A maturing industry, a softening market, and a valley that still runs on Pinot — the 2024 census, read like a story.
Oregon Wine by the Numbers: What the 2024 Census Reveals About the Valley Read More »
From a 35-acre luxury inn to a vineyard B&B, the Willamette Valley’s best home bases — matched to the trip you want.
Where to Stay in Wine Country: A Field Guide to the Valley’s Great Inns Read More »
How many wineries a day, where to base yourself, when to come, and why a guide beats a designated driver.
Planning Your First Willamette Valley Wine Trip: A Local’s Playbook Read More »
A volcano, an ancient ocean floor, and an Ice-Age flood — the three soils behind Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
Reading the Dirt: Jory, Marine Sediment, and the Floods That Built the Valley Read More »
The stubborn graduate student who planted Pinot Noir where experts said it could not ripen — and whose wine humbled Burgundy in 1979.
Papa Pinot: David Lett, The Eyrie Vineyards, and the Bet That Started It All Read More »
The medieval monks who invented terroir — and how their 900-year-old idea ended up in every glass of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
Everyone knows Champagne is made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Far fewer can name the third grape — the humble, hardworking Pinot Meunier that quietly rounds out most of the world’s Champagne. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified Champagne is a blend,
Pinot Meunier: The Champion of Champagne Read More »
Many experts quietly call it the greatest white wine grape of all. Riesling makes wines of piercing purity that can be dry as stone or sweet as honey — and that can outlive almost any other white in the cellar. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources,
Riesling: A Versatile and Terroir-Expressive Grape Read More »
Italians call it the anima — the soul — of their reds. It fills more Italian vineyards than any other grape, hides behind a dozen famous names, and its true origins turned out to be a genuine surprise. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI
Sangiovese: The ‘Anima’ of Italian Red Wines Read More »
Spain’s noble red grape is a chameleon of names: Tempranillo in Rioja, something else entirely a valley away. But behind every alias is the same early-ripening grape that gives Spain its greatest reds. KWReviewed & edited by Ken Wytsma · Fact-checked June 2026Researched and fact-checked against independent sources, with AI assistance.✓ Verified If Spain has
Tempranillo: Spain’s Noble Grape Read More »