The Rogue Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southern

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. The federal government approved this appellation in 1991. It is entirely contained within the larger

Southern Oregon AVA The Southern Oregon AVA is an American Viticultural Area which lies in Southern Oregon, United States. The Southern Oregon AVA was established in 2005 and was created to include the land of two smaller AVAs: the Rogue Valley AVA and the Umpqua ...

and includes the drainage basin of the Rogue River and several tributaries, including the Illinois River, the

Applegate River The Applegate River is a -long tributary of the Rogue River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It drains approximately . Rising in northern California, it soon crosses the border and flows northeast then northwest to meet the Rogue about west of Gra ...

, and Bear Creek. Most wineries in the region are found in the valleys formed by one of these three tributaries, rather than along the Rogue River itself. The region is wide by long (most of the land within the AVA capable of producing high quality wine is not currently used for grape cultivation); there are fewer than 20 wineries with only planted. Each river valley has a unique

terroir (, ; from ''terre'', "land") is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these contex ...

, and grows different varieties of grapes. Overall, however, this region is the warmest and driest of Oregon's wine-growing regions.

Applegate Valley AVA

The Applegate Valley AVA, established in 2000, is the only sub-AVA in the Rogue Valley AVA. The

flows through the town of Applegate and near the city of

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, which was the location of Oregon's first winery (the winery has been restored and re-opened as Valley View Winery). This region contains vineyards at altitudes ranging from to above sea level, and is warmer and drier than the Illinois Valley to the west, but less so than the Bear Creek Valley to the east. Grapes that thrive here include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Zinfandel, with Cabernet and Merlot being the dominant varietals.

Bear Creek Valley

Bear Creek is the most populated of the Rogue River

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

, as it flows through the cities of Medford and Ashland. Here, the valley floor is above sea level, and the climate is warm and dry. The climate of the Bear Creek Valley is similar to that of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

, and it is well suited for cultivating varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot gris, Sauvignon blanc,

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

and Syrah.

Illinois Valley

The westernmost tributary of the Rogue River is the Illinois River, which rises in southern Josephine County, in the

Red Buttes Wilderness The Red Buttes Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath and Rogue River national forests in the U.S. states of Oregon and California. It comprises , approximately of which is located in California, and in Oregon.Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast ...

, past Cave Junction, Kerby and through the

Siskiyou National Forest Siskiyou may refer to: *Siskiyou Mountains, a mountain range in northern California and southern Oregon * Siskiyou National Forest, in Oregon and California *Siskiyou County, California *Siskiyou Trail, an old Native American and pioneer trail conne ...

. It joins the Rogue River from the south on the

Curry A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included. There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...

-Josephine county line, approximately from the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

. The region is marked by high elevation, and is significantly influenced by marine climates. The region is well-suited for growing Burgundy varietals, similar to those grown in the

Willamette Valley AVA The Willamette Valley AVA ( ) is an American Viticultural Area which lies in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The AVA is the wine growing region which encompasses the drainage basin of the Willamette River. It stretches from the Columbia Rive ...

References

External links

Rogue Valley Winegrowers Association
{{coord, 42, 25, N, 123, 25, W, region:US-OR_scale:1500000, display=title American Viticultural Areas Oregon wine Rogue River (Oregon) Geography of Jackson County, Oregon Geography of Josephine County, Oregon 2000 establishments in Oregon