Jennifer MorrisTake a walk through Salem’s wine landscape. This column offers approachable insights to help you navigate Salem’s wine offerings with confidence and curiosity. Cheers to finding your next favorite Salem pour.
Sparkling — Method Oregon
We’re celebrating Salem, and you’re in luck! The Willamette Valley is a prime spot to find amazing bubbly wines made from local (but traditional) grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. “Sparkling wine” is an umbrella term in the U.S. meaning any wine with bubbles, whether carbonation was added to a still wine or the bubbles develop through a two-step process known as the “traditional method” as they use in Champagne, France.
Method Oregon is our Champagne — a traditionally made sparkling wine style with two fermentations. In step one, wine is fermented in a tank like usual. Then, the wine gets its bubbles in a second round in the bottle, where it ferments for at least 15 months, resulting in beautiful, layered flavors and aromas.
Our local wine artisans are putting our area on the bubbly map with their carefully crafted, award-winning traditional method sparkling wines. Fun fact: the word “Brut” on the label means a dry sparkler, but not the driest. Try Björnson Vineyard’s Brut Cuvée, which is sophisticated and refreshing with lovely fruit and floral notes floating on soft bubbles. Literally a celebration in a bottle. Cheers!
Raise a glass at Björnson Vineyard at 3635 Bethel Heights Rd NW.
— Jennifer Morris, Certified Specialist of Wine and Oregon Wine Expert
Learn more about wine with Studio Vino Hub
Save the Date:
Sparkling wine takes center stage at Pearls and Perlage, bringing together Björnson Vineyard, St. Innocent Winery, Iterum Wines, and Bryn Mawr Vineyards for an afternoon of Method Oregon bubbles, fresh oysters, and conversations with the winemakers themselves. Gather a few “pearls” of sparkling wine wisdom, 2 to 4 p.m. July 26 at Björnson Vineyard, 3635 Bethel Heights Rd NW. Click here for tickets.
This story originally ran in Press Play Salem issue 28 (Summer 2026)
We run on coffee, curiosity, and community. Fuel our next story (and our next cup) by supporting Press Play Salem. 
buymeacoffee.com/pressplaysalem
The Instigator
