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Napa Valley and Sonoma County Winery Map
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There is a saying that when people think of Oregon, they think of the three “Ps” - Portland, Precipitation and Pinot. Yes, there is rain; yes, Portland is a the largest city in the state, and yes the Willamette Valley, south of Portland, is known for Pinot Noir. But Oregon, specifically Southern Oregon, also excels at under-the-radar grape varieties and has an advantage that no other wine region could ever possess – a climate scientist who knows the best possible sites to plant the right varieties on the right soil under the right conditions. Featured Contributor
Benjamin Spencer is a diploma student with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. He writes for IntoWine about wine from a winemaker's perspective.
We all know Willamette (rhymes with dammit), Napa gets plenty of nods, Paso is the pet of the press, and Santa Barbara and Sonoma shine, while Walla Walla is working wonders. But lurking in the shadows of notable wine regions on West Coast places like Mendocino and Malibu, Umpqua and Puget Sound all suffer the same fate, namely, that bigger wine regions nearby get all the attention.
Viognier is often produced as a floral one-trick pony, a wine that smells great, but offers little in terms of structure or food-pairing possibilities. However, in the capable hands of Lynn Penner-Ash, one of Oregon’s leading winemakers, it is elevated to world-class status.