Oregon Sparkling Wine Celebration: Method Oregon

Oregon’s sparkling wine movement

Oregon is no stranger to sparkling wine. Winemakers here have been producing it in a variety of methods — from traditional to tank to carbonation — for decades.

It makes perfect sense to make sparkling wine in Oregon, given that the state’s terroir is prime for growing two of the three main grapes used to make Champagne: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

But sparkling wine production can be more involved, more expensive, and more time consuming than making still wine. And the traditional method is the most-labor intensive.

In 2018, only about 20 producers in Oregon made sparkling wine this way.

By 2021, that number had jumped to around 60—spurred by a boom in Chardonnay plantings.

Today, Oregon ranks third nationally in sparkling wine production. It is often considered first in quality among its peers. In fact, Forbes says Oregon is “one of the country’s most exciting sparkling wine movements.”

Combining cool-climate terroir with the finesse of méthode champenoise, Method Oregon helps cement this region’s reputation for sparkling wines that feature intensity, delicate expression, and site-driven character.

About Method Oregon

Method Oregon aims to be the state’s premier sparkling wine event, celebrating Oregon’s rise as a world-class region for traditional method sparkling wine.

As a sparkling wine lover and a huge fan of Oregon wines, I was super excited for this inaugural event!

Guests have two ticket options for the event:

• All Access Pass ($250) for all events from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. This included a moderated panel, a VIP tasting hour, and a luxurious sparkling lunch, plus the Grand Tasting event.
• Grand Tasting Pass ($150), which included the main tasting event from 2:00 – 5:00 pm.

Kick-off dinner

The evening before the main event, I was invited to a kick-off media dinner at Sokol Blosser Winery, one of Oregon’s pioneering wineries. While this event is not open to the public, I wanted to include it because I feel it’s integral to relaying the full strength of the Oregon wine community.

It’s evenings like this that make me so very proud to be a tiny little part of this special wine world. It bridged the old with the new and glimpses of what’s to come. Discussions weaved passionate stories of the region’s few founding wineries with the same heart and soul that breathes life into today’s 700+ Oregon wineries.

Talk about a pinch-me moment. I was sitting across the table from founder Susan Sokol Blosser, who spoke about the foundation she and other Oregon wine pioneers built.

Seated next to her was Andy Lytle of Lytle-Barnett, a leader in the Oregon sparkling wine movement.

And here’s the beauty of moments like this: they are not a rarity when you’re in Oregon wine country.

While this particular dinner was a private event, dinners and events like this happen regularly. Oregon winemakers and winery owners are fully accessible and invested; they have a deep connection to the land, the people of this community, and to their customers.

Oregon winemakers show up, they give back, they participate.

And the food and wine at this dinner were just as sparkling as the conversation.

Sokol Blosser prepared a Farm + Forage dinner to pair with the Sokol Blosser and Lytle-Barnett sparkling wines we enjoyed throughout the evening. I’m still dreaming about those deliciously spiced prawns and perfectly medium rare salmon.

And you, too, can book a similar type of Farm + Forage experience on the Sokol Blosser website!

It was truly a special night, and a lovely prelude to the Method Oregon events to come.

Sparkling wine luncheon

After the panel, all-access pass holders moved into the Domaine Willamette Garden Pavillion for the luncheon.

Side note: If you haven’t been to Domaine Willamette yet, add it to your Oregon tasting itinerary. It’s a beautiful, serene space with excellent wine tasting experiences and a great culinary staff.

During this lunch, the winemakers themselves were wandering from table to table, pouring tastes of their traditional method sparkling wines. These were wines that would not be poured during the Grand Tasting, so this was an added treat!

The Domaine Willamette kitchen team created a stunning summery salad and a beautiful potato chip-crusted fish to pair with the sparkling wines at lunch.

Method Oregon Grand Tasting

After lunch, we moved into the main tasting spaces of Domaine Willamette for the VIP hour tasting.

This allowed guests to enjoy a quieter, calmer hour of tasting before the doors opened to the larger group of General Admission ticket holders.

The General Admission doors opened at 2:00pm. For the remaining 3 hours of the Method Oregon Grand Tasting, guests had the opportunity to taste 50+ traditional method sparkling wines from 20+ featured Oregon wineries.

Did you know that that many sparkling wines were made in Oregon, let alone traditional method sparkling wines?

And these were just the select, featured traditional method producers! If anything, Method Oregon shined a spotlight on just how robust the Oregon sparkling wine movement is.

During the Grand Tasting, a parade of beautiful dishes were presented that all paired deliciously with the sparkling wines. Some of my favorites included vegetarian spring rolls (pictured above) to charcuterie cups, oysters, and ceviche.

What’s next for Oregon sparkling

Method Oregon is marking a turning point for the state.

It creates a unified stage for showcasing Oregon’s ability to craft world-class traditional-method sparkling wine. It not only elevates quality and awareness, but also demonstrates the collaborative spirit of this strong and generous wine community.

It’s clear that Oregon is crafting a new terroir-driven benchmark for American bubbles. And I, for one, am 100-percent here for it.

And whether you’re a sparkling wine lover, Oregon wine fan, or just love discovering something new, Method Oregon is the event to sip, swirl, and sparkle in the Willamette Valley. Be sure to add it to your event calendar for 2026!

Learn more at methodoregon.com.