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INDUSTRY HISTORY
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
Oregon seemed inhabited by folks who often were of a stubbornly independent and even
renegade character, never quite convinced of the perceived wisdoms and blessings of the wider
world... all remaining in or coming to Oregon to seek or pursue some insistent, uncontrollable
and potentially soul-wrecking passion.
- CHANG-RAE LEEFood & Wine
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
HENDERSON LUELLING
Image: Oregon Historical Society
1847Oregon Trail pioneer Henderson Luelling
brings his wife, eight children and several
dozen varieties of fruit plantings from Iowa
to the Oregon Territory, including Oregon’s
first recorded grape plantings.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
PETER BRITT
Image: Southern Oregon Historical Society
1854Peter Britt, a Swiss immigrant who has
come to be known as the “father of the
Southern Oregon fruit industry,” establishes
the Northwest’s first winery, Valley View,
in Jacksonville.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1859More than 50 years after Lewis and Clark
arrived at the Oregon Coast, Oregon
becomes the Union’s 33rd state.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
Image: David Hill Winery, The Oregonian
ERNEST REUTER
OREGON TEMPERANCE WORKERS
Early 1900sForest Grove winemaker Ernest Reuter wins silver for
his Riesling at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the first
award given to an Oregon winemaker.
In 1916, zealous Oregon voters pass Prohibition four
years before it takes effect nationally. Reuter’s vines
are torn out to plant fruit trees and potatoes.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
OWNER MARY REINKE AT THE STATE FAIR, ca. 1960
HONEYWOOD WINERY NOW PRODUCES PREMIUM VINIFERA WINES IN ADDITION TO AN EXTENSIVE
SELECTION OF FRUIT WINES
Image: Honeywood Winery
1933Shortly after the U.S. Congress repeals
the Eighteenth Amendment, John Wood
and Ron Honeyman receive bonded
winery status for Honeywood Winery
in Salem, Oregon’s oldest continuously
operating winery.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1960sThe modern era of Oregon wine is born.
Lett and Coury had been told the rain would wash them out, they would
grow fungus between their toes, it would rot their clothes off, and there
was no way in hell they would be able to grow great grapes up here.
-MYRON REDFORDAmity Vineyards
Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place
Pictured: David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1961After a long dry spell following Prohibition,
Richard Sommer launches the modern era
of Oregon winegrowing with plantings at
HillCrest Vineyard in the Umpqua Valley.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1965Defying conventional wisdom, but
convinced that Burgundian varieties were
better suited to Oregon than California,
UC Davis classmates David Lett and
Charles Coury separately make their way
to Oregon and root the first Pinot noir
vines in the Willamette Valley.
DAVID LETT CHRISTENS HIS FIRST PINOT NOIR PLANTINGS
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive / The Eyrie Vineyards
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1967Back in the Umpqua Valley,
Sommer bottles his first “crop of any
consequence,” resulting in Oregon’s
first vintage of Pinot noir.
RICHARD SOMMER SAMPLES HIS 1967 PINOT NOIR
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1970sIntrepid pioneers plant roots and begin to get noticed.
My mom always likes to say, 'There was Paris in the '20s
and there was McMinnville in the '70s.' There was definitely
a feeling here there was something cool afoot.
-JASON LETTSecond-generation winemaker at The Eyrie Vineyards
Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place
INDUSTRY HISTORY
Pictured: Frank Wisnovsky of Valley View Winery
Oregon Wine Board
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
Images: Oregon Wine History Archive
DAVID AND GINNY ADELSHEIM,
ADELSHEIM VINEYARDS
DICK ERATH, ERATH WINERY
PAT AND JOE CAMPBELL,
ELK COVE VINEYARDS
NANCY AND DICK PONZI,
PONZI VINEYARDS
BILL BLOSSER AND SUSAN SOKOL BLOSSER,
SOKOL BLOSSER WINERY
DAVID AND DIANA LETT,
THE EYRIE VINEYARDS
Early 1970sThe Willamette Valley's now-famous founders were once
intrepid explorers - the Erath, Sokol Blosser, Adelsheim,
Campbell and Ponzi families establish their first vineyards.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1972The Wisnovsky family revives Peter Britt’s
historic property, establishing the first
commercial vineyard and winery in
Jackson County. The family honored
Britt’s legacy by retaining the original
name of Valley View.
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive / Valley View Winery
FRANK WISNOVSKY AND HIS SON MIKE WITH NEW PLANTINGS
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1973Oregon Senate Bill 100, the Land
Conservation and Development Act,
passes, protecting agricultural land from
suburban sprawl.
Thanks to forward-thinkers from the
blossoming Oregon wine industry, hillsides
perfect for wine grapes were included in
the protection.
Image: oregon.gov
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
Image: Unknown
1975Trendy Portland restaurant L’Omelette
is the first to introduce an Oregon
section on its wine list, curated by then-
sommelier David Adelsheim.
L’OMELETTE OFFERED FINE FRENCH DINING IN PORTLAND
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1977Oregon’s winemakers join together to
propose adoption of the strictest wine-
labeling regulations in the country. These
innovative regulations protect the purity
of variety and source of wines produced
in Oregon.
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1979Stunning results come in from the Gault-
Millau Wine Olympiad in Paris: The Eyrie
Vineyards 1975 South Block Reserve Pinot
noir places in the top 10 in a blind tasting
among the finest Burgundies.
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1980sA community grows and thrives.
In the '80s there was a big surge of new people coming into the
industry and they needed help and we wanted them to have help.
We wanted things to be planted properly and them to plant the
proper grapes. We wanted them to improve the quality because one
flaw on a wine in the market would reflect on the whole industry.
-DICK PONZIPonzi Vineyards
Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place
Pictured: clockwise from bottom left: Joe Campbell, Bill Blosser, Don Byard, Myron Redford, Dick Erath, Fred Arterberry, Fred Benoit, David Lett, David Adelsheim
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1980Burgundian vigneron Robert Drouhin
sponsors a blind tasting rematch of
the 1979 Olympiad, reconfirming the
evaluation of The Eyrie Vineyards 1975
Pinot noir.
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1980The inaugural Steamboat Conference takes
place with winemakers convening to learn
from each other, share best practices, offer
constructive critiques and “improve the
breed” of Pinot noir. This event, held in the
Umpqua Valley, has become an annual
tradition and celebration of Oregon’s spirit
of collaboration.
Image: Steamboat Pinot Noir Conference
WINEMAKERS SHARE IDEAS AT A RECENT STEAMBOAT CONFERENCE
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1980Fourth-generation farmer Casey McClellan
helps his dad plant Seven Hills Vineyard,
one of the first commercial vineyards in the
Walla Walla Valley.
Image: Seven Hills Winery
CASEY MCCLELLAN IN THE VINEYARD, 1987
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1982When Umpqua Valley vintner H. Scott
Henry notices a rapid decline in fruit
quality in his vineyard, he takes matters
into his own hands and designs an
innovative vine-trellising system to give
grapes greater sun exposure. The Scott
Henry Trellis System is soon adopted by
vineyards around the world.
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive
SCOTT HENRY AND HIS TRELLIS SYSTEM, 2013
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1982Lonnie Wright purchases and revives
The Pines, a century-old Zinfandel
vineyard on the Oregon side of the
Columbia Gorge, sparking a rebirth in
winegrowing in that region.
Image: The Pines 1852 Vineyard and Winery
LONNIE WRIGHT AND HIS SON, LEE
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1983Nine Willamette Valley vintners get
together to form the Yamhill County
Wineries Association and open their
winery doors for the first “Thanksgiving
Weekend in Wine Country,” now a
beloved tradition.
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive
FOUNDING MEMBERS OF YAMHILL COUNTY WINERIES ASSOCIATION
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1983The Willamette Valley is officially “on the
map,” approved as Oregon’s first American
Viticultural Area.
In recognition of the marketing and research
needs of a growing industry, Oregon's winemakers and grapegrowers
petition to establish the Oregon Wine Advisory Board (now the Oregon
Wine Board). To fund it, they elect to levee a $25/ton tax on themselves, the
largest wine industry tax in the world at that time.
I-5
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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1984The Umpqua Valley becomes the first AVA in
Southern Oregon to gain approval.
Two AVAs spanning the Oregon-Washington
border are established: The Columbia Valley
and the Walla Walla Valley.
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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1985Expert judges pick Willamette Valley Pinot
noirs as the top three wines at the Burgundy
Challenge, conceived by confident Oregon
winemakers and hosted at the International
Wine Center in New York.
Wine Spectator and The New York Times
pick up the story of Oregon’s success.
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1987The inaugural International Pinot Noir
Celebration (IPNC) takes place, gathering
Pinot noir producers and lovers from all
over the world. Now, more than 1,000
people gather each year to celebrate
their favorite grape.
Image: Adelsheim Vineyards
AN EARLY IPNC GATHERING AT DAVID ADELSHEIM’S PERSONAL RESIDENCE
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1988Following the 1987 purchase of 30 acres
of land in the Dundee Hills by the highly
respected Drouhin family of Burgundy,
France, Veronique Drouhin makes Domaine
Drouhin Oregon’s first vintage.
Image: The Drouhin Family
VERONIQUE DROUHIN AT YET-TO-BE-COMPLETED DOMAINE DROUHIN OREGON
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
Pictured: Earl and Hilda Jones of Abacela
1990sThe industry takes action to sustain resources for the future.
INDUSTRY HISTORY
Oregon has been a wonderful example of what an industry can do
to make a living, increase the prestige of the state, bring money
into the state and keep the land healthy at the same time.
-NANCY PONZIPonzi Vineyards
Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place
Oregon Wine Board
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1990 Ponzi Vineyards 1987 Reserve Pinot noir
receives Oregon’s first recognition on Wine
Spectator’s annual Top 100 list.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1991 In recognition of some of the most
important people in the industry, 18
Oregon wineries join forces to plan the
annual ¡Salud! Wine Barrel Auction,
raising funds to provide free healthcare to
migrant vineyard workers.
Image: Oregon Wine History Archive
LEDA GARSIDE TAKES THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF A MAN AT A ¡SALUD! CLINIC
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1995 After searching for the best Tempranillo
terroir in the U.S., Earl and Hilda Jones
decide on the Umpqua Valley to plant
their Abacela vineyard and Oregon's first
Tempranillo vines.
Image: Abacela
EARL AND HILDA JONES AT THEIR NEW VINEYARD
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1996 Oregon’s wine industry enters an age of
formalizing its environmentally friendly
practices as Sokol Blosser becomes the first
winery certified as “Salmon-Safe.” This third-
party certification promotes products made
without pesticides or causing runoff that
would harm salmon.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1997 A group of Oregon vintners join up to
form eco-certification LIVE (Low Impact
Viticulture and Enology). Today, nearly
300 Oregon wineries and vineyards
have commited to meeting third-party
certification of their sustainability practices.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
1999 Cooper Mountain Vineyards becomes
Oregon's first Demeter Certified
Biodynamic® winery, a practice that entails
a holistic view of treating the entire farm
as a living organism.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
Oregon is finally fulfilling its vast potential.
-ROBERT M. PARKER, JR.
2000sOregon solidifies its place on the world's stage while keeping true to its roots.
INDUSTRY HISTORY
Pictured: Bergström Harvest Team, Image: CWK Photography
Oregon Wine Board
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2001 The Portland urban winemaking scene is
born in an inner southeast industrial park,
as Renee Neely and Laurie Lewis launch
Hip Chicks Do Wine in an old warehouse.
There are now nearly twenty wineries
operating within Portland.
Image: Joshua Chang / PDX Urban Wineries
URBAN WINEMAKERS IN PORTLAND
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2002 Eco-friendly Carlton Winemakers Studio
opens, embracing the Oregon spirit of
collaboration as the state's first co-op
winery facility. There are currently 13
winemakers working at the Studio.
Image: Clay McLachlan
CARLTON WINEMAKERS STUDIO
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2002 Oregon's largest winery, King Estate,
achieves organic certification for the
entirety of its estate vineyards - all 465
acres of them.
Image: King Estate Winery
KING ESTATE WINERY
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2004Winegrowers around the state continue to
define their regions' distinctive traits and
establish AVAs:
• Southern Oregon AVA is established, encompassing the previously
authorized regions of the Umpqua, Rogue and Applegate Valleys.
• The Columbia Gorge AVA is established, joining the Columbia Valley
and Walla Walla Valley as winegrowing regions shared with Oregon’s
northern neighbor Washington.
OREGON IN CONTEXT
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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2006In 2002, winegrowers in the Willamette
Valley collaborated to submit their
applications for six new AVAs together in
a single envelope in an act of collegiality
and respect for each other's unique
characteristics.
By 2006, all six north Willamette Valley
AVAs are approved.
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CHEHALEM MOUNTAINS
EOLA-AMITY HILLS
YAMHILL-CARLTON
WILLAMETTE VALLEY SUB-AVA PETITION AUTHORS, MARCH 15, 2002
Image: David Adelsheim
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2007As the industry's footprint grows, 14 of
Oregon's largest wineries join forces with
the Oregon Environmental Council to kick
off the Carbon Neutral Challenge, the wine
industry's first carbon reduction program
in the U.S.
TASTING ROOM AT STOLLER, THE WORLD'S FIRST LEED GOLD CERTIFIED WINEMAKING FACILITY
Image: Mike Haverkate
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2009One of Oregon's biggest wineries,
Willamette Valley Vineyards, promotes
sustainable practices by partnering with
Cork ReHarvest to launch a nationwide
cork recycling program.
CORK FARM, PORTUGAL
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2010Oregonians begin enjoying wines on tap.
This fresh, environmentally friendly twist
on by-the-glass wine saves 39 bottles
with a single keg. In 2013, the Oregon
wine industry was the first in the nation
to convince state legislature to allow
consumers to take their favorites home in
growlers, similar to craft beers.
COOPERS HALL WINERY AND TAPROOM, OREGON'S ONLY EXCLUSIVE KEG PRODUCTION WINERY
Image: Dina Avila and Heidi Hoffman / Coopers Hall
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2012Governor Kitzhaber proclaims May as Oregon
Wine Month in recognition of the wine
industry's importance to the state's economic
growth. Today, the industry contributes $3.35
billion to the state economy, and Oregon
Wine Month is an annual celebration of the
world-class wines grown here.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2014A to Z Wineworks, Oregon's largest wine
producer, becomes the first B Corp certified
winery in the world, cementing their
commitment to socially and environmentally
responsible business practices.
Image: CWK Photography
THE A TO Z WINEWORKS TEAM CELEBRATES THEIR NEW B CORP STATUS
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2014The release of the 2012 vintage earns
Oregon winemakers winespread critical
acclaim. Wine Enthusiast honors Ken
Wright Cellars 2012 Abbott Claim Vineyard
Pinot noir as its 2014 Wine of the Year.
Image: RJ Studio
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2015Joel Palmer House in Dayton, Oregon is
named the inaugural Oregon Wine A-List
Wine Program of the Year.
Image: Evrim Icoz Photography
OWNER AND CHEF CHRIS CZARNECKI, JOEL PALMER HOUSE
The Oregon Wine A-List Awards
recognize restaurants across the
world displaying enthusiasm for
Oregon wine and its diverse regions,
varieties and producers.
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board
2016Recent blockbuster vintages have
produced what critics and winemakers
alike are calling “Oregon’s Golden Era,”
in which quality is at an all-time high,
demand comes from around the globe,
and our community is as strong as ever.
Image: Andrea Johnson
SOKOL BLOSSER CELEBRATES THE OPENING OF ITS NEW TASTING ROOM IN 2013
INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board INDUSTRY HISTORY
There was a much higher calling than trying to imitate some other place, and that goal was to figure out who we wanted to be for ourselves
and what it was that we could do that nobody else in the world could do.
-DAVID ADELSHEIM Adelsheim Vineyard
Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place
Pictured: Sokol Blosser team, Image: Andrea Johnson
Oregon Wine Board