20 OREGON WINE TOURING GUIDE One of those is Teutonic Wine Company’s Alsea Blanc, a 50/50 blend of Pinot blanc and Pinot meunier made from fruit grown in Alsea, just 22 miles from Waldport, at a vineyard coowners Barnaby and Olga Tuttle planted in 2005. It’s great with razor clams, and it’s so delicious with crab that Teutonic actually put one on the label. “It’s my dream wine for crab,” says Barnaby. “It’s a cold vineyard, so there’s really fierce, raging acidity and a clean minerality.” Another high-acid, aromatic white wine that complements the sweet flavor of Dungeness crab is Willamette Valley Sauvignon blanc. "I often recommend a lovely Sauvignon blanc from Andrew Rich Wines," says Nelson. He finds it has the right balance of acidity, herbaceousness and spiciness to do double-duty and pair well with either the steamed crab or crab cakes. White wines are often the default for seafood, but they’re not the only option. In fact, many of the state's culinary experts would heartily agree that Pinot noir is the go-to red wine for salmon. Which is why the Meridian Restaurant & Bar at Headlands curates a robust list of local Pinot noir to pair with dishes like their signature pan-seared salmon topped with a creamy beurre blanc sauce. Some of the team's favorites include Pinot noir from Brandborg Vineyard & Winery in the coastal Elkton AVA and other small producers like Johan Vineyards or Björnson Vineyard in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA. This Willamette Valley sub-AVA is named for a low section of the Coast Range that allows cooling ocean winds to sweep inland. The grapes may not have grown within view of the Pacific, but it still played a key role in the character of what ends up in your glass. COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE An astonishingly beautiful stretch of evergreens, waterfalls and basalt cliffs that burst with wildflowers each summer, the Columbia River Gorge is one of the state’s most enchanting outdoor destinations. Often heralded as “a world of wine in 40 miles” thanks to the diversity of varieties that thrive here — everything from Albariño to Zinfandel — this pocket is also abundant with long-standing family farms, multigenerational Clockwise from below: Riverside restaurant; crabbing; Cory Carman of Carman Ranch Provisions
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