20 OREGON WINE TOURING GUIDE One of those is Teutonic Wine Company’s Alsea Blanc, a 50/50 blend of Pinot blanc and Pinot meunier made from fruit grown in Alsea, just 22 miles from Waldport, at a vineyard coowners Barnaby and Olga Tuttle planted in 2005. It’s great with razor clams, and it’s so delicious with crab that Teutonic actually put one on the label. “It’s my dream wine for crab,” says Barnaby. “It’s a cold vineyard, so there’s really fierce, raging acidity and a clean minerality.” Another high-acid, aromatic white wine that complements the sweet flavor of Dungeness crab is Willamette Valley Sauvignon blanc. “I prefer to recommend a lovely Sauvignon blanc from Andrew Rich Wines,” says Deitrick. “I find it has just the right balance of acidity, herbaceousness and spiciness to really do double-duty and pair well with either steamed crab or some of our delicious crab cakes.” White wines are often the default for seafood, but they’re not the only option. “I know a lot of people don’t do reds with salmon, but I do,” says Eric Hill, executive chef at Meridian Restaurant & Bar at Headlands. “I like to contrast a good Pinot noir with a very full body with the freshness and salinity of the fish.” Try a Pinot noir from Brandborg Vineyard & Winery in the coastal Elkton AVA or one from Johan Vineyards or Björnson Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA. This Willamette Valley sub-AVA is named for a low section of the Coast Range that allows cooling ocean winds to sweep inland. The grapes may not have grown within view of the Pacific, but it still played a key role in the character of what ends up in your glass. COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE An astonishingly beautiful stretch of evergreens, waterfalls and basalt cliffs that burst with wildflowers each summer, the Columbia River Gorge is one of the state’s most enchanting outdoor destinations. Often heralded as “a world of wine in 40 miles” thanks to the diversity of varieties that thrive here — everything from Albariño to Zinfandel — this pocket is also abundant with long-standing family farms, multigenerational orchards, artisan cheesemakers, chocolatiers, beekeepers and bakers. It’s one of many reasons Clockwise from below: Riverside restaurant; crabbing; Cory Carman of Carman Ranch Provisions
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