McMinnville Wine

The McMinnville AVA (American Viticultural Area) lies just west of the city of McMinnville in Yamhill County. This important AVA is located within the prestigious Willamette Valley AVA cool climate grape growing area in the US State of Oregon.

McMinnville is protected from the majority of bad weather due to the Coast Range, so is often warmer and dryer than surrounding areas but it still benefits from cooling winds that enter through the Van Duzer Corridor directly from the Pacific. This drops the evening temperatures helping grapes to retain quality enhancing acidity. The TTB (U.S. Department of Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) states that grapes grown in this AVA must be grown above the 200-foot contour line. This sees most vineyards planted between 200 and 800 feet above sea level in the foothills of the Coast Range. The most defining part of this appellation is a 2000-foot thick bedrock configuration from which the boundaries of the AVA are based. The bedrock is made up of a complex array of soil types with an abundant range of nutrients and minerals. These minerals are said to contribute unique characters to the wines produced from this region. Pinot Noir from here is no doubt worth trying just to compare flavors with other regions. Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc wines could also be compared the same way.