Oregon sparkling wine has been gaining momentum in recent years. A selection of the state’s traditional method, or méthode champenoise, sparklers will be highlighted at a tasting and educational event called Method Oregon this summer.

“From a qualitative standpoint, the traditional method sparkling wines that are coming out of Oregon are fantastic,” says Andy Lytle, co-founder of Oregon sparkling producer Lytle-Barnett and also one of Method Oregon’s founding team. “Now is the time to go introduce Method Oregon to the world.”

The Method Oregon event will take place at Domaine Willamette on July 26th. It will include an educational seminar, a sparkling lunch, a VIP tasting hour, and a Grand Tasting, with two ticketing options. The event will feature 22 producers pouring more than 50 sparkling wines.

“We’re not pushing brands at all,” Lytle says. “Method Oregon is really pushing the traditional method with certain standards and criteria.”

In terms of standards, all of the wines poured must be made by the traditional method, where there are two fermentations with the second one in bottle. The wines have to have a minimum of 15 months aging en tirage, achieve four atmospheres of pressure in the bottle, and be produced entirely in Oregon. Additionally, the winery has to offer at least 500 cases of traditional method wine and least two sparkling SKUs.

“The goal is to set the standard for being able to separate yourself from pét-nat, from carbon-infused wines, and from non-vintage wines,” Lytle says.

At present, over 100 wineries in Oregon produce sparkling wine. However, they use a variety of methods and therefore have greatly varied costs. Traditional method wines are, for example, considerably more time and labor intensive to make and are therefore more expensive.

“You can look at sparkling wine in Oregon and see anything from 16 bucks to 120 bucks, and the consumer doesn’t know why because it’s all sparkling wine,” Lytle says. “This helps explain it.”

Method Oregon will focus on what makes traditional method Oregon sparkling wine distinctive from its counterparts within the state and around the world. The event is the brain child of Lytle, Jeanne Feldkamp and Dan Diephouse of Corollary Wines, Andrew Davis of Radiant Sparkling Wine Company, and Jim Bernau of Willamette Valley Vineyards.

The idea was inspired by Cap Classique, a standard for sparkling wines in South Africa established more than 30 years ago. Lytle envisions that, in addition to an annual tasting, Method Oregon will conduct other follow-on events. Potentially in the future, the Method Oregon logo might be on a wine bottle’s back label as a symbol of a standard of quality.

“This isn’t just an event,” Lytle says. “Method Oregon is really a movement.”

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