WHAT’S NEW IN OREGON’S WILLAMETTE VALLEY

The Willamette Valley, Oregon’s leading wine region, has over two-thirds of the state’s wineries and vineyards and is now home to more than 530 wineries, per a recent census report.

The region continues to be recognized as one of the premier Pinot noir producing areas in the world. Other cool-climate varieties such as Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewürztraminer are equally at home in the valley.

In the last few days, harvest has arrived. This season brings a flurry of activity and anticipation to ev-ery corner of the region. Producers welcome visitors to join in the excitement at a variety of harvest events scheduled throughout September and October.

If you’re not lucky enough to attend harvest events, there are three large important Willamette Valley events scheduled for 2017. Wineries look forward to sharing their wines at the upcoming Pinot in the City events in Texas and the second annual Willamette: The Pinot Noir Barrel Auction.

Learn more at willamettewines.com.

CONTENTS

• New Wineries & Tasting Rooms• Second Annual Barrel Auction• Pinot in the City Takes on Texas• New Vineyard Map Release• Harvest Events• Total Solar Eclipse 2017• Holiday Gifting• Billion Flower Bee Highway• New Census Data• McMinnville Wine Walk• Argyle and the Art of Sparkling• Contact

Harvest at Coelho Winery

NEW WINERIES & TASTING ROOMS

Domaine Serene - The Clubhouse at Domaine Serene will offer best-in-class hospitality and education at an impressive new “hilltop village.” Highlights include a thirty-four-foot main tasting bar, an exclu-sive lounge for club members, a private wine-cave tasting space, and a vintage library room. Over-sized windows and expansive outdoor terraces will celebrate world-class views of the Willamette Valley wine country, the Cascades and the Oregon Coast Range. Opening Summer 2017.

Hamacher Wines - Winemaker Eric Hamacher, the husband of Luisa Ponzi, has moved his winery operation to the Ponzi Historic Estate from the Carlton Winemakers Studio. Both Hamacher and Ponzi wines are now offered at the tasting room. Opened March 2016.

L’Angolo Estate - Established at the site of an abandoned nut or-chard, L’Angolo Estate will release its first wines over Thanksgiving weekend. A new tasting room atop the east-facing Dundee Hills slope will welcome visitors this Fall. Opening November 2016.

Purple Hands - Cody Wright, founder and winemaker at Purple Hands, was raised by esteemed pioneers of the Oregon wine industry (including his father Ken Wright). His own thriving winery built its new production space and tasting room in downtown Dundee. Opened July 2016.

Seufert Winery - Overlooking the central city park in downtown Dayton, the new Seufert Winery tast-ing room welcomes guests with an outdoor courtyard for the warmer months and a cozy fireplace for quintessential Oregon winter weather. Opened January 2016.

Youngberg Hill - An expansive new indoor/outdoor event center now complements Youngberg Hill’s winery tasting room, sweeping vineyard views, and idyllic inn. The center takes advantage of its magnif-icent natural setting by way of eight glass rolling doors that open up to the property’s commanding views. Opened June 2016.

L’Angolo Estate in the Dundee Hills

Youngberg Hill Event Center by Marcus R Berg

WILLAMETTE VALLEY HOSTS SECOND ANNUAL BARREL AUCTION

Willamette: The Pinot Noir Barrel Auction will advance into its second year on March 31-April 1, 2017. The trade-only auction is the leading event to showcase Pinot noir of the Willamette Valley while helping support the promotion of Oregon’s foremost wine region.

For two days, 70 of the region’s wineries and winemakers will host a series of special tastings and gatherings, culminating in a live auction of inimitable 2015 vintage wines at The Allison Inn & Spa.

At the inaugural event in April 2016, bidding on the first five-case lot from Bergström Winery quickly soared to $10,000. Bids continued for 65 more lots and nearly 90 minutes, and the event raised $630,000 for the Willamette Valley Wineries Association.

