Wine Lists

By type

Lists with a stated rule

What’s an AVA?

An American Viticultural Area is a grape-growing region recognized by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. It describes where grapes grow, not where you taste. We show a venue’s AVA only when its own site places it there. An urban tasting room doesn’t get an AVA from the wines it pours.

The TTB’s list of established AVAs (opens in a new tab)

  • Willamette Valley The large grape-growing designation that covers the valley between the Coast Range and the Cascades. Most of the smaller AVAs south-west of Portland sit inside it.
  • Dundee Hills A cluster of hills above Dundee and Dayton, known for red volcanic soils.
  • Chehalem Mountains The ridge between Newberg and the west Portland suburbs.
  • Yamhill-Carlton Foothill vineyards wrapped around the towns of Yamhill and Carlton.
  • McMinnville Foothills west and south-west of the town of McMinnville.