier, Sauvignon blanc, Rousanne, Chardonnay and Syrah (Valley View Winery). The Eyrie Vineyards.The Eyrie Vineyards was founded by David Lett in 1966. It is undisturbed of 49 acres in several different vineyards in Dundee Hills, Oregon which is a sub-American Viticultural Area (AVA) of Willamette Valley AVA. David Lett produced the first Pinot gris in the United States and first Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley. The Eyrie Vineyards divide their production into three as Estate Reserve wines, Estate wines, and Limited Bottlings. All grapes for their Estate Reserve wines Pinot noir and Chardonnay, count from Eyries original planting. This is the oldest plating in the Willamette Valley at 40 years.The grapes for Eyries Estate wines come mostly from their three other vineyards Stonehedge, Sisters, and Rolling Green Farm which were planted in the 1980s. They grow Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. Finally, their small production, limited bottling wines include Muscat Ottonel, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier (The Eyrie Vineyards). Abacela Vineyard and Winery In 1992, Earl and Hilda Jones bought a 19th hundred homestead in southern part of the Umpqua Valley to produce Tempranillo wines which they fell in love to in Spain. In 1 994 they built the winery and began planting the Tempranillos they purchased from California.They chose the Umpqua Valley because of its similar climate to the one of Spains Rioja and Ribera del Duero regions where Tempranillo grapes are grown. Today, in addition to the eight different Tempranillo clones at Abacela, they grow grapes and produce wine from Spains white-hot variety, Albarino, as well as other Iberian varieties including Graciano, Tinta roriz and Bastardo (used in the production of port-style wines) and French varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit verdot and Viognier (Wines Northwest).BibliographyAbacela Vine & Wine Center in Oregons Umpqua Valley Wine Region. Wines Northwest. N. p. , n. d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. . About The Eyrie Vineyards. The Eyrie Vineyards. N. p. , n. d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. . Chien, Mark L. The Oregon Wine Community and Its Viticulture. Pennsylvannia Wine Grape Network. Penn State conjunctive Extension, n. d. W eb. 30 Oct. 2012. . Hall, Lisa Shara. History of the Oregon Wine Industry. History of the Oregon Wine Industry. Ed. Mitchell Beazley. N. p. , n. d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . History of Oregon Wine. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 May 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. . Low Input Viticulture and Enology, Inc. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. . Northwest Viticultural Center Oregon Wine Historical Milestones. Discover Chemeketa Community College. Chemeketa.