Guide
Pacific Northwest Wine: Oregon, Washington and Idaho
Oregon and Washington sit side by side and make almost opposite wines. Oregon’s Willamette Valley is cool, wet and green, and grows Pinot Noir; Washington’s Columbia Valley is a sunny desert east of the Cascades, and grows Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. Idaho, next door, is the quiet third. Between them they are the second-biggest wine region in America and the most rewarding to drive.
Oregon: the Willamette Valley
An hour south of Portland, the Willamette Valley is Pinot Noir country: small estates, hillside vineyards on volcanic and marine soils, and wines with the elegance of Burgundy at a fraction of the price. Pinot Gris and Chardonnay are the whites, and sparkling wine is the coming thing. Dundee, Newberg, Carlton and McMinnville are the bases; the nested AVAs (Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton, Eola-Amity Hills) are each a morning’s driving.
Oregon: south and east
Southern Oregon, around the Rogue and Umpqua valleys, is warmer and grows Tempranillo, Syrah and Cabernet with far fewer visitors. The Columbia Gorge runs along the river from Hood River into Washington and changes climate every ten miles, from Pinot Noir to Zinfandel.
Washington: the Columbia Valley
Nearly all of Washington’s grapes grow in the Columbia Valley, a vast, dry region east of the mountains where long summer days and cold nights build rich, structured Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah and Riesling. Its districts (Yakima Valley, Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope) are vineyard country with scattered tasting rooms; the towns of Prosser and the Tri-Cities are the bases.
Walla Walla and Woodinville
Walla Walla is the state’s best wine town: a walkable downtown of tasting rooms, estates in the surrounding hills, and a valley that crosses into Oregon. Woodinville, thirty minutes from Seattle, is where more than a hundred producers have tasting rooms within a few square miles; it is the easiest way to taste Washington widely without crossing the mountains.
Idaho
The Snake River Valley southwest of Boise is a high desert at 2,500 feet with bright, fresh Riesling, Syrah and Tempranillo. It is small, young and improving fast, and Boise’s downtown tasting rooms make it easy to sample. Idaho wineries
Planning the trip
Willamette and Walla Walla are four hours apart, so treat them as two trips or spend a week. Memorial Day and Thanksgiving weekends are the traditional Oregon open houses; spring release in Walla Walla is early May. The state pages for Oregon, Washington and Idaho list every producer with a map, and the road-trip guide covers the practicalities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pacific Northwest Wine: Oregon, Washington and Idaho: where does this information come from?
Winery counts and locations come from the federal TTB permit list and each producer's own website. Nothing on this page is a paid placement and we publish no ratings.
Find the wineries
Every producer in the country is on the map, with the address, phone and website we could confirm.