Rusty Gaffney gives a brief overview of the culture of the wine industry in Oregon, focusing on the wineries of the Willamette Valley, in this article from his  Prince of Pinot  blog, volume 9, issue 42. Gaffney highlights information on the area, a travel guide with advice, and places not to miss

Gaffney, William  Rusty

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Linfield College DigitalCommons@Linfield William “Rusty” Gaffney (Prince of Pinot) Collection Oregon Wine History Archive – Oregon Collection 5-25-2014 Willamette Valley Epilogue William "Rusty" Gaffney Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/owha_gaffney  Part of the Viticulture and Oenology Commons Recommended Citation Gaffney, William "Rusty", "Willamette Valley Epilogue" (2014). William “Rusty” Gaffney (Prince of Pinot) Collection. Article. Submission 1. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/owha_gaffney/1 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield, with permission from the rights-holder(s). Your use of this Article must comply with the Terms of Use for material posted in DigitalCommons@Linfield, or with other stated terms (such as a Creative Commons license) indicated in the record and/or on the work itself. For more information, or if you have questions about permitted uses, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. princeofpinot.com http://www.princeofpinot.com/article/1542/Willamette Valley EpilogueOregonians appear quirky to most Californians, but therein lies their charm. Everyone respects the speedlimit, even on freeways, they drive American cars, polite attendants pump your gas, and there is no disdainfor old, used and weathered items including cars, Coming from Orange County, California, where everyoneis into image and possessing “things,” I find the change when I hit the roads in the Willamette Valley veryrefreshing.It makes little sense to drive an expensive car in the Valley as many roads are either unpaved or paved withtire-ripping gravel. This rural, serene, agricultural region with miles and miles of rolling hills and valleysplanted with wine grapes, grain, grasses and hazelnut trees, causes your heart rate to slow. Laid backtowns dot the landscape, and some seem frozen in time since the 1950s. People are cordial, greet younicely at stores, restaurants and wineries, and seem genuinely interested in what you have to say. Small,independent business are still plentiful in the Valley, although chains and franchises are creeping in.Street signs are challenging with practically every street preceded by a direction such as “SE,” or “NW.” It iseasy to get lost because streets have no sensible pattern in many areas such as the Chehalem Mountainswhere I become easily disoriented. A GPS may or may not be your best friend. When visiting a winery inDallas, I met with an actual ferry that transported cars, a few at a time, across the Willamette River. Itseems that it would be reasonable to build a short bridge instead, but then, this is Oregon farm country.Except for the summertime when it can be quite warm, it rains almost daily in the Willamette Valley. Thisdeters visitors and challenges businesses and wineries to remain open and turn a profit in the wintermonths. Primarily because of this incessant wetness, residents rarely dress up.The artisan Oregon wines are far from quirky. They are genuine, often sustainably produced, hand craftedin small lots, and frequently offer good value for the price. The camaraderie among winemakers and wineryowners is real and pervasive. There are many exciting developments in Pinot Noir winemaking going onincluding more whole cluster vinification, amphora vinification, and consistent quality despite the vagaries ofvintages. Prices for premium Oregon Pinot Noir are slowly escalating, but the quality justifies the rising tide.Premium Oregon vineyard land is still affordable compared to California, and many outsiders, both from ourcountry and Burgundy, are jumping in.Oregon wine people love to talk about soils and the AVAs of the Willamette Valley are largely characterizedby their soils. There are two main types mentioned frequently: (1) red volcanic basalt soils known as Joryfrom 13 million-year-old lava flows, and (2) brown marine sedimentary soils known as Willakenzie laid downunder the ocean flow 20 million years ago. Generalizations can be made regarding flavor and style of PinotNoir for the AVAs based on the differences in soil type. The AVAs with predominantly Jory soils, like theDundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, and parts of the Chehalem Mountains and McMinnville, tend to producePinot Noirs with bright red fruits including cherry and raspberry, and are softly textured with modest tannins.The Pinot Noirs from AVAs with Willakenzie soils like Yamhill-Carlton, Ribbon Ridge, and parts of theChehalem Mountains and McMinnville, typically offer darker fruit, spice (cola, anise), and wet leaf flavors,and tend to be more tannic and structured. The best way to get a feel for the different AVAs of the WillametteValley is to visit and taste. All the AVAs are contiguous, and easily explored by car over the course of a fewdays.The last frontier to conquer for the Willamette Valley wineries is the presentation of food pairings on site.The Pacific Northwest has a tremendous bounty of gastronomic riches that pair well with Pinot Noir,including wild mushrooms, salmon, shellfish, cheeses, charcuterie, bacon and hams, and hazelnuts. It isonly a matter of time until more Willamette Valley wineries will follow the lead of California and offer foodpairings at tasting rooms to enhance the enjoyment of the tasting experience.To read more about the Willamette Valley vintners, I recommend the book, Winemakers of the WillametteValley: Pioneering Vintners from Oregon’s Wine Country (Vivian Perry and John Vincent, paperback, 2013).The book begins with a short history of the Willamette Valley wine region and then profiles 19 prominentwinemakers, most of whom did not set out on a life path to be an Oregon vintner. Familiar names areincluded such as Isabelle Dutarte (De Ponte Cellars), Harry and Wyne Peterson-Nedry (Chehalem), LynnPenner-Ash (Penner-Ash), Luisa Ponzi (Ponzi Vineyards), Kelley Fox (Scott Paul), and a memoriam torespected winemaker Forrest Glenn Klaffke. The three-page foreword written by Harry Peterson-Nedry isworth the price of the book alone. He emphasizes the changing landscape of the Willamette Valley wineexperience with the only constant being the passion of the people involved.

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