Oregon wine
The state of Oregon in the United States has established an international reputation for its production of wine, ranking fourth in the country behind California, Washington, and New York. Oregon has several different growing regions within the state's borders that are well-suited to the cultivation of grapes; additional regions straddle the border between Oregon and the states of Washington and Idaho. Wine making dates back to pioneer times in the 1840s, with commercial production beginning in the 1960s.
American Viticultural Areas entirely within the state are the Willamette Valley AVA and the Southern Oregon AVA with. Parts of the Columbia Gorge, Walla Walla Valley, and Snake River Valley AVAs lie within Oregon.
Total production was in 2022. Pinot noir and Pinot Gris are the top two grapes grown, with over harvested in 2022, up from in 2016. In aggregate, the most valuable grape is Chardonnay with a 2022 price per short ton of $2,908 or $2,861. But Pinot Noir commands the high end with the top three growers averaging $5,824 per short ton in 2022, versus Chardonnay's $4,114. Oregon winemakers sold just over 5.7 million cases in 2022, up from just under 3.4 million cases in 2016.
With 1116 wineries in Oregon, a tourism industry has developed around wine tasting. Much of the tourism focuses on the wineries and tasting rooms in and around the Yamhill Valley southwest of Portland. It is estimated that enotourism contributed USD $207.5 million to the state economy in 2013 excluding sales at wineries and tasting rooms.
History
Wine has been produced in Oregon since the Oregon Territory was settled in the 1840s; however, viticulture became a significant industry in the state since the 1960s innovations. Grapes were first planted in the Oregon Territory in 1847 when Oregon Trail pioneer Henderson Luelling and his family transport several dozen varieties of fruit plantings from Iowa to the Oregon Territory, including Oregon’s first grape plantings. In 1852, Valley View, the first recorded winery, was established by Peter Britt in Jacksonville. Throughout the 19th century, there was experimentation with various varietals by immigrants to the state. In 1904, an Oregon winemaker won a prize at the St. Louis World's Fair. Wine production stopped in the United States during Prohibition. As in other states, the Oregon wine industry lay dormant for thirty years after Prohibition was repealed.The Oregon wine industry started to rebuild in the 1960s, when California winemakers opened several vineyards in the state. By 1970, there were five commercial wineries, with 35 recorded acres.
This included the planting of Pinot noir grapes in the Willamette Valley, a region long thought too cold to be suitable for viticulture. In the 1970s, more out-of-state winemakers migrated to the state and started to organize as an industry. The state's land-use laws had prevented rural hillsides from being turned into housing tracts, preserving a significant amount of land suitable for vineyards. In 1979, The Eyrie Vineyards entered a 1975 Pinot noir in the Wine Olympics; the wine was rated among the top Pinots in the world, thus gaining the region its first international recognition.
The accolades continued into the 1980s, and the Oregon wine industry continued to add both wineries and vineyards. The state industry continued to market itself, establishing the first of several AVAs in the state. The state also grew strong ties with the Burgundy region of France, as Oregon's governor Neil Goldschmidt paid an official visit to Burgundy and a leading French winemaking family bought land in Dundee.
In the early 1990s, the wine industry was threatened by a Phylloxera infestation in the state, but winemakers quickly turned to the use of resistant rootstocks to prevent any serious damage. The state legislature enacted several new laws designed to promote winemaking and wine distribution. The state found a newfound focus on "green" winemaking, leading the global wine industry into more environmentally friendly practices. In 2005, there were 314 wineries and 519 vineyards in operation in Oregon. By 2014, the a number of wineries in the state has increased to 676, the 3rd most behind California and Washington. Oregon remains the 4th largest wine producer in the country in cases produced behind New York.
Varieties of wine
Like other wines produced in the United States, Oregon wines are marketed as varietals. Oregon law requires that wines produced in the state must be identified by the grape variety from which it was made, and for most varietals, it must contain at least 90% of that variety. The exceptions to the 90% law are the following varietals: Red and White Bordeaux varietals, Red and White Rhône varietals, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Zinfandel and Tannat. For these wines, they follow the Federal guidelines of 75%. Oregon law has long forbidden the use of place names, except as appellations of origin. Oregon is most famous for its Pinot noir, which is produced throughout the state. Pinot noirs from the Willamette Valley have received much critical acclaim from wine connoisseurs and critics, and Oregon is regarded as one of the premier Pinot-producing regions in the world.In 2022 the top five varieties produced in Oregon were:
- Pinot noir,
- Pinot gris,
- Chardonnay,
- Syrah,
- Cabernet Sauvignon,
Facts and figures
| Year | Planted Vineyard Area | # Wineries crushing grapes | Grapes crushed, tons | Sales, cases |
| 1995 | 92 | 734,437 | ||
| 1996 | 94 | 741,953 | ||
| 1997 | 94 | 827,312 | ||
| 1998 | 103 | 894,386 | ||
| 1999 | 102 | 777,890 | ||
| 2000 | 122 | 991,770 | ||
| 2001 | 131 | 1,082,058 | ||
| 2002 | 150 | 1,073,177 | ||
| 2003 | 170 | 1,199,086 | ||
| 2004 | 193 | 1,286,128 | ||
| 2005 | 215 | 1,591,330 | ||
| 2006 | 236 | 1,628,608 | ||
| 2007 | 254 | 1,711,532 | ||
| 2008 | 274 | 1,748,282 | ||
| 2009 | 275 | 1,660,202 | ||
| 2010 | 315 | 1,930,763 | ||
| 2011 | 350 | 2,040,698 | ||
| 2012 | 379 | 2,379,165 | ||
| 2013 | 370 | 2,678,807 | ||
| 2014 | 412 | 2,864,963 | ||
| 2015 | 3,093,661 | |||
| 2016 | 424 | 3,390,958 |
As of the 2022 wine growing season, the state of Oregon has 1116 wineries, of which 612 are crushing grapes, and 1474 vineyards growing Vitis vinifera, composing a total of of which were harvested. Out of all US wine growing regions, Oregon ranks third in number of wineries and fourth in production. Oregon winemakers sold just over 5.7 million cases in 2022, up from just under 3.4 million cases in 2016. The retail value of these cases was $956,424,346 a 13% increase over the previous vintage.
The industry has had a significant economic impact on the state. The industry contributed a total of US$8.17 billion to the Oregon economy in 2022. It supports 39,437 direct and indirect jobs as of 2022, with $1.69 billion in wages, up from 17,100 jobs with $527 million in wages in 2013. Direct employment is 15,332 jobs within Oregon as of 2022 with over $545 million in gross payroll.
In 2014 70% was sold to US markets outside Oregon and 4% was sold internationally. By 2022, 60% was sold to US markets outside Oregon, plus 10.6% sold directly nationwide through wine clubs and web orders and 2.8% sold internationally.
Oregon produces wine on a much smaller scale than the California wine industry. Oregon's leading producer, King Estate, ships only 401,400 cases per year and most produce under 35,000 cases. The state features many small wineries that produce less than 5,000 cases per year. In contrast, E & J Gallo, the United States' largest winery with more than 50 different brands including Washington's Columbia Winery and Covey Run holds a 22.8% share of the US market. The majority of wineries in the state operate their own vineyards, although some purchase grapes on the market. Oregon contains a significant number of independent vineyards.
The Oregon wine industry focuses on the higher-priced segments of the wine market. Oregon growers receive a higher average return per ton and a higher average revenue per case than do growers in other wine-producing regions in the United States. Despite producing a much smaller volume of wine, Oregon winery revenues per capita are comparable to those of New York and Washington.