Taste Willamette Valley Regions

The region’s largest AVA—spanning nearly 3.5 million acres between Portland and Eugene—hosts a variety of growing regions and microclimates rich with volcanic soils, wide-open hillsides, lush valleys, and more.

The 20-mile-long Chehalem Mountains AVA sits at the northern edge of the Willamette Valley. In its ridges, hillsides, and spurs reside three important soil types (basaltic, ocean sedimentary and blown lakebed sediment) for growing grapes in roughly 180 vineyards.

The Willamette Valley’s first wine grapes were planted in the Dundee Hills AVA, which remains the most densely planted region in Oregon. Sandwiched between the Willamette River to the south and the Chehalem Valley to the north, the Dundee Hills’ sediment-rich soils are especially known for their pinot noir output.

Sitting alongside the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA is known for its shallow, basalt-rich soils—ideal for growing small, sugary grapes. Pinot noir is the region’s dominant grape, but chardonnay and pinot gris are also present.

The McMinnville AVA ranges from the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range in the west to rolling hillsides in the east. Its shallow soils, protected from heavy rainfalls, are well suited to growing pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot blanc grapes.

Surrounded on three sides by other AVAs, Ribbon Ridge hosts roughly 20 vineyards spread across 500 acres. Its ocean sedimentary soils are protected from marine air and heavy rains, so Ribbon Ridge is known for its pinot noir, chardonnay, and gamay noir grapes.

The Van Duzer Corridor AVA sits where marine winds blow into the Willamette Valley, creating a cooler, milder climate than AVAs further north. The windy nature of the AVA means growers can use fewer sprays, which makes it easier to craft organic and biodynamic wines from pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris, riesling, and sauvignon blanc grapes.

The 57,000-acre Yamhill-Carlton AVA is home a variety of landscapes—including Oregon Coast Range foothills, low ridges, and the North Yamhill River. The pastoral settings are home to some of the oldest, fastest-drying soils in the Willamette Valley—and have given rise to pinot noir, chardonnay, pinot gris, and other wine grapes.