Eola-Amity Hills AVA
| Eola-Amity Hills AVA (wine region) | |
|---|---|
 Eola Hills north of Dallas in Polk County |
|
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
| Year established | 2006[1] |
| Country | USA |
| Part of | Oregon, Willamette Valley AVA |
| Total area | 37,900 acres (15,338 ha) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 1,300 acres (526 ha) |
The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Polk County and Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, and stretches from the city of Amity in the north to Salem in the south. The Eola and Amity[2] hills cover an area west of the Willamette River approximately 15 miles (24 km) long by 6 miles (10 km) wide. The Eola-Amity Hills area benefits from steady winds off the Pacific Ocean that reach the Willamette Valley through the Van Duzer Corridor, a gap in the Oregon Coast Range, moderating the summer temperatures. The Eola Hills were named after the community of Eola, whose name was derived from Aeolus, the Greek god of the winds.[3]
[edit] Climate and geography
The Eola-Amity Hills has around 1,300 acres of the area's 37,900 acres planted to grape vines.[4] Like most of the Willamette Valley, the Eola-Amity Hills experiences a maritime climate that includes mild winters but summers that are cooler and wetter than the continental climate experienced by Washington State's wine regions to the north and the Mediterranean climate experienced by many of California's wine regions to the south. The climate is influenced by the Pacfic currents that escape through the Van Duzer corridor gap between the Oregon Coastal Range and the Cascade range to the east which keeps many weather currents from going much further east.[5] Through the Van Duzer, cool pacific air comes more than 30 miles from the west in the afternoon to cool down the region, allowing the grapes to retain higher levels of acidity.[4]
The majority of the year's rainfall comes between October and April with the peak months of growing season being relatively dry. However, harvest time in late September and October can bring the hazard of rain, grape rot and dilution caused by the vines absorbing too much water from the wet soils and funneling that into the grape berries. Additionally, migrating birds heading south for the winter will often prey upon ripening grape clusters as a food source.[5]
The vineyard soils of the Eola-Amity hills include volcanic soils and shallow nekia over ancient basalt beds.[4] Throughout the AVA are soil deposits left over from the Missoula floods.[6]
[edit] Vineyards
Established in 2006, the Eola-Amity Hills AVAs include several notable vineyards that have been provided grapes to wineries in order Oregon AVAs for years. Among the Eola-Amity Hills vineyards that will appear on vineyard designated wines include Temperance Hill Vineyard with 100 acres located northwest of Salem, Seven Springs Vineyard that was planted in the late 1980s and Elton Vineyard located on the eastern side of the Eola-Amity Hills with 60 acres that were first planted in 1983.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Code of Federal Regulations. "§ 9.202 Eola-Amity Hills." Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2008.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Amity Hills
- ^ McArthur, Lewis A.; Lewis L. McArthur (2003) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 333. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.
- ^ a b c d Wine Press Northwest "Oregon: Eola-Amity Hills" March 14th, 2009
- ^ a b J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 495-496 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906
- ^ H. Johnson & J. Robinson The World Atlas of Wine pg 292 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 ISBN 1-84000-332-4
