Oregon is a place of contrasts -- geographical, attitudinal, and viticultural.

We are home to desolate deserts as well as verdant valleys, spectacular surf and majestic mountains, roaring rivers and graceful grasslands. We’re the only state with a “Right to Die” law, yet we have communities that want to make gun-owning mandatory. Urban bumper stickers say “Keep Portland Weird” while rural pickups sport stickers saying “Make Bush’s Presidency Permanent.” We are globally famed for cool-climate Pinot Noir, yet few realize we grow great warm-climate Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot.

For wine lovers, Oregon’s contrasting character is manifest in our wines and the people who grow and make them. In Oregon, there is a terroir of the mind as much as there is a terroir of the land. Understanding the culture which these people have built, as well as the land they have built it on, is critical to understanding the nature of Oregon’s wines. This is the theme I want to pursue at Appellation America.