PINOT IN THE CITY TAKES ON TEXAS

Dallas Pinot in the City – January 24, 2017Austin Pinot in the City – January 26, 2017

Willamette Valley wineries are barreling down to the Lone Star State for the ever-popular Pinot in the City road show tasting series. The trade and consumer events will represent the largest coalition of Willamette Valley wineries to ever pour together in Texas, one of the five highest potential markets for fine wine in the U.S. and a burgeoning market for Oregon wine. More than 50 winemakers and owners will pour current releases of the region’s flagship Pinot noir in addition to a diversity of other wines. Tickets will go on sale in October and details will be posted at willamettewines.com.

WILLAMETTE VALLEY UNVEILS ITS FIRST VINEYARD MAP

The Willamette Valley Wineries Associa-tion is proud to announce the release of its very first Willamette Valley Vineyard Map. The beautiful and large (72”x32”) piece of artwork showcases the vines, soils, geography, and geologic complexity of the region’s nearly 700 vineyards.

The maps are $100 and can be purchased on the WVWA website – a perfect gift for the oenephile in your life!

A partnership between the WVWA and pictureframes.com allows map buyers to order custom frames at 20% off.

HARVEST EVENTS

REX HILL Harvest Tours – September 17thExplore the biodynamic vineyard, sneak a peek at the harvest crew as they sort grapes, load a press, dig out a tank and barrel down. See firsthand the excitement of the harvest season and all stages in between, finishing off with a flight of current release wines.

Patton Valley Vineyard Harvest Hike Series – September 24thEnjoy a guided tour through the 30-acre estate vineyard and stop along the route to taste library wines made from the very vines and blocks you’re walking through. After the hike get your hands dirty alongside Winemaker Derek Ein-berger and Cellar Master Lee Beck with some harvest activities. All the excitement is bound to spark an appetite, so end the day with a relaxing lunch and wine tasting in the vineyard.

La Paulée Dinner at Soléna Estate - September 24thIn the tradition of Burgundy’s convivial end-of-harvest luncheon, Soléna Estate invites guests to cele-brate harvest with a multi-course dinner perfectly paired with award-winning wines.

Fullerton Wine Course: Crush or be Crushed – September 24th Harvest and crush – the most wonderful time of the year for winemakers and enthusiasts alike! Ex-plore a winemaker’s choices in the cellar, tasting pre-fermented juice, fermenting must, and just-fin-ished wine. Expect a fun and enlightening experience.

Montinore Estate Crush Party – September 24th The nights are cooling and the grapes are ripening, and that means it’s time for the 7th annual Mon-tinore Crush Party! Free fun for the whole family, with live music, hay rides, grape stomping, face painting, lawn games, and food carts. And of course, plenty of wine on hand to quench your thirst.

Willamette Valley Vineyards Oregon Grape Stomp & Harvest Celebration – September 24thThe 26th annual Grape Stomp event draws competitors battling for the Oregon title and a trip to San-ta Rosa for the World Championship Grape Stomp! Wine tasting of new releases will be served and live music will be playing. Winery Chef DJ MacIntyre will have a specialty festival-style menu available for purchase.

Winderlea Harvest Celebration Luncheon – September 30thTour the vineyard, taste current release wines and enjoy a three-course luncheon featuring the 2007 Estate Pinot noir. This annual harvest luncheon is a tribute to Winderlea’s growers and a chance to celebrate the 2016 growing season. Lunch prepared by Chef Jody Kropf of Red Hills Market.

Patton Valley Vineyard Harvest Hike

HARVEST EVENTS CONTINUED

Erath Winery Harvest Festival – October 15thVisit the winery and enjoy a special treat – Erath Sweet Harvest wines from Willamette Valley. These extraordinary wines are beguiling, rich and rare, and are produced in small lots – only 100 cases. Be the first to try and buy these unique, limited-production Erath wines and nibble on some sweet and savory treats at the tasting room.

