The search for the perfect lot

After the trip to see the Willamette Valley, we decided to research properties.  There are many factors that make land viable for growing grapes: soil types, elevation, slope, slope facing direction, and weather patterns.  The land in the Willamette Valley is generally suitable, but the particulars of each property must be reviewed.  Since the land is good for vineyards, the land values in the heart of wine country are very high.

Our research started by simply checking out vacant land listings on Zillow.com and other real estate websites.  Chris spent many hours reviewing listings for the characteristics that make good vineyards.  He found resources online to analyze the elevation, slope, slope facing direction, and even soil types.  We learned later that the soil types map done in the 1970s was not all that accurate, but it still helped with our research.


We planned a trip up to Oregon to meet with our real estate agent, Peter.  He specializes in vineyard properties in the area.  He has a wealth of knowledge and many good contacts.

We selected 3 properties to visit:

1. Old Wagon Road - Our first stop was a 62 acre lot at the end of Old Wagon Road.  It is located west of Carlton in Yamhill County.  At first, Peter was hesitant about this property because of its location in the foothills.  When we got out there and looked around, he was slightly more encouraged.  The lot was used for timberland and was covered with trees of varying ages.  It had been logged not too long ago, so there were piles of the left-overs scattered around.  The terrain was mostly rolling hills with spectacular views - check out the pictures below. 

We already knew that the lot topography was suitable for vines.  While we were there, we looked more at the soil and it appeared to be high quality.  This lot was on the top of our list to pursue further (ok, so it was the first we saw and at that point, the only one on our list to pursue!).

2. NW Moores Valley Rd - Our second stop was a 20 acre lot on NW Moores Valley Rd.  We spent just a short time at this lot.  The road on to the lot was very steep and this seemed to continue on other parts of the lot.  We decided it was less desirable for our purposes.

3. Ford Road (I think) - Our last stop was a 75 acre lot on Ford Road.  This lot was completely covered in trees.  It was difficult to tell the actual topography due to the dense coverage.  We eliminated this lot from our list.

After viewing the 3 lots, we decided to move forward with the Old Wagon Road Lot.  We had high expectations for this lot, but we wanted to be sure.  We put in an offer and included 30 days for buyer due diligence.  During this time, we could go back to the lot to verify the viability.