The Willamette Valley is a vast and varied appellation that includes ten nested AVAs | Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, Laurelwood District, Lower Long Tom, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, Tualatin Hills, Van Duzer Corridor, and Yamhill-Carlton. We are going to highlight each AVA and provide some hopefully fun and useful history along the way.
Dundee Hills AVA |
An American Viticultural Area, or AVA, is a specific type of appellation of origin used on wine labels. An AVA is a delimited grape-growing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affect how grapes are grown. 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 southwest of Portland, Oregon near the towns of Dundee and Dayton. The first grapes in the Willamette Valley were planted in the Dundee Hills, and to this day, it remains the most densely planted area in the valley and state. There are roughly 12,500 acres of this almost exclusively basaltic landmass that runs north-south and overlooks the Willamette River and the Chehalem Valley. Last recorded, there are more than 2,220 acres of planted grapes in over 100 vineyards. Dundee Hills is known for its rich, red volcanic Jory soil, which was formed from ancient volcanic basalt and consists of silt, clay and loam soils. Why does this particular soil in the Dundee Hills AVA matter to the wines that come from it? Because this unique soil is red in color, rich in iron, and relatively infertile, making it a premium soil for grape cultivation and this AVA produces wines to prove it! The most common grape varieties planted in this area are; Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris and Riesling and you can find these exquisite wines from world renowned wine makers in one of their 98 vineyards, 30 wineries and 33 tasting rooms. Enjoy!
Dundee Hills AVA |