Coelho Estate Harvest Breakfast – October 22nd Ding, ding, all aboard the trolley for a scenic ride to Coelho Estate Vineyard! See the beau-ty of the vineyard this autumn morning and enjoy a hearty Portuguese breakfast. For fans who haven’t tried Deolinda’s linguiça (Portu-guese sausage), eggs and other fixings, this is the place to be! After breakfast take a stroll through the vineyard and take in the autumn glory. Then return to Coelho Winery for a full production tour and wine tasting. Youngberg Hill Annual Harvest Dinner – October 29th Youngberg Hill is ready to celebrate another great year growing wine in the Willamette Valley. This four-course dinner featuring old and young wines to relish will be served in Youngberg Hill’s new event building next to the fireplace to keep cozy! The menu includes oysters, fall harvest soup, braised pork, seared duck, and caramel apple cobbler all paired with Youngberg wines.

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE - AUGUST 2017

The first total solar eclipse to hit the continental U.S. since 1979 will take place in August 2017, and the Willamette Valley lies directly in the path of totality. Experience this once-in-a-lifetime phenome-non from the vineyard on August 21, with meteorologists, astronomers, and enthusiasts coming from around the world to view the totality. At Willamette Valley Vineyards, gather on an east-facing vine-yard block with a great view of the eclipse, then stay for a day of festivities including wine tasting, live music and Pacific Northwest cuisine.

WILLAMETTE VALLEY HOLIDAY GIFTS

Wine is the best present! Gift a club membership to a wine-loving friend for wine all year long, or pick a special package for the holidays from a a winery gift catalog. Sokol Blosser and Argyle Winery offer beautiful and extensive seasonal choices.

Red Ridge Farms also sells an array of local craft gifts, from Oregon olive oil to lavendar to salt – not forgetting Durant Vineyards wine of course!

While it might require clearing some space on the wall, the new Willamette Valley Vineyard Map is also a great gift.

Winemaker & Owner Dave Coelho during Harvest

BILLION FLOWER BEE HIGHWAY

Willamette Valley LIVE-certified wineries are helping to restore pollinator habitat back into the agricultural landscape by establishing the Billion Flower Bee Highway, a program that encourages customers of LIVE-certified win-eries to plant complimentary wildflower seed postcards to attract friendly pollinators. When visiting the tasting rooms of LIVE members, guests can ask for a seed postcard, plant it at home, and watch for sprouts after a few weeks!

NEW CENSUS DATA

The annual Vineyard & Winery Census Report from Southern Oregon University was released in August 2016, and the Willamette Valley has some updated statistics. Increases include the total number of:

• Vineyard acres planted: 19,778 • Vineyards: 715• Wineries: 531

MCMINNVILLE WINE WALK

Stroll and savor the charm of historic McMinnville – the small Willamette Valley town known for its fine wines. McMinnville’s downtown is easy to explore on foot while tasting through an astounding variety of wines –from award-winning Pinot noir, to Pinot gris, Chardonnay and even a few wines that sparkle. Tasters who visit 10 of the area’s 20 participating tasting rooms on the Wine Walk Map and get their books stamped can then claim a prize at the Evergreen Aviation Museum – it’s that easy!

Wildflowers from the Bee Highway

ARGYLE & THE ART OF SPARKLING

Three vibrant new labels designed by Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) students for Argyle Winery were revealed September 10th at “The Art of Sparkling” celebration. At the event, Argyle toasted its new limited edition Vintage Brut three bottle gift set and presented scholarships to the three students for their artful interpretations of the winemaking process. In the first year of an annu-al tradition, Argyle is releasing the “Art of Sparkling” Vintage Brut three-bottle box set, containing one each of the three innovative labels.

WVWA

Willamette Valley Wineries AssociationEmily Nelson, Associate Director

emily@willamettewines.com503-297-2962

MEDIA CONTACT

Emily Kaplan PettersonEKP Media

emily@ekpmedia.com503-550-8161

The artists with representatives from Argyle & PNCAPhoto by Greg Kozawa

Three-pack featuring the labelsPhoto by Greg Kozawa