If California is king of the wine kingdom, Oregon then, must surely be the handsome prince! Oregon seems to be a Shangri La ... or a land of the lost to most. Display an unmarked map and ask someone to point out California — no problem. Now ask that same person to point out Oregon and I bet the success rate would be less than half.

Oregon is situated directly above California to the north in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. A few years back when California was just starting to produce wines, someone came up with the idea of growing wine grapes in Oregon. It was in 1961 when the first vines (Riesling in fact) were put in the ground. Eight years later, the Oregon Winegrowers Association was formed. Oregon was off to the races.

When you are in a wine shop, in Nassau or abroad, how often do you find yourself gravitating to the Oregon section or rack? Probably only when you're looking for a Pinot Noir, a varietal that Oregon is known to produce in world class samples. Fact is, Pinot isn't even the most planted grape in Oregon. That honor goes to the soft and seductive Pinot Gris — Pinot Grigio's better sibling in my opinion.

Oregon is a world class wine region broken into four wine-growing regions. Willamette Valley, Eastern Oregon, Southern Oregon and the Colubia Gorge make up these four producing areas. Within these four regions are 15 approved AVA's producing 72 varieties of wine from over 300 producers. They are blessed with some of the most diverse and beautiful wine-growing landscapes in the world. From the bench lands soaring above the Columbia River Gorge to the Willamette Valley's green, rolling hills to the high mountain valleys of Southern Oregon, there are some incredible sights to behold, and some incredible wines to taste.

In Oregon, winemakers are farmers, families and environmental stewards who believe in high-quality artisan wine. In fact, most Oregon wineries are relatively small, producing on average just 5,000 cases a year.

The Willamette Valley (the most important AVA in terms of quality and production) is 150 miles long and up to 60 miles wide making it Oregon's largest AVA. In terms of production, there are 200 wineries producing 10,000 acres of grapes. It runs from the Columbia River in Portland south through Salem to the Calapooya Mountains outside Eugene. Named for the river that flows through it, the Willamette Valley has the largest concentration of wineries and vineyards in Oregon and includes six sub-appellations: Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton District and the recently approved Chehalem Mountains.

The Willamette Valley is relatively mild throughout the year, with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. While moisture is abundant, most of the rainfall occurs in the winter, not during growing season. This temperate climate, combined with coastal marine influences, make the gentle growing conditions within the valley ideal for cool climate grapes, especially Pinot Noir.

The Valley enjoys more daylight hours during the growing season than in any other area of the state (one reason this AVA produces the top wines). During this longer growing season, the Willamette Valley enjoys warm days and cool nights (another huge bonus), a diurnal temperature (the daily temperature shift that occurs from daytime to night) swing that allows the wine grapes to develop their flavor and complexity while retaining their natural acidity.

In terms of grape varietals, Oregon's main arsenal includes Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Muller Thurgau, Gewurztraminer, Viognier — although most of the wine available to us is either Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris.

Some great Oregon wines available here in Nassau hail from Duck Pond Cellars who produce Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris — both beautiful samples of what Oregon is capable of.

Located in the Willamette Valley, Duck Pond's Vineyards also cross over into Washington State, producing different varietals (Cab and Bordeaux blends) more conducive to the Washington State soil and climate.

The Southern region produces wine styles different than that of the Willamette in the north. While this region provides the warmest growing conditions in Oregon, their exists cooler micro-climates within its varied hillsides and valleys that enable Southern Oregon to successfully grow both cool and warm climate varietals. This area receives significantly less rainfall than other viticultural areas in Oregon (40 percent less than in the Willamette Valley) and is generally a warm, sunny, arid climate. The region is mountainous with elevations from 1,000 to 2,000 feet not being uncommon. Wines produced here are more of the Bordeaux varietals such as Cab and Merlot with less a Burgundian style of Pinot.

So pop by your local wine store (or the state if you have the time) and do a little tasting and exploration for yourself. Pick up a few bottles and see what sets Oregon apart. Time find the land of the lost!

Michael Pataran is Executive Chef and sommelier at Shogun Revolver, you can email him at michael@shogunrevolver.com if you have any questions.

WINE OF THE WEEK

2006 Bridgeview Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve, Rogue Valley, Southern Oregon.

(Available at Bristol Cellars)

COLOR: Beautiful cherry/garnet red

NOSE: Bright raspberry with sweet cherry and violets. Undertones of soft mulling spice, pomegranate and gentle oak

PALATE: Fresh berry burst with floral — plum notes and sweet blueberries. Notes of soft, red licorice and toasted oak. This Pinot is a great sample of what Southern Oregon can produce. Lighter in style with refreshing with soft palate, nice acid, good balance and long, pleasant lingering finish. Aged 12 months in both new French and American oak barrels and bottle unfiltered — NICE!

PATSY POINTS: 88 points