‘Vinodiversity’ (or Wine Diversity?)

Few people know that ‘The Galapagos of North America’ lies just over the California border in Oregon. That’s what the World Wildlife Fund dubbed the region surrounding our wine country. Here, in the Klamath-Siskiyou mountains, a mix of soils, growing conditions, and topographies have created a landscape so rich in biodiversity that it is unique in the world.

What does this have to do with wine?

Everything.

The same puzzle of micro-climates that enchant botanists with Firecracker flowers, fritillaries and cobra lilies, also delights the wine lover with Syrah, Tannat, Mondeuse, Chardonnay and over 70 (you read that right—seventy) other varieties of wine.

Let’s just call it ‘Vino-diversity’

Varietal Selection

It’s impossible to sum up Applegate Wine Country with a tidy slogan. This rich, varied terrain doesn’t favor a single, blockbuster wine identity.  Fortunately, our wineries are small and nimble, and winegrowers are free to experiment and produce unique and superior wines that suit our mixed terroir—rather than chase the latest “hot market” trend.

One local vintner praises the Applegate as “A Winemaker’s Playground.”

Maybe we should call it “A Wine Taster’s Playground,” too!

 Survival of the Finest

We hope you’ll enjoy all of the Applegate’s abundant earthly pleasures. Take an upland

savannah stroll, plunge into a fern-laced swimming hole, admire wild lilies and meander through the fragrant rows of a lavender farm. Then kick back at a winery for pours of classic red, white, and rosé wines, alongside varieties you may have never heard of—yet! A glass of the region’s finest is the perfect coda to a visit that’s sure to spark all your senses and keep you returning to ‘the Galapagos’– of wine country!