Yesterday I got to witness the start of something exciting — something that felt both brand new and long overdue. I got to attend the inaugural Method Oregon–- an event devoted entirely to sparkling wine in Oregon. 

For those of us who’ve lived through more than a few IPNC weekends (RIP), the timing alone made this feel like a changing of the guard. The last weekend in July was always reserved for the International Pinot Noir Celebration — Oregon’s most iconic wine event — which came to a close last year after 35 years. So when a sparkling-only event popped up on the calendar in that very same slot, a lot of us were more than a little curious...

What Exactly Is Method Oregon?

Method Oregon brought together 22 top-tier sparkling wine producers with two goals:

1. Celebrate the truly excellent sparkling wines being made here right now, and

2. Plant the seeds of a more formal designation — something like an appellation, or maybe even a standard of production — that gives the phrase 'Method Oregon' real weight and meaning.

Because how a sparkling wine is made matters. But unlike in Champagne, where rules are strict, standards are enforced, and every part of the process is tightly regulated, America has no such system.

As a consumer, when you buy a bottle of Oregon sparkling wine, the label tells you nothing about how it was made. Was it done in the traditional method (with two fermentations, the second in bottle, like Champagne)? Was it made via Charmat method (where the second fermentation happens in a large sealed tank, like Prosecco)? Was it a pét-nat (which only undergoes one fermentation and is bottled before it finishes, often rustic, wild, and natural)? Or was it force carbonated (essentially injected with bubbles — the’ Method LaCroix’)?

There’s currently no required labeling to clue you in. Enter: Method Oregon.

As the visionary winemakers championing Method Oregon described what it could become, I couldn’t help but think of the French term Crémant. In France, Crémant is used to denote sparkling wines made in the traditional method — but from regions other than Champagne. Each region has their own rules around the allowed grape varietals (Crémant de Loire allows Chenin Blanc while Crémant de Bourgogne allows Chardonnay etc), but holds firm on the same consistent regulations around production method and aging.

So the idea is that Method Oregon could evolve into something similar. A term that doesn’t just sound cute on a label, but that actually signals what kind of standards it was held to during production and maybe even which grapes were used.

The day began with a panel of some of Oregon’s most influential sparkling voices, moderated by iconic wine writer Julia Coney.

Rollin Soles, founder of Argyle Winery, was one of the very first to make traditional method sparkling in Oregon, back when no one else was doing it. Andrew Davis, founder of Radiant Sparkling, is largely responsible for the category’s explosive growth. His mobile consulting and equipment company meant that small producers could experiment without investing in all the machinery and expertise themselves. What he thought would be five or six clients turned into fifty in just a few years. And Kate Payne Brown, who now heads up winemaking at Argyle and also runs her own label, Call Me Dolores, brought an incredible perspective from someone who's been involved in sparkling production at multiple houses.

One of the most exciting threads explored what exactly makes Oregon such a great place for sparkling wine. Rollin spoke about how sparkling wine thrives where you’re right on the edge of ripeness — where you can get grapes just ripe enough, but where they still retain their acidity. After all, sparkling wine production was born from the fact Champagne was too cold to ripen the grapes enough to make balanced still wine.

Oregon has always drawn comparisons to Burgundy — similar latitude, climate and proximity to the ocean — but it’s worth noting that Burgundy and Champagne are geographically quite close. And they grow the same primary grape varietals: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. So it stands to reason that here in Oregon, where we can make Pinot and Chardonnay that rival Burgundy, we could also make sparkling wines that stand shoulder to shoulder with Champagne.

We have high-acid grapes that hold their freshness, a climate that avoids overripening and, now, thanks to people like Andrew Davis, the technical expertise and equipment necessary to craft these bubbles.

 Can Sparkling Wine Express Terroir?

Oregon has long prided itself on a Burgundian ethos — one that aims to bottle the uniqueness of site. Winemakers here often make wines from ten different vineyards, just to highlight what makes each one distinct.

