Oregon and Washington. Two climates on either side of the Cascades.

The Pacific Northwest in context

Washington lies on the Canadian border and Oregon is its southern neighbor. Both are shaped by the Cascade Mountains, which run north to south through the two states, and by the Columbia River and its tributaries, which offer many good vineyard sites.

Host Susie Barrie MW opens with some history. Native American grape species grew wild across the continent, but early settlers' attempts to plant European vines failed because Vitis vinifera had no resistance to local pests and diseases such as mildew and phylloxera. When American vines traveled to Europe in the 1800s, phylloxera came with them, and grafting vinifera onto American rootstocks eventually saved Europe's vineyards. Grapes were planted in Oregon by the mid 19th century, but a real wine industry only took off in the 1960s and 1970s.

Oregon: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Most Oregon vineyards lie between the Coast Range and the Cascades, with a cool maritime climate moderated by the Pacific. Most wine comes from the Willamette Valley, just south of Portland, where Pinot Noir dominates and ripens slowly, often on south or southeast-facing hillsides. Oregon's breakthrough came in 1979, when one of its Pinot Noirs placed in the top ten at the Gault-Millau wine Olympiad in France. In the 1980s Burgundian producers such as Domaine Drouhin arrived.

To understand the style, the hosts taste three young Pinot Noirs side by side, from Burgundy, Marlborough in New Zealand and Oregon, and describe how savory, fruity and earthy they are. It is an excellent exercise for anyone learning to compare regions. Chardonnay is gaining ground too, and Drouhin's Oregon Chardonnay shows its pure fruit, fresh acidity and subtle oak. Fredrik Lindfors, Best Sommelier of the Nordics 2017, then cooks a Boeuf Oregon, a beef stew made with local Pinot Noir.

Washington: a desert behind the mountains

The Cascades split Washington into a wet, marine-influenced west and a dry, almost desert-like east. In the east, the ancient Missoula Floods left layered soils from fine sandy loam to gravel. Because it is so warm and dry, most vineyards sit near rivers and on slopes. Columbia Valley is by far the largest region and grows the vast majority of the state's grapes, with the rivers moderating both summer heat and winter cold.

French varieties dominate. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted grape and Syrah shows great potential. West of the Cascades, Puget Sound is the coolest and wettest area, suited to Pinot Noir and other cool-climate grapes such as Müller-Thurgau. For whites in both states, look out for Riesling and Chardonnay.

The canopy management experiment

Left alone, a vine grows into a sprawling bush. The experiment walks through the grower's year: winter pruning while the vine is dormant, keeping the strongest canes and tying them down, then bud burst, flowering, fruit set, ripening and harvest. Along the way the hosts explain why leaves are kept to shade grapes in hot climates and removed to expose fruit to sunlight in cooler ones. Pruning happens in the dormant season, when the sap has dropped and the canes can be cut safely, and it is skilled, busy work rather than a quiet time of year. It is a clear visual introduction to a topic every Level 3 student needs to understand.

Blind tastings and food pairings

Each host gets a mystery red from Washington. Listen to how they reason through dark fruit, tannin, savory notes and length to arrive at a grape variety, and find out whether they are right. The second wine is matched with spicy Korean meatballs made with gochujang, a bold pairing for a powerful red.