Ribbon Ridge | AVA

Ribbon Ridge 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. In 1980, Harry Peterson-Nedry planted the first wine grapes on Ribbon Ridge at his very own Ridgecrest Vineyards. Two years later, the first commercial vineyard was established with the planting of 54 acres of Pinot noir and Chardonnay and then Yamhill Valley Vineyards first used these grapes to make wine in 1985. Soon others followed. The Ribbon Ridge AVA was officially established on July 1, 2005 and is still the smallest AVA in Oregon with little over 500 planted acres in one of the most prestigious wine growing regions in the world. The Ribbon Ridge rises 683 feet from the Chehalem Valley floor, giving it an island-like appearance. It has typical hillside sites with earlier starts to heat influence, less nighttime temperature drops and less heat spikes in midsummer that provide a consistent climate for adequate ripening. These conditions allow longer, cooler growing seasons which are ideal for delicate varietals like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling just to name a few. The Ribbon Ridge region is made up primarily of the Willakenzie series of sedimentary soil. Willakenzie is a younger, finer and more uniform soil series than the sedimentary and volcanic soils of neighboring regions. It is moderately deep and well-drained, making it ideal for growing high-quality wine grapes. The most common grape varieties planted here are: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir and Riesling. There are roughly 35 vineyards, 20 plus wineries and vineyards and this prestigious nugget AVA in the Willamette Valley is thriving! Come check it out! We’ll take you there!