The new Red Hill of Douglas County AVA has made a few Willamette Valley producers red in the face. The little known and little planted region in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley AVA recently received appellation status, despite criticism from Willamette Valley producers in the Dundee Hills region.

The Dundee Hills has a long been referred to as the Red Hills of Dundee. However, Wayne Hitchings, a vineyard owner in Douglas County, petitioned for a Red Hills AVA in late 2002. Later, when the TTB decided to grant appellation status based on the name Red Hill of Douglas County, it effectively made the group supporting the Red Hills of Dundee change their name to Dundee Hills to avoid consumer confusion. Although the the northern Willamette Valley region is better known for its wine production, the petitioner established, at least in the TTB’s eyes, a legitimate claim for the appellation based on historical, climatic and soil studies.

The appellation shares the same Jory soil as the Dundee Hills, but climatically it is slightly warmer and drier relative to the Willamette Valley and cooler than surrounding vineyard sites in the Umpqua Valley. Only time will tell if there will be consumer confusion regarding the name of this new AVA. However, since no wines are currently bottled using the appellation, the only confusion may be why the appellation was needed, unless it was simply to preclude Willamette Valley producers from using Red Hills of Dundee on their packaging?