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The Willamette Valley in Oregon is a very popular territory for American wineries to grow their grapes, specifically for growing pinot noir. Willamette Valley pinot noir has a kind of cult following, and some vintages go for a pretty penny—though not all. As you look for the best wine sales online, here are the three different types of soil in the Willamette Valley region and how they affect the taste of the wines they’re used in. Volcanic Jory is a basalt-based volcanic soil in the Willamette Valley found in the Dundee Hills vineyards. This is probably the region’s most prominent soil type. Jory is nutrient-rich, reddish in color, and saturated with clay and iron so it retains water. This type of soil creates a mineral-flavored earthiness in wines made from grapes grown in this soil. The wines are often accompanied by a bright cherry flavor. Sedimentary Sedimentary terrain is brittle, dry, and powdery. That means that vineyards have to work extra hard with the soil to keep it covered with compost and cover crops, to protect the grapes. Although planting in this terrain takes more work, the kinds of grapes it produces result in very strong wines. The older grape vines in this region are able to tap into some deeper-rooted nutrients that lend flavor to the wines. This soil type creates flavors that have been described as dark in flavor, with a taste like black fruit, cola, coffee, and chocolate. Loess Loess is a windblown silty loam, and is the shallowest soil used in Willamette Valley vineyards. The consistency is like a balance between sedimentary and volcanic in texture. Loess also needs some attentive care, or else the soil will erode and drain too easily and the grapes will suffer. The wines produced in this kind of soil are brighter and more acidic, like an earthy fruit. They tend to have a peppery finish, too. Test Your Taste Buds If you think all these facts are a bunch of hoopla, then it’s suggested that you try to find a vintage grown in each of these distinct regions. Then you can host a very simple wine tasting night and see if what you experience measures up to these recommendations. It's amazing how changing one detail of the winemaking process can have such an effect on the overall taste and experience of wine. Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what kinds of wines you’re looking for as you find wine sales online to bring the best of Willamette Valley right to your kitchen.
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