TUALATIN HILLS

Patton Valley Vineyard at sunrise

Tualatin Hills

Tualatin Hills AVA square

ABOUT

This 15-mile slice is tucked into the northwesternmost corner of the Willamette Valley and is home to the very first commercial vineyard in Oregon, with a long agricultural history. Recognized by its distinctive soil and climate, the AVA is named for and principally defined by the watershed of the Tualatin River.

It offers the largest concentration in Oregon of Laurelwood soil, a windblown volcanic soil mixed with basalt known as loess that was deposited by the Missoula Floods 12,000 years ago. At an elevation range between 200 and 1,000 feet, the area benefits from the rain shadow of the Coast Range with slightly lower rainfall, cooler temperatures in springtime and more temperate and dryer conditions during the critical fall harvest period. It is sheltered to the west by some of the highest peaks of the Coast Range mountains and shielded to the south by the large mass of the Chehalem Mountains.

 

Tualatin Hills AVA map

QUICK FACTS

Established: June 3, 2020
Wineries: 10
Tasting Rooms: 10
Vineyards: 41
Total Area: 144,000 acres
Planted Area: 1,009 acres
Most common grape varieties: Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer

LINKS

Oregon Wine Resource Studio (maps and additional information)