Oregon: Organic & Biodynamic wine data: See organics, Biodynamics, Oregon.

2018: In 2018 Oregon led the USA in terms of percentage of Biodynamic vines with 4 percent or 528 hectares (1,305 acres) of its 12,322 hectares (30,435 acres) certified Biodynamic by the Demeter Association, Inc in the United States. Oregon had 14 Biodynamic wine estates, of which the largest, King Estate, was also the largest Biodynamic vineyard owner in the USA with 188 hectares (465 acres). The biggest producer of Demeter-certified Biodynamic Wine in the USA was Montinore Estate with 89 hectares (220 acres) producing 40,000 cases of certified Biodynamic wines each year. Both estates are located in the Willamette Valley AVA, making the latter the largest region for both Demeter-certified Biodynamic vineyard surface area and Demeter-certified Biodynamic wine production in the USA.

2017: In 2017 Olen & Skinkis state that Oregon produced 91,342 tons of wine grapes, with an average price of $2,056 per ton and total value of $192 million, ranking third behind California and Washington. Oregon’s top wine grape cultivar produced, Pinot noir, averaged $2,375 per ton. Oregon had 1,144 vineyards, 769 wineries and 33,631 planted acres (University of Oregon 2018).

2011: In 2011 Oregon had 8,260 ha (20,400 acres) of vineyard of which 570ha (1,408 acres) or 6.9% was certified organic with another 404 ha (1,000 acres) or 4.9% Demeter certified Biodynamic. This meant 11.8% per cent of the Oregon was organic or Biodynamic.

2009: Asked at ExCel 2009 why organic farming had been surprisingly slow to take off in Oregon (despite Oregonians green credentials) Steve Thomson of King Estate told me ‘it’s hard persuading grape growers to shift to organics while incurring a 10 per cent rise in farming costs [from say $2,500 to $2,700 per acre per year) with no guarantee from wineries purchasing grapes that they’d be prepared to pay that premium year-in-year out, especially now when everyone now – wine drinkers, wine shops, and winemakers are so focussed on cutting their bottom line.’ Robert Gross told me going organic added 10% to his grape production costs.

Bibliography

Beau Olen and Patricia A. Skinkis, ‘Vineyard Economics: Establishing and Producing Pinot Noir Wine Grapes in the Willamette Valley, Oregon,’ Oregon State University Extension Service, October 2018).