McMinnville AVA
Map Proved by the
McMinnville American Viticultural Area website.
www.
mcminnvilleava.org/
The McMinnville AVA lies due west of the town of McMinnville, Oregon, in the Coast Range Foothills of Yamhill County. This AVA is the most westerly of all Oregon AVAs and is geologically and climatically very different from any other in the Willamette Valley
Wine History: McMinnville has a long farming history that dates back to the mid 1800s when berry fields, tree fruits and livestock were the norm. All that began to change when, in 1970, one of Oregon's winemaking pioneers, David Lett, bought an old turkey processing plant in McMinnville to house his winery.
Soon after, winegrowers began planting vineyards and establishing wineries in the area and, in 1987, McMinnville held the very first International Pinot Noir Conference. Held every July since, it's a wildly popular three-day event where winemakers and enthusiasts from all over the world congregate for Pinot noir tastings, winery tours, and seminars.
The McMinnville AVA was established in 2005.
Today, the area continues to sprout more wineries and tasting rooms. In fact, in the city of McMinnville near historic Main Street, 14 wineries converted old graineries and nut processing plants into what is now known as the Urban Pinot Quarter.*
Climate: McMinnville sits in a protective weather shadow of the Coast Range. As a result, the primarily east- and south-facing vineyards receive less rainfall (just 33 inches annually, as compared to 40 inches in Eola-Amity Hills) than sites just 12 miles to the east. Those vineyards situated on the more southerly facing sites take advantage of the cooling winds
from the Van Duzer Corridor, a break in the coast range that allows cool Pacific Ocean air to flow through, thus dropping evening temperatures in the region, which helps to keep grape acids firm. Compared to surrounding areas, McMinnville is, on average, warmer and drier, consisting of higher elevation vineyards (up to 1,000 feet) that are resistant to frost.*
Soils: The soils are typically uplifted marine sedimentary loams and silts, with alluvial overlays. As compared to other appellations in the Willamette Valley, these soils are uniquely shallow for winegrowing with low total available moisture. *
The AVA is comprised of six major wineries including Brittan Vineyard, Coeur de Terre Vineyard, Coleman Vineyard, Maysara Vineyard, Stony Mountain Vineyard, Younberg Hill Vineyard and Yamhill Valley Vineyards
These wineries are all listed under Willamette Valley
* Source Oregon WIne
The wineries of Oregon's Willamette Valley