Spotlight on our American Viticultural Areas: Tualatin Hills

The 144,000-acre Tualatin Hills American Viticultural Area (AVA) aligns with the watershed of the Tualatin River and encompasses part of the Tualatin Valley. The area is north of the Chehalem Mountains AVA and boasts Laurelwood soil, and has slightly higher temperatures than vineyards located in the Laurelwood District AVA.

What is an AVA? It is a delimited grape-growing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affect how grapes are grown. An AVA, such as Willamette Valley or Napa Valley, also denotes the origin of where a grape is grown, so consumers can choose wines from their favorite wine-growing regions.

The following Tualatin Valley wineries with tasting rooms in Tualatin Valley feature estate-grown wines made from grapes grown in the Tualatin Hills AVA*:

• Apolloni Vineyards
• David Hill Vineyards and Winery
• Helvetia Vineyards and Winery
• Sidereus Vineyard and Winery
• Tualatin Estate Vineyard

*Wineries may also have vineyards in various regions and AVAs. Only wines produced with grapes grown in the designated Tualatin Hills wine region will have the AVA listed on the label.