Natural boundaries and the Willamette River create the 100-mile long, 60-mile wide Willamette Valley, home to more than 500 of Oregon's 725 wineries and many more wine shops and wine bars.  Coolest of Oregon's wine regions, this elongated, "V"-shaped Valley is bordered to the north by the Columbia River, to the south by the Calapooya Mountains (south of Eugene), to the east by the Cascade Mountain foothills, and to the west by Oregon's Coast Range.

      Considered to be a cool, marginal wine-growing region, the Willamette Valley's climate is suited to a narrower range of wine grape varieties than many other American wine regions.  Its average temperatures are cooler than 75% of Washington State's wine growing areas... not surprisingly, since most Oregon wineries are located to the west -- the "wet side" -- of the Cascade Mountains,  while most Washington wineries are located to the east of this mountain range.  The Willamette Valley's climate is particularly well matched to the early-ripening Pinot noir grape for which Oregon wineries are strongly identified.
 

TIP:  If you are making a plan to visit Willamette Valley wine country any time soon, be sure to get The Priority Wine Pass first. In just five minutes, you can get the help you need to find premium wineries that are partnering in this VIP membership program to bring you complimentary or 2-For-1 tasting, as well as discounts on wine purchases and special events. The full one-year membership will likely pay for itself the first day you use it. WinesNorthwest users get a $20 discount on a $59.99 membership.

      When the Willamette Valley AVA was first authorized 1984, its geographic description included some 3.3 million acres!  Twenty years later, winemakers and wine growers successfully submitted applications for federal approval of six sub-appellations within the Willamette Valley.  All six applications were approved, based on their individual micro climates that had proven to be distinct from the larger Willamette Valley AVA. All six sub appellations lie completely within the Willamette Valley AVA, including the McMinnville Foothills, Dundee Hills, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton, Eola-Amity Hills and the Chehalem Mountains; all were authorized as official American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) in 2005 and 2006. 

   Most of the wine grapes grown in the Willamette Valley come from vineyards located on bench-land hillsides in the western portion of the Valley.  To its north, the Willamette Valley includes Oregon's largest city, the beautiful Portland, Oregon, providing travelers a wide variety of amenities while visiting this beautiful wine country and the many local Oregon wineries. North of Portland and across the Columbia River lies Vancouver, Washington, in Clark County. Here in Southwest Washington the wine enthusiast will find more than 20 wineries to explore.

Navigating the regions - An interactive set
of comprehensive maps

Navigating the Willamette Valley AVA
and its sub appellations

   Wines Northwest organizes the huge Willamette Valley AVA/appellation into three general sections - North, South and East.  Additionally, our mapping system for the North Willamette Valley - between Portland and Salem, west of the I-5 corridor - consists of a network of maps, featuring the six sub-appellations of that area, authorized as individual AVAs (American Viticultural Areas); each of these lies entirely within the Willamette Valley AVA.  More detailed maps - including winery names, tasting room hours and map locations - are linked to from the map below.

TIP:  If you are making plans to visit Willamette Valley wine country any time soon, be sure to get The Priority Wine Pass first. In just five minutes, you can be saving on tasting fees and wine purchases at hundreds of participating premium wineries. Your membership will more than pay for itself since it entitles you to a full year of complimentary or 2-for-1 tastings, along with VIP discounts and deals for a full year. WinesNorthwest users get a $20 discount on a $59.99 membership.

Click on the map regions of your choice below
for a closer look and the locations of wineries.