Oregon’s mastery of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay—two pillars of Champagne—has made sparkling wine not just an extension of the region’s strengths, but an evolution. After decades of high-quality production of these Burgundian varieties, it should come as no surprise that Oregon has quietly become one of the world’s most compelling sparkling wine regions.

Early benchmarks from producers like Argyle and Soter helped define what Oregon bubbles could be. The founding of The Radiant Sparkling Wine Company, a custom crush facility geared exclusively to making sparkling wine, allowed more producers to dip their toes into the category without the investment necessary to build their own sparkling wine program. And today, a pioneering group of winemakers has taken the next step by establishing a shared set of standards known as Method Oregon.

The Road to Method Oregon

In early 1965, David Lett left California with a truckload of Chardonnay cuttings and headed due north to the Willamette Valley. Then in 1968, Dick Erath tested his hypothesis that the Chehalem Mountains were the perfect site for Pinot Noir. Both of these early Oregon wine pioneers set the foundation for Oregon’s dominance with Burgundian varieties. While their ambitions centered on still wines, the combination of terroir, weather, and elevation in the state were always ideal for sparkling.

As more regions around the world have risen to prominence with traditional-method sparkling wines, each has faced the challenge of identity. France created Crémant regions outside Champagne; Spain formalized D.O. Cava; South Africa built Méthode Cap Classique (MCC). Oregon, true to form, looked inward, rolled up its sleeves, and assembled a brain trust to define its future. The result was Method Oregon, a set of production standards born from collective expertise and a shared belief in the state's potential.

“It was never a question of would it be successful, but rather who could do it,” says Andrew Davis, founder of The Radiant Sparkling Wine Company and now winemaker for Lytle-Barnett. “It’s a conversation about capital and knowledge-core.” Not all producers have access to the funds necessary to build out a sparkling wine house, and unless they worked at a winery focused on bubbles this knowledge is not as common as making still wines.

Davis gained crucial sparkling-wine experience during his time at Argyle Winery, which Rollin Soles and Brian Crozier established in 1987. Soles believed deeply in Oregon’s potential to be a world-class sparkling wine region, and Crozier, a South Australian vintner, brought a global perspective. Their collaboration set early precedent, and Davis carried that forward.

According to Davis, the first wave of Oregon sparkling wine began with Argyle in 1987. The second wave arrived in 2014, when winemaker friends began calling him for help with sparkling production. That momentum inspired him to launch The Radiant Sparkling Wine Company, Oregon’s first sparkling-only custom crush facility. At the time, there were only five to ten traditional-method producers in the state. Today, there are over 60.

As more wineries began to invest in building their own sparkling wine houses, it became evident that leaders of the movement needed to channel that growth into a means for lasting quality. A brain trust formed: Andy Lytle (Lytle-Barnett), Andrew Davis (The Radiant Wine Company, Lytle-Barnett), Dave Diephouse & Jeanne Feldkamp (Corollary), Kate Payne Brown (Argyle), Jim Bernau (William Valley Vineyards), and Rollin Soles (Argyle, ROCO Winery). They goal was to establish clear standards of high-quality sparkling wine in Oregon, and the result was Method Oregon which has the following standards for participation:

• Grapes must be grown and produced in Oregon

• Wines must be made using the traditional method

• Wines must reach at least four atmospheres of pressure

• A minimum of 15 months aging

• A minimum production of 500 cases across two SKUs

Oregon currently has 94 sparkling wine producers, but only 22 qualify for Method Oregon membership, a distinction that is already driving curiosity, investment, and the pursuit of excellence.

Below are five essential producