Chehalem Mountains has been given its own AVA (American Viticultural Area), making it Oregon's 15th delineated viticultural area.

Part of the greater Willamette Valley, the Chehalem Mountains fall just outside of Portland’s southwestern suburbs. The new AVA hosts 31 wineries and growers with 1,600 acres of vines on mostly south-facing slopes.

‘We don’t yet have quantification to back up our empirical suspicions, but daily shifts [in temperature] are greater on the hillsides than on the valley floor,’ said local winemaker David Adelsheim.

Due to these cooler, more stressful conditions, ripening generally takes place three weeks later on the higher hillsides than on the valley floor with most grapes at 200-1000 feet in elevation.

Adelsheim, who was also a driving force behind the grower initiative to obtain an AVA for the region said, ‘it’s an important step in educating consumers on our exceptional region and the characteristics suggested in a wine from the Chehalem Mountains.’

Chehalem growers believe that, like much of the WIllamette Valley, Pinot Noir holds the most potential for quality wines, as well as Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.

Written by David Furer

David Furer
David Furer
Decanter Magazine, Wine Writer & Sommelier

David Furer is a Californian wine writer, educator, consultant and speaker, who has worked for over 20 years in the wine trade. He has appeared in publications such as Decanter, Wine Business Monthly in the US and SommelierS Int’l in France. He formerly served on the Circle of Wine Writers’ executive committee and is a sommelier with accreditation from the Court of Master Sommeliers. In his book, Wine Places, he collaborates with photographer Charles O’Rear to capture some of the world’s vineyards, wineries and winemakers.