The Spirit of Willamette Valley Innovation Continues!

A Bit of History

As many of you Willamette Valley wine lovers may know, our pioneer fathers planted the first grapes in our valley in the mid 1960’s. The valley was full of agricultural crops including fruit (apples, pears, peaches, cherries) and nut (hazelnut, walnut) trees as well as berries, christmas tree farms, grass seed, straw, clover, feed corn, and nursery plants. Our moderate climate of sunny summers and rainy winters allows an abundance of crops to flourish here. The local farmers, who believed our valley was too wet and cold to support wine grapes, scoffed at the likes of David and Diana Lett (The Eyrie), Dick & Kina Erath (Erath Winery), David and Ginny Adelsheim (Adelsheim Winery) and Chuck and Shirley Coury (Charles Coury Vineyard now David Hill Winery) when they planted vineyards.

However our pioneers all agreed that the Willamette Valley was the perfect place to grow Pinot Noir grapes to rival those grown in Burgundy, France. These wine visionaries had all spent time studying at the University of California, Davis, famed viticulture and enology school, as well as learning from their stints in Burgundy. They studied Willamette Valley climate, latitude, weather maps, rainfall and our numerous soil types (many imported by the Missoula Floods) and believed this valley was capable of creating wine from Pinot Noir grapes of quality comparable to the best in the world.

The World Awards Our First Innovators 

In 1979, when The Eyrie’s South Block 1975 vintage Pinot Noir ranked 3rd among 330 wines in France’s Gault Millau’s blind tasting event, our pioneers were vindicated and many more vintners came to the valley to plant Pinot Noir. This includes Robert Drouhin, of famed Burgundy producer Domaine Drouhin, who in 1980  called for a rematch which ranked The Eyrie Pinot Noir in 2nd place.  In 1986 the Drouhin family purchased land near The Eyrie vineyard in the Dundee Hills where now sits Domaine Drouhin Oregon winery and tasting room.

Our wine valley owes its legacy to these innovators who bucked the conventional wisdom, took a calculated gamble and won big time. Without their passion and hard work the world may never have tasted the amazing wines that come out of the Willamette Valley. This legacy of innovation continues today here free of the restraints present in France, where laws regulate which grapes can be planted and which wines can be made in every region.

Innovation 101: Pinot Noir Blanc

We can enjoy Pinot Noir Blanc aka White Pinot Noir pioneered by Thomas Houseman winemaker at Anne Amie Vineyard and sold under their Prisme label. This unique white wine from a red grape has been made by more wineries after the 2020 wildfires but still hard to find, also available from Durant, Compris, Willakenzie, JK Carriere, Patton Valley. According to Wine Folly’s Madeline Puckette it’s worth seeking out for its richness, zesty with notes of honey, apples, ginger (and rumor has it Louis Roederer’s Cristal Champagne is composed mostly of White Pinot Noir)

Innovation 102: Sparkling Wines

Lucky for us, sparkling wine is also subject to innovation in the Willamette Valley. Free from the strict rules in the Champagne region of France, our winemakers can make sparkling wine from any grape, in any combination. Many wineries prefer the classic Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sometimes Pinot Meunier blends found in France but just as many create new blends or single varietals unheard of in France. Talented sparkling winemaker Rollin Soles at Roco Winery made his first red Brut from 100% Pinot Noir grapes in 2020. Rebecca Moore, owner of MonksGate Vineyard and her winemaker Drew Voit (of Harper Voit Wines fame) bottles some of her estate Riesling into sparkling wine called “Fizzy” after Rebecca’s eponymous airedale terrier, who greets guests at her tasting room. Cyler Varnum of Varnum Vintners aims to create accessible and affordable sparkling wines; their innovative offerings include Porch Secco white and Porch Party red, which are packaged in beer bottles, plus a new Brut Zero sparkling minus the alcohol. Cyler and Taralyn were named on the 2024 Wine Enthusiast Future 40 Tastemakers list.

Innovation 103: White and Rosé Blends

Interested in interesting white blends? We have you covered! Paul Johnson, owner/winemaker at indie brand Satyr Fire created Ghost Blood, a blend of Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling and Chenin Blanc. A complex blend of Alsace and Loire grapes that play well together.

Did you know that in northern Rhone Valley of France it is customary to blend a little Viognier (white grape) with Syrah? The French discovered that there is a synergy between the two that changes the acidity and enhances the flavor and color of this bold red grape. Winemaker power  couple Leigh Bartholomew and Patrick Reuter at Dominio IV created an “inverse” blend of Viognier with Roussanne, Grenache and Syrah called “Coyote The Trickster” to create a truly unique rosé.This blend is just one of many innovative wines they make including “Spellbound”, a blend of Tempranillo and Syrah.

Innovation 104: Co-Ferments

David & Lois Cho of Cho Wines, two of Wine Enthusiast’s 2023 Future 40 Tastemakers, are making serious waves with their innovative wines including “Concidre” a thirst quenching apple/grape bubbly coferment and “Chillable Red,” a blend Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Lois Cho was recently named a 2024 NW Sipfluencer by SIP Magazine – check them out on instagram to see why!

Dru & Erin Allen at Compris Vineyard recently collaborated with Bauman Cider to create “Compris Sun” to co-ferment apples with their Viognier and Syrah grapes. This fizzy hard cider flavored with wine grapes is a great hybrid beverage for casual drinking. Compris Vineyard’s tasting room was recently featured in Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Also, you should enjoy their selection of unique-for-Willamette-Valley wines including estate Tempranillo, Rosé of Tempranillo, Syrah and Viognier.

The Takeaway

The Willamette Valley wine history is full of creative, passionate winemakers and the new guard continues the tradition of innovation! If you prefer our classic pinot noirs, chardonnays and methode champenoise sparkling wines, we have that in spades. If you want to drink outside of the box, seek out these wines and wineries where the next generation of changemakers are creating the next generation of wines to satisfy every palate and appetite. Of course we are happy to take you to any of these original or current innovative wineries on a Triangle Wine Country tour!