Willamette Valley 3D Wine Map

Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, Chehalem Mountains, and the Willamette Valley AVAs in full 3D terrain.

The Willamette Valley is the heart of Oregon wine and one of the premier Pinot Noir regions in the world. The valley runs roughly 150 miles (240 km) from Portland south to Eugene, framed by the Coast Range to the west and the Cascades to the east. What makes 3D essential here is how the nested sub-AVAs relate to the hills, ridges, and wind gaps within the valley. The Dundee Hills, the Eola-Amity Hills, and the Chehalem Mountains are all distinct volcanic and sedimentary landforms that rise from the valley floor, and each produces Pinot Noir with a recognizably different character tied to soil, elevation, and exposure. This map covers the Willamette Valley AVAs with detailed popup data. Use the layer controls to filter by AVA and the elevation profile tool to trace the hillside positions that define site character across the region.

What You’ll Explore

This 3D Fast Map covers the AVAs of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Click any mapped AVA for detailed popup content covering grape varieties, classification details, and geographic specifics. Use the layer controls to toggle different AVAs on and off and the elevation profile tool to trace the hillside positions that distinguish one sub-appellation from the next. The daylight animation is especially useful here for seeing how the sun moves across the valley’s hills and ridges throughout the day.

• Willamette Valley AVAs mapped with detailed popup data
• Elevation profile tool for measuring hillside vineyard positions
• Daylight and shadow animation to visualize how sun exposure shifts across the valley
• Detailed popup data for every mapped AVA

Key Regions in Focus

Dundee Hills and Chehalem Mountains

The Dundee Hills is where Oregon’s modern Pinot Noir story began, with plantings dating to the 1960s and 1970s. The hills are a single volcanic landform rising to about 1,000 feet (305 m), and the red, iron-rich Jory soils here have become closely associated with the region’s identity. Most vineyards face south and southeast between 200 and 800 feet (60 and 245 m). The Chehalem Mountains, just north, are geologically more varied, with volcanic basalt, marine sedimentary, and wind-deposited loess (Laurelwood series) soils all present within a single landmass. In practice, soil boundaries are not always clean lines on the ground, and many vineyards work across more than one type. Ribbon Ridge, a small AVA nested within the Chehalems on predominantly marine sedimentary soil, produces some of the valley’s most refined, textured Pinot Noir. Chardonnay is increasingly important across both AVAs, with producers drawing on the same hillside sites and soil diversity that define their Pinot Noir. The elevation profile tool is useful for tracing hillside positions across these adjacent AVAs.

Eola-Amity Hills and the Van Duzer Corridor

The Eola-Amity Hills sit directly east of the Van Duzer Corridor, a gap in the Coast Range that funnels cool Pacific air into the valley every afternoon. This wind gap is one of the most important geographic features in the Willamette Valley, and in 3D it is unmistakable: a clear break in the mountain wall to the west. The cooling effect of the Van Duzer winds gives Eola-Amity its signature combination of concentration and acidity. The same conditions suit Chardonnay well, and the AVA has become one of Oregon’s strongest sources for the variety. Vineyards sit on a mix of volcanic and marine sedimentary soils at 200 to 700 feet (60 to 215 m). The daylight animation shows how the afternoon shadow from the Coast Range and the wind gap interact with the hillside exposures.

McMinnville, Yamhill-Carlton, and Across the Valley

McMinnville occupies the eastern foothills of the Coast Range, where shallow, rocky marine sedimentary soils produce Pinot Noir with earthy, savory character. Yamhill-Carlton, to the northeast, sits in a horseshoe of ancient marine sedimentary soils (among the oldest in the valley) producing wines with firm tannins and aging potential. Newer AVAs continue to add definition across the Willamette Valley: Tualatin Hills, in the north near Portland, and the Laurelwood District, nested within the Chehalem Mountains, were both established in 2020. Van Duzer Corridor, the wind gap itself, is now its own AVA.