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I love Western Oregon, but Western Washington has both the Olympics and the North Cascades and the San Juan Islands and Mount Rainer. On the other hand, Western Oregon has arguably a prettier coastline(and more of it) along the actual Pacific. Western Oregon also has the drier inland valleys down around Ashland and the Siskiyou Mountains on the border with California in Southern Oregon--and in comparison of wine growing regions with both the McMinnville/Newberg area in the Willamette and the Umpqua and Applegate Valleys, Western Oregon wins(though Washington east of the Cascades in the Yakima Valley and around Walla Walla is becoming a good region in it's own right).
I love both areas and living in Portland close to the Columbia Gorge, Mount Hood, and Oregon Coast especially around Oswald West and Indian Head is amazing--though in terms of being spectacular Western Washington has an edge in the mountain department. But luckily Portland is right on the border, so you can get to much of Western Washington in 1-4 hour drives...
and in comparison of wine growing regions with both the McMinnville/Newberg area in the Willamette and the Umpqua and Applegate Valleys, Western Oregon wins(though Washington east of the Cascades in the Yakima Valley and around Walla Walla is becoming a good region in it's own right).
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Oregon's pinot noir wines are superior to those from WA. That's about it however. WA wines are pretty much better in virtually every other category in quality and quantity.
Oregon's pinot noir wines are superior to those from WA. That's about it however. WA wines are pretty much better in virtually every other category in quality and quantity.
Yes, Oregon specifically excels in and is known for Pinot Noir(and Pinot Gris as well)--at a level of such that it's received recognition far outside the area as one of the top producers of that grape in the world. The International Pinot Festival in McMinnville is an example of this. On the other hand while Washington produces very good hot-weather grapes like Cabs and Syrahs and Cab Francs and so on, it's focused on a wide number of different wine varietals that are more common throughout the world, thus it's competing with California wine growers, Australian wine growers and so on in terms of recognition. If you're talking about quantity yes, Washington wins largely on the basis of large value producers like Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle(both states are dwarfed by California in terms of total production). In terms of numbers of vineyards the states are fairly close. I know plenty of small vineyards in Oregon that produce good non-pinot varietals but they're not on the map yet--Southern Oregon has several up-and-coming regions producing warmer weather varietals similar to Washington. In terms of quality it's basically a matter of preference--I like Pinot Noirs because it goes well with much of what I cook.
Though this thread is about the beauty of Western Washington vs. Western Oregon not the wines grown in Eastern Washington. I just said that Western Oregon has more wine areas vs. Western Washington(which has the sort of wine country of Woodinville tasting rooms) without throwing in everywhere east to Walla Walla. But I said that Western Washington wins in terms of scenic beauty overall anyhow...though it's sort of a moot point, since one can live in either state and drive to most attractions in a relatively short distance.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I give this to Western WA, it's Puget Sound that makes a big difference, along with the stunning beauty of the San Juan Islands. For the open Pacific Shores I prefer the Oregon Coast, but the three National Parks, Olympic being my favorite, Western WA gets a big edge.
Yes, Oregon specifically excels in and is known for Pinot Noir(and Pinot Gris as well)--at a level of such that it's received recognition far outside the area as one of the top producers of that grape in the world. The International Pinot Festival in McMinnville is an example of this. On the other hand while Washington produces very good hot-weather grapes like Cabs and Syrahs and Cab Francs and so on, it's focused on a wide number of different wine varietals that are more common throughout the world, thus it's competing with California wine growers, Australian wine growers and so on in terms of recognition. If you're talking about quantity yes, Washington wins largely on the basis of large value producers like Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle(both states are dwarfed by California in terms of total production). In terms of numbers of vineyards the states are fairly close. I know plenty of small vineyards in Oregon that produce good non-pinot varietals but they're not on the map yet--Southern Oregon has several up-and-coming regions producing warmer weather varietals similar to Washington. In terms of quality it's basically a matter of preference--I like Pinot Noirs because it goes well with much of what I cook.
Though this thread is about the beauty of Western Washington vs. Western Oregon not the wines grown in Eastern Washington. I just said that Western Oregon has more wine areas vs. Western Washington(which has the sort of wine country of Woodinville tasting rooms) without throwing in everywhere east to Walla Walla. But I said that Western Washington wins in terms of scenic beauty overall anyhow...though it's sort of a moot point, since one can live in either state and drive to most attractions in a relatively short distance.
The pinot noir grape grows in Western Oregon. The vast majority of grapes grown in WA are on the east side of the state. Columbia Crest and CSM are the same company by the way.
Washington by far, mainly because of two stellar mountain ranges (Olympics and North Cascades). Both have tall volcanoes (Mt. Rainier and Mt. Hood plus some others, have really visited either but Mt. Rainier sounds like the more spectacular one). The Puget Sound islands are an added plus for Washington, but Oregon has its scenic coastline which makes it up for it. The Columbia River Gorge is another plus for Oregon. It's shared between both states, but it seems like the best hiking and views (especially waterfalls) are on the Oregon. Crater Lake is a unique attraction that Oregon has. Both have interesting temperate rainforests, but the most extreme ones are in the western Olympic Peninsula.
But since I care more about mountain scenery, I think Washington is much better. There's not really any comparison on that. Oregon is pretty, Washington takes it up to 11.
It's shared between both states, but it seems like the best hiking and views (especially waterfalls) are on the Oregon. .
Of course the views are better. You're looking at WA!
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