Willamette Valley AVA
| Wine region | |
Willamette Valley | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1984 2016 Amended: |
| Years of wine industry | 145 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | Oregon |
| Sub-regions | Chehalem Mountains AVA, Dundee Hills AVA, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Laurelwood District AVA, Lower Long Tom AVA, McMinnville AVA, Mount Pisgah, Polk County, Oregon AVA, Ribbon Ridge AVA, Tualatin Hills AVA, Van Duzer Corridor AVA, Yamhill-Carlton District AVA |
| Climate region | Maritime |
| Soil conditions | Volcanic origin and weathered sedimentary loam |
| Total area | 5,360 square miles (3,430,400 acres) |
| Grapes produced | Auxerrois, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cascade, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Gamay noir, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Marechal Foch, Melon, Merlot, Müller-Thurgau, Muscat Canelli, Muscat Ottonel, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Syrah, Tocai Friulano, Viognier |
| No. of wineries | 500 |
Willamette Valley (/wɪˈlæmɪt/ wi-LAM-it) is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) which lies in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The AVA is the wine growing region which encompasses the drainage basin of the Willamette River. It stretches from the Columbia River in the north to just south of Eugene in the south, where the Willamette Valley ends; and from the Oregon Coast Range in the west to the Cascade Mountains in the east. At 5,360 square miles (3,430,400 acres), it is the largest AVA in the state, and contains most of the state's wineries; approximately 908 as of 2021.
The AVA was established by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Treasury on January 3, 1984 after reviewing the petition submitted by Mr. David B. Adelsheim, Chairman, Appellation Committee, Oregon Winegrowers Association, and owner of Adelsheim Vineyards, proposing a viticultural area in northwest Oregon, as part of the Willamette River Basin, to be known as "Willamette Valley." Since then, ten distinctly featured areas, referred as "sub-AVA" or "sub-appellation", were recognized within the Willamette Valley AVA, with nine of them in the northern region and the Lower Long Tom AVA in the southern. The Willamette Valley has a cool, moist climate, and is recognized worldwide for its Pinot noir.
Although not officially recognized, many wine connoisseurs further define the Willamette Valley into northern and southern regions with the demarcation being the latitude of Salem (approximately 45° north).