But some still winemakers argue that sparkling wine can’t do that — that it’s too “manipulated.” By the time you’ve gone through two fermentations, aged extensively in tirage, disgorged, and added wine and sugar through dosage, they say it’s become something entirely different than what it started as, and not something that reflects place and time. They claim you can’t blind taste either site or varietal specificity anymore.

But sparkling winemakers would strongly disagree, as would I.

Take Corollary, Oregon’s first sparkling-only producer. They’re making single varietal, single vineyard, and single vintage bottlings— such as their 2017 Winters Hill Pinot Blanc-–which I was lucky enough to try yesterday. This terroir-inspired ethos mirrors what I saw in Champagne this spring, where more and more grower-producers are making wines in this single vineyard, vintage, and varietal style. And some Champenoise are taking it even further — using wild yeast and grape juice from that same vineyard to make the liqueur de tirage (the mixture of sugar and yeast that kickstarts the second fermentation). Others are skipping dosage altogether to allow for an even less “manipulated” style.

That’s a very different approach from a style of sparkling winemaking that feels more like a creative act: blending across vineyards, vintages, and grape types. Using different wines for tirage and for dosage. Andrew Davis shared an example of a client making a brut rosé of Pinot Noir who added Grüner Veltliner as the dosage because it brought a pop of aromatics.

Which sounds delightful! But also like a totally different winemaking ethos than one centered on site specificity.

One winemaker balked when I brought up the word 'manipulated,' saying:

“These wines aren’t manipulated — they’re made. That’s what winemakers do.”

And he’s right. The hand of man is just as important in a wine’s creation as the hand of Mother Nature. And sparkling wine is such a wonderful canvas on which to experiment, play and draw outside the traditional lines. But I think it’s worth recognizing that these are two distinct approaches: one about expressing place, and the other about expressing creativity.

And while I’m already ruffling feathers, here’s another question that will rankle some...

Do we still need dosage?

Historically, dosage (that small addition of sugar and wine added to the bottle after disgorgement) was necessary in Champagne because the grapes simply couldn’t get ripe enough in the cold, wet climate. Even after two fermentations, the wines were still painfully acidic and needed a little sweetening to feel balanced.

But in 2025, that’s simply not the case. Not in Champagne and certainly not in Oregon. We have zero problems ripening grapes suited for still wine production and often, nowadays, the fear is over-ripeness!

In Champagne, I saw more and more small producers moving toward non-dosage – or Brut Nature–style bottlings in light of recent warmer vintages. And in Oregon, it’s even harder to justify. We’ve always been able to make balanced still wines here. So if balance is achievable in a still wine, why does a sparkling wine get a free pass to add sugar?

We balk at the addition of sugar to many commercial bulk wine brands, and would probably throw a fit if a high quality local producer added sugar to their finished Chardonnay to adjust the balance. So why is that still the norm when it comes to bubbles?

If the goal is a pre-specified style, I totally understand the case for dosage. But if the goal is terroir — to truly reflect a single vineyard in a single vintage — then I have a harder time seeing how dosage fits into that.

I enjoy wines with dosage as much as the next person, but I think it’s a question worth asking. What do you think? 

If you zoom out and think about other New World sparkling regions — Cap Classique in South Africa, California’s Sonoma Coast, Tasmania — they’re all making great wines. But Oregon is uniquely poised. We’re the closest New World wine region to Champagne in both latitude and spirit.

And the winemakers behind Method Oregon are saying it plainly: Oregon is the best region for traditional method sparkling wine in the New World.

And I think they might be right…

Cheers and until next week,

Kelsey

Want To Taste Bubbles Together?

If you want to taste Oregon sparkling wine with me in real life — along with a whole lineup of amazing local grapes and styles — come join me on Sunday afternoons for my Oregon Wine Tasting, part of Airbnb’s newly relaunched Featured Experiences.

We always kick off the tasting with a glass of Oregon sparkling as a way to set the tone and start the conversation about what makes this region so exciting right now. From there, we explore both classic and unexpected varietals, a little bit of history and geography, and the stories behind the wines — all from Arden’s cozy dining room.

There are only a few more tastings left before I take a break in September to do a local theater production (yes, I’m a wine nerd and a theater kid).

Hope to see you there.