In the Willamette Valley we are on the edge of the climate limits for viticulture.
The trail: The lush Willamette Valley in northwest Oregon offers a plethora of trails for wine enthusiasts.
And there were well-made, accessibly priced wines from Tony Soter's North Valley label and the "basic" Willamette Valley Pinot from Domaine Drouhin.
WSJ: The Great Pinots of Oregon's Chummy Vintners | On Wine by Lettie Teague
While California has its big cabernets and buttery chardonnays, Willamette Valley winemakers have become famous for the finicky, cool weather pinot noir grape.
At 1, 800 acres, Pinot Gris covers almost twice as much vineyard land there as Chardonnay, much of the best in the Willamette Valley south of Portland.
Even in places where it's a good fit, like Alsace, Friuli, Trentino-Alto Adige and Oregon's Willamette Valley, the wine involves plenty of risk and offers uncertain reward.
Some sophistos sashayed their way into trendy places like Portland's Pearl District, but many others looked to the charming smaller towns of the Willamette Valley and central Oregon.
When I asked Hank Hoell recently about the state, he waxed on about hiking the spectacular Cascades, the dreamy coastal towns and the rich farmlands of the green Willamette Valley.
Ms. Harrison is one of Oregon's most promising new talents, having come to the Willamette Valley by way of Southern California, where she worked with the famed Manfred Krankl at Sine Qua Non.
WSJ: The Great Pinots of Oregon's Chummy Vintners | On Wine by Lettie Teague
When planning your trip, start with a good map, like the one that is available online from Willamette Valley Wineries, and check the hours for every tasting room in advance as they may change depending on the season and day of the week.
American vintners have cultivated pinot noir for a century, but only in the last decade have they discovered the best micro-climates for growing it: Oregon's Willamette Valley and a half-dozen California locations, including Carneros in southern Napa and Sonoma counties, and coastal regions near Santa Barbara.
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