Oregon
Oregon’s prime wine country lies in the Willamette Valley which runs north to south along the Willamette River for more than a hundred miles, from the Columbia River near Portland to just below Eugene.
Unlike Washington’s wine country, which lies east of the Cascade Mountains, Oregon’s wine country is located on the western side of the state. Buffered from Pacific storms on the west by the Coast Range, it boasts a long, gentle growing season – warm summers with cool evenings; wet, mild winters; and long, often rainy springs. The maritime climate has proven itself a worthy host to the cool-climate grape varieties Oregon is best known for – Pinot Noir.
The area’s best vineyards are situated among low hills that rise up from the valley floor about 1,000 feet. The northern portion of the Willamette Valley is the area which has gained most notoriety for Pinot Noir. Dundee Hills, home to SMWE’s Erath Winery, lies in the midst of this Pinot Noir mecca, unique with its iron-rich volcanic soils. One of the earliest areas planted to Pinot Noir, the vines in Dundee Hills are now entering their fourth decade.