Applegate Valley | VinoVerve

Southern Oregon AVA

By admin | September 24, 2012 - 12:01 am |September 23, 2012 Albarino, Applegate Valley, AVA, Cabernet Franc, cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewurtztraminer, Grenache, Malbec, maps, Merlot, Oregon, Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, pinot noir, Red Hill Douglas County, Riesling, Rogue Valley, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Southern Oregon, tempranillo, Umpqua Valley, Viognier, wine, zinfandel

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While over time the focus has been on smaller and smaller wine regions, in 2004 the TTB went completely the other way, creating a super-AVA in the form of the Southern Oregon AVA. This region consists of the Umpqua, Rogue and Applegate Valleys and Red Hill Douglas County, Oregon AVAs as well as additional territory linking the regions together. The idea for the super-sized AVA was that of H. Earl Jones of Abacela and his son, associate professor of geography, Gregory V. Jones of Southern Oregon University. (editor’s note: See? I am not the only person with a degree in geography!) They evidence cited to justify the designation includes historical, cultural, climatic, geologic and geographical justifications for the creation of the viticultural area.

Historically, the region has been a wine producing area since the 1850s with modern viticulture restarting in the 1950s. From a cultural perspective, they cite the “physical and cultural” divisions of the state of which Southern Oregon is an example. The region is located south of Eugene to the California border largely within the Umpqua, Rogue, Applegate, Illinois and Bear Creek Valleys. The petition indicates that the soils in the area, while varied are older than those in the Willamette to the north or the coastal zones to the west and contain fewer silts from ancient oceans and lakes. The temperatures in the area are on average the warmest in the state which allows for the cultivation of warmer climate grapes as well as allowing for select microclimates that are perfect for colder acclimated varietals. Additionally, the elevations in the region are higher than the surrounds areas and it receives less rainfall.

The appellations is home to over fifty (50) wineries and produces wines from varietals including:

Albarino
Bastardo
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chardonnay
Dolcetto
Gewurztraminer
Grenache
Malbec
Merlot
Muscat Canelli
Petit Verdot
Petite Sirah
Pinot Blanc
Pinot gris
Pinot Noir
Riesling
Sangiovese
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Syrah
Tempranillo
Viognier
Zinfandel

Southern Oregon AVA by Gretchen Neuman for VinoVerve.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Gretchen Neuman
VinoVerve Editor

Portland, Here We Come!

By admin | August 15, 2012 - 9:36 am |August 16, 2012 Applegate Valley, Gretchen Neuman, Oregon, Vineyards, VinoVerve, WBC12, wine, Wine Bloggers Conference, Wineding Roads

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It is summer, the weather has been miserable here in the midwest so it is time to decamp to more favorable climes. And what place is the best to take off for when you are looking for cooler weather? The Pacific Northwest, of course!

Actually, it is time for this year’s Wine Bloggers’ Conference and this year it will be in breezy Portland, Oregon. Well, in Portland Oregon, anyway. Apparently the temperatures will be not so breezy, but rather about 102. Hahah. The jokes on me!

So I am busily re-arranging my wardrobe for the trip and thought I would start showing off my maps of Oregon viticultural areas.

There are about 16 different AVAs in Oregon, so I am going to tackle them alphabetically (‘ya gotta chose something!). This means that we will start with the Applegate Valley AVA.

Located in southern Oregon and part of the Southern Oregon AVA and Rogue Valley AVA, this appellation is relatively small with only about 400 acres planted in vines. Historically, it is important as it is where some of the earliest vineyards in the state were planted and home to the first commercial winery there. It is currently home to six wineries and is planted mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah.