Appellation · United States
Rogue Valley
Oregon’s warmest and southernmost AVA, close to the California border, growing Bordeaux and Rhône varieties.
Full-bodied reds with ripe dark fruit and firm structure — much closer to northern California than to the Willamette Valley.
About Rogue Valley
The Rogue Valley is Oregon’s warmest region, at the southern end of the state near the California border and at higher elevation than the Willamette.
It grows Bordeaux and Rhône varieties rather than Pinot Noir, and the wines are fuller and riper than anything from further north.
The Applegate Valley, a sub-AVA within it, is the warmest part.
What the name means
- Legal name
- Rogue Valley AVA
- Type
- American Viticultural Area (AVA)
- Set by
- Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
- Recognised
- 1991
- Regulates
- Origin only. It sets no rules about varieties, yields, ageing or winemaking.
Only where the grapes were grown, plus the percentage that must come from the named area. An AVA sets no varietal, yield, ageing or winemaking rules whatsoever — the single most commonly misunderstood fact about US wine labels.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
Medium-bodied dry red
Serve at 15–17°C (cellar cool).
Try with fillet steak, grilled chicken or turkey.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Umpqua Valley — Southern Oregon’s oldest wine area, warmer than the Willamette, and the state’s centre for Spanish and Rhône varieties.
- Oregon — A cool, wet, marginal state that bet on Pinot Noir in the 1960s when the conventional wisdom said it could not be done.
Sources
Sources consulted
- American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) — Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), US Department of the Treasury
- Oregon Wine Board — Oregon Wine Board