Popping Up

Oregon's surge in sparkling wine sales

By Sarah Murdoch

According to 130-year-old Union du Maisons de Champagne, sparkling wine stimulates all our senses: hearing, sight, smell, taste and even touch– how the bubbles dance on our tongue. Champagne production dates to the 17th century, when monk Dom Pierre Pérignon was transferred to the Abbaye Saint-Pierre d'Hautvillers, serving as cellar master until he died in 1715. At the time, wines were predominantly red. Interestingly, in 1718, Dom Pérignon supposedly passed down a set of winemaking rules, one proclaimed fine wine should be made exclusively with Pinot Noir.

Yet, why are more and more Oregon winemakers turning toward sparkling wine, given the costs and complexity of making it?

The quick answer? Custom crush facilities make it easier for smaller winemakers to craft sparkling wines. Radiant Sparkling Wine Company, an innovative, mobile sparkling wine business founded by Argyle Winery alum Andrew Davis, started the trend. He helps Oregon wineries of all sizes craft Méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine.

Pinot Noir, the predominant grape in Champagne, is another reason sparkling wine has gained popularity here. Growers in the Champagne region cultivate 32,000 acres of the noble grape. Similarly, Pinot Noir is the leading variety in Oregon, accounting for nearly 60 percent of our state’s planted acreage.

New results from the Oregon Wine Board’s annual census with the Institute of Policy and Economic Research at the University of Oregon estimates between 8-10 percent of 2023 case sales (478,930-598,663) were sparkling wines. This indicated roughly 10 percent of Oregon’s 1100+ wineries, or 110, are making sparkling wine, a 60 percent increase from the prior year.

Is the interest and quality enough to keep going for another 300 years, in a little place like Oregon?

Domaine Willamette, home to Demeter-certified Bernau Estate Vineyard, thinks yes. The sparkling house, opened in 2022, biodynamically farms 20 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier for sparkling and still wine production. (These are the main grape varieties used in Champagne production.)

With Domaine Willamette, founder Jim Bernau achieved a dream shared with wife Jan. The couple’s goal was an iconic biodynamic winery designed to surprise and delight visitors with moments of celebration and relaxation around bubbles and food pairings.

Eola-Amity Hills’ Corollary Wines and Arabilis, CHO Wines in the Laurelwood District, along with Rogue Valley's Maison Jussiaume are just a few of the over one hundred Oregon sparkling producers. For something more unusual, seek out one of these 15 Willamette Valley wineries growing and bottling Pinot Meunier sparkling wine: Knudsen Vineyards, Flâneur Winery, Perkins Harter, Anne Amie Vineyards, The Eyrie Vineyards, Amalie Robert Estate, Left Coast Estate, Argyle Winery, WillaKenzie Estate, Division Winemaking Company, Jachter Family Wines, Corollary Wines, Potcake Cellars, Kramer Vineyard and Domaine Willamette.

Sarah (aka Sally) Murdoch runs Puncheon PR and has marketed many iconic sports and beverage brands, which eventually led her to the Oregon Wine Board where she headed communications for almost seven years. A native Portlander and Oregon Duck with a journalism degree, she is an avid tennis player and captains a number of tennis teams. She recently made Forest Grove her home, and her go-to winery is David Hill Vineyards & Winery. Visit sallymurdoch.com to learn more.