The Willamette Valley in Oregon is the largest grape growing and wine producing area in the State of Oregon and is represented by two regions because of the number of wine growers and wine making facilites in the area.
The North Willamette Valley Region is bordered to the north by the Columbia River, to the south by Salem, to the east by the Cascade Mountains and to the west by the Coast Mountain Range. Most of Oregon's wine grapes are grown in this region, with many vineyards located on hillsides in the western portion of the Valley. To the north, the Willamette Valley includes Portland, Oregon's largest city.
Considered to be a cool, wine-growing region, the Willamette Valley's climate is suited to a narrower range of wine grape varieties and is particularly well matched to the early-ripening Pinot Noir grape, for which Oregon wineries in the region have become well known.
