After months of travel down the Oregon Trail, early settlers finally arrived at a big, verdant valley with dense forests and expansive meadows. This valley was blessed with good land, a temperate climate, and an abundance of water. The Willamette Valley is currently Oregon’s largest and most well-known wine-growing region. Here is a look at how the Willamette Valley became such an important American wine region.
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1800 - Vines Arrived In The Willamette Valley
The mid-1800s saw the arrival of grapevines, but they were not Pinot Noir grapes for which the Willamette Valley is now famous; rather, they were table grapes farmed for fresh consumption. Read More: https://thisdayinwinehistory.com/willamette-valley/
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1847 - Henderson Luellen became the first to plant wine grapes in Oregon’s Willamette Valley
Henderson Luellen was the first to plant wine grapes in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 1847, according to Paul Pintarich’s 1997 book, The Boys Up North. However, Luellen only grew grapes for his own wine production and consumption, thus the Willamette Valley didn’t start to see the emergence of a wine industry until the 1880s. Born …
Henderson Luellen became the first to plant wine grapes in Oregon’s Willamette Valley Read More »
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February 22, 1965 - David And Dianna Lett Plant Vineyards In Willamette Valley
David and his friend, Jono Howe began planting a vineyard in the Willamette Valley. This was the first plantings of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay in the Willamette Valley, as well as the first Pinot Gris outside of Europe. A month and a half after planting began, Riesling and Muscat Ottonel were planted as …
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