Southern Willamette Valley Wines Highlighted by Napa Valley Register

Allison Levine shares her experience tasting wines in the Southern Willamette Valley

In the last few years, the Willamette Valley has been receiving extraordinary press, ratings and awards for its wines. It makes up only one percent of the wine made in the United States but is ranked fifth in production and third in number of wineries. More and more people are traveling to the Willamette Valley to explore the wonderful Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Pinot Gris and more.

A typical trip to Willamette Valley starts by flying into Portland and then driving just over an hour to McMinnville. This is like flying into San Francisco and driving to downtown Napa. But like Napa Valley, the Willamette Valley extends beyond the town of McMinnville.

The Willamette Valley is 150 miles long and 60 miles wide. Of the 24,436 vineyard acres planted, there are 756 vineyards and 592 wineries within the Willamette Valley. The majority of the wineries and vineyards, as well as restaurants and hotels, are in the northern part of the Willamette Valley, between Portland and Salem. But the Willamette Valley extends as far south as Eugene, Oregon, a city of 160,561 inhabitants as well as the home to the University of Oregon.

* Reported by Napa Valley Register