Note to self - avoid reading Kafka when you are traveling to a venue you’ve never visited before, lest you find yourself in your own Kafkaesque nightmare. It was advice I should have taken when going to the Washington State and Oregon Wine Boards tasting whilst reading Kafka's The Castle.
The event was billed as happening at Park Village East, an eight-minute walk from Mornington Crescent tube. Following Google Maps I arrived at a residential apartment building and, whenever I refreshed the app, it took me back to the same place. I had arrived yet I hadn’t arrived and like K in The Castle couldn't proceed to my destination because I had already arrived at it!
Eventually I did find it where highlights included a masterclass by Bree Stock MW.
Washington and Oregon tasting, London, February 6, 2025
Similarities and differences between the states
The tasting was called Pacific Peaks and Vines - the Best of Washington State and Oregon Wines reflecting the fact that the two state industry bodies have worked together on export promotion over the past few years benefiting from federal funding for this.
At first glance the two states, respectively the second and third or fourth largest in the US (depending on how much New York State has produced in that vintage) appear to have much in common, especially with the Cascade Mountain range running through them.
Both Washington and Oregon have seen significant growth in recent years, with roughly 1000 wine producers in each state – the majority of these being small operators; 90% of Washington State’s total output is made up of by small wineries producing under 5000 cases, and 75% of Oregon’s output the same. (By far and away the largest volume producer in the Pacific Northwest is Washington's Chateau St. Michelle which accounts for 10% of Washington's wine.)
And both states have an unashamed focus on quality with wines typically costing between £30-40 a bottle in the UK.
However, there the similarities end between the two states.
Growers in Washington State started focusing on Riesling but quickly shifted across to Bordeaux varietals, led very much by Cabernet Sauvignon, which is still king although there is increasing experimentation with other varieties, according to Chris Stone, deputy director of Washington Wine.
“Thanks to global warming but also changes in consumer tastes there is a lot of experimentation happening, with hillside planting, a move away from new oak and towards lower alcohol,” he says.
“Rhône varieties, especially Syrah, are in a growth phase (in Washington) and regionality is becoming more pronounced with AVRs like Red Mountain and Walla Walla yielding distinct styles.”
Oregon, by contrast, became a ‘second Burgundy’, led by Pinot Noir which makes up some 60% of plantings with Chardonnay playing an increasingly key role. Pinot Gris is currently the second most planted variety but, because of the growing popularity of white and sparkling wines, Chardonnay is set to swap places on the podium with Pinot Gris.
“Yes, we are premium but you will be blown away by the quality,” says Margaret Bray, director of international marketing for Oregon Wine. “Soil types really matter here and are expressed in the wine.”
So how were the wines? Here are 9 standout producers
Washington State
A nice range of mainly red blends and Cabernet Sauvignon but my favourite here was an unlikely but moreish and successful white - Chaleur Blanc 2023, a tasty, fruit-driven blend of 69% Sauvignon Blanc and 31% Semillon. (Looking for an importer).
A great range of Bordeaux varieties - mainly Cabernet Sauvignon - from Yakima Valley and the highly Red Mountain AVA including Ciel du Cheval Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 (also comprising 9% Merlot and 2% Malbec), the classy top of the range Grand Passage Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 and my favourite, the Yakima Valley White Rhone Blend 2022, very full bodied and fruit driven. (Top Selection)
One of the original standard bearers for Washington State, established over 40 years ago in the Walla Walla schoolhouse where it remains, making high end Bordeaux varietal based wines with a distinctive WA touch. The Perigee Estate Seven Hills Vineyard 2020 is a classy, balanced dark fruit wine, very dense, comprising Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, alongside Syrah, one of WA’s up and coming varieties. I really liked the feisty, fruit forward Chenin Blanc Old Vines 2023.
Ester imports Sleight of Hand (the Magician Riesling 2021 is lovely) and Reynvaan, a Rhône-focused producer with just two wines on show, both really delicious; the concrete aged, slightly edgy Syrah in the Rocks 2019 (Syrah and a dash of Viognier), slightly charred, tobacco finish, and the nicely rounded, nuanced Queens Road White 2018, a decent blend of Marsanne and Viognier. (Ester Wines)
Rhône flying high again at this smallish, gastronomic-focused producer with two decent and distinctive Syrah, Lower East, the Bowery 2019 and Lagniappe Syrah 2019. The Viognier 2023 is fresh, floral with a long creamy finish. (Flint Wines)
Oregon
Lovers of the quirky will love these handcrafted wines made since 2019 by Bree Stock MW and focused on alternative varieties and styles. Stock says she’s trying “to do something different“ and she certainly is here, with a very pink Old Vine Skin Fermented Pinot Gris 2022 and the Orange Crush 2023, an appealing skin contact blend of Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Reds include a Trousseau Noir 2023, a Gamay Noir 2023 and two Cabernet Franc 2022, including one tangy, spicy Field Blend. These are playful wines – 12 on show here - but also very well made (Not yet imported).
If I was asked to describe the archetypal Oregon winery, this would probably be it. Established back in 1990 by former Air Force pilot and Burgundy lover Robert Morus, this makes classy Pinot Noir (at least three), two delicious and well balanced Chardonnay and for something different but distinctive, the Gorge Crest Gewürztraminer 2019, an Oregonian take on the variety. I loved all these wines notably the Cuvee Alexandrine Pinot Noir 2021 (named after his Burgundian winemaker) and the moreish, rounded but still cool climate Lynette Chardonnay 2019.
“Alexandrine Roy joined our team in 2007, providing an important influence on how we viewed target ripeness of the vintage. The restraint on ripeness results in wines displaying a greater sense of place, supported by native spontaneous fermentations. These are key elements of Phelps Creek style” says Morus.
Roy (from Gevrey Chambertin’s Domaine Roy) - has definitely had an influence on these wines, the Pinot that bears her name being a case in point. Made from only the finest grapes the wine is aged for a year in French barrels after fermentation with natural yeasts. There’s a really satisfying, long spicy tobacco finish here. (Davy’s Wine)
The Washington State-based behemoth was showing around 50 wines from its various brands, including Erath Winery, Spring Valley Vineyards and the main lines, Colombia Crest and Chateau St Michelle. Standouts for me were the always decent Ernst Loosen collaboration Eroica XLC Riesling 2021, a lovely fresh vintage and the entry level Oregon wines A to Z Wineworks, extremely good value and nicely made off dry Pinot Gris 2023 and the moreish, brambly Rex Hill Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2023.
This highly regarded winery based in the Dundee Hills offers four very different Pinots reflecting different terroirs in the state. My favourite two of a great bunch were the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2023, very fresh, with red berry fruit on a broad palate, and the Chehalem Mountains Pinot 2022 from Chehalem Winery, a sister winery to Stoller. This is the largest winery in the Dundee Hills producing 600,000 bottles a year but judging by these wines - and the creamy, vanilla-charged Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2023 - quality is very high.
In conclusion
So, a good introduction to these two states and there were some great wines here – it’s clear is that the future for both states’ wine industries is exciting.
“You know there’s a lot of land here, a lot of it, and no fixed rules, although producers individually are very strict about the standards they set themselves. This is the ultimate playground for growing and making wine,” says Washington State’s Chris Stone.
Finding the right market remains, as ever, the key challenge. Stone and Bray worry about the shift away from wine amongst younger generations, and the fact that there is so much choice these days: they say the message has to be gotten across that wine is a natural product made by real people. Meanwhile Phelps Creek’s Morus says producers need to look to a future very different from the past.
“The industry has matured beyond a hardy group of dreaming pioneers seeking to prove great wine could come from cool weather sites. We’ve enjoyed an explosion in growth but must seek new markets and be truly international,” he says, adding. “It’s expensive to make wine in Oregon so we need to focus on the most discriminating consumers. We aim for the top, or we flop.”
