Guess That Grape

Seeing Red

You may not be surprised to learn that red wine grapes are the most-planted variety in Oregon, and indeed right here in the Central Willamette Valley. See if you can guess what these grapes are...don't cheat by scrolling to the bottom just yet!

1.

This grape grows very well in the Willamette Valley and was among the first planted here in the mid-1960s.  It tends to produce a wine with some spice and a kind of savory quality. Some say it has a "signature scent" of cola!

2. 

This popular red grape is dense and very aromatic. It can have a robust structure and very complex dark fruit flavors – think black fruit and earthy notes.

3. 

     

This one happens to be the most widely planted red grape in our region. It has small clusters of tightly packed fruit and very consistent aromas of black cherry, roses, and something like leather.

4.  

     

This one has a fun history! Vines from this grape were brought to Oregon in suitcases from France in the 1970s. It is now widely respected as a "heritage grape" in Oregon's wine industry.  This grape produces elegant, smooth wine with herbal characteristics.

Do you think you guessed the grapes? Scroll a little more...

SURPRISE! All of these grapes are clones of the diverse, finicky, flavorful star of the Willamette Valley, Pinot Noir! 

Pinot Noir is a highly adaptable and genetically unstable grape that is very influenced by its environment. Over time, it has developed into thousands of clones. In the wine world, a clone is an offshoot from a single grape vine and is usually cut and grafted to another rootstock to grow. This offshoot is almost identical to its parent vine, but it does develop some unique characteristics as it adapts to its new growth in (possibly) a different environment, so it's not considered a new variety of grape, but a clone of one. Check out Van Duzer's blog for an interesting description of the Pinot clones in the area around Salem and the UC Davis Grapebook for the history. For a bottle of Pinot Noir, clones are very important because when offshoots are planted, they take on the influences in their environment through the climate, soil, and geological differences in a given area, and there are noticeable differences in the various vineyards that grow Pinot Noir right around Salem.

Of the thousands of Pinot Noir clones, only about 15 are used in the wine we drink today, mostly blended together to bring out the best in this grape.  Here are the Willamette Valley clones shown above:

1. Wadenswil: the only certified clone back in 1965 when it was planted by David Lett at Eyrie.
2. 777: Certified by the Burgundy government and part of the "Dijon Clones" that are the backbone of Oregon Pinot Noirs.
3. 115: Among the first certified clones released by France to be virus free.
4. Pommard: Yes, brought in suitcases from France, but also grown by UC Davis and introduced to Oregon by Charles Coury and Dick Erath in the early 1970s.

Other Dijon clones grown around here are 114 and 667, which you will find blended in bottles of beautiful Pinot.  The most popular combo has clones 115, 667, and 777. Whenever you go out to a winery to try Pinot Noir around Salem, ask which clones are in your glass...it will be a few! Willamette Valley Vineyards to our south also has a clonal blending system 👆 which allows you taste each one separately before blending!

August 18 is International Pinot Noir Day, so raise a glass to the beautiful grape and visit Studio Vino to taste a few. We are pouring a single clone pinot August 16-18, so come test out what you have learned!