In the Pacific Northwest, there are two larger wine regions. The Willamette Valley in Oregon, and much of Washington’s wine country within the Columbia Valley.
While the two regions may be somewhat proximate, the dynamic topography, namely the Cascade Mountain range, leaves them worlds apart in terms of the growing conditions and the style of wines they produce.
One produces, mainly anyway, cool climate grapes long known to hail from Burgundy in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and Washington’s Columbia Valley is mostly an arid, desert climate where you can grow anything from Riesling to Cabernet Sauvignon.
Oregon’s Willamette Valley in full swing
John Grochau, who makes the wines at his own GC Wines, as well as for a few other brands in the Willamette Valley, finds similarities between this year and a recent vintage. ‘I think this vintage is going to look pretty similar to 2023, when it’s all said and done,’ Grochau concluded. ‘We had a warm, steady and dry summer, producing small grapes with thick skins. We have a lighter crop this year, with some good concentration in the berries.’
It was, in general, a steady growing season, but things ramped up in August.
‘In late August, we had quite a bit of heat, advancing sugars in the grapes ahead of phenolic ripeness,’ Grochau said. ‘I was getting concerned about having to rush to pick, but some cool weather came in on the 6 September, and a bit of rain came in and slowed it down perfectly, giving the fruit more balance.’
September will be a busy one up and down the Willamette Valley, with cooler sites being picked towards the end of the month, while some of the warmer spots and particular varieties came off the vine in September’s first few days.
‘Our first pick was Albariño from the Columbia River Gorge on Friday, September 5, Grochau recalled. ‘We started harvesting Pinot Noir for red wine on September 10, and will likely be picking every day for the next few weeks. The grapes are coming along fast. The rest of September will be very intense, processing lots of fruit and working through the logistics of getting everything in at the right time in a small winery.’
Staying steady in Washington State
In the hot and dry conditions that are perennially a part of a desert growing season, winemakers concern themselves with things like dehydration and heat spikes, but so far, 2025 has really played ball.
‘2025 has been beautiful thus far, and we have a finish line in sight,’ reported Seth Kitzke, of Upsidedown Wine, sourcing from Washington’s Yakima Valley.
‘The spring warmed up quicker than anticipated and was pretty dry. This early warmth expedited our time through bloom and fruit set, requiring some serious attention to detail early on. This year we lacked the moisture that is usually present in our northern-facing sites, so we had to intervene a little earlier than usual.’
While things got off to a fairly rapid start, they slowed to a steady pace, letting the grapes take the time they needed so that phenolic ripeness wasn’t lagging behind sugar accumulation.
‘The warm spring had me worried for a bit about a hot year, but we tapered off to a very average year that has just been consistent. Without big stretches of high heat and only a handful of days over 100° (37.7 °C), the vines didn’t ever seem to fully shut down,’ Kitzke said.
‘I think this, combined with an earlier fruit set, really made for amazing depth and flavours early. The fruit has been tasting good since the start of August, which is unusual.’
Even though steady growing conditions have been the rule, there are a few curveballs that are keeping Washington winemakers on their toes.
‘The yields, specifically in our Tremasi Vineyard on Red Mountain, are really low for our Syrah,’ Kitzke reported.
‘I think that perhaps the warm spring gave the Syrah a harder time.
‘Cabernet Franc, I think, could be another varietal to keep an eye on. It coloured up very early, and the phenolics were ahead of Cabernet and Merlot for us. We already have two picks of CF in the door. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason why some varieties are ready before others this year.
‘You kinda have to throw your typical picking order schedule out the window this year and trust your palate!’
