Oregon
Oregon has 15 approved winegrowing regions and more than 300 wineries producing 72 grape varieties. Most of wineries are small, family-owned operations. Red wine encompasses 60% of Oregon’s wine production today. Situated in the valleys between the southern Cascade Mountains and the Coastal Range in the west, Oregon has some of the most diverse winegrowing landscape, from the Willamette Valley’s rolling hills to the high mountain valleys of Southern Oregon. The northwest is best known for its cool-climate grape varieties, including Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, and especially Pinot Noir, while the microclimates in southern Oregon are particularly suited to the Bordeaux and Rhone grape varieties. Indeed, Oregon’s Pinot Noir has fast become a firm favourite across the United States, as has the Pinot Gris, which has now taken over from the Chardonnay grape to become Oregon’s top white grape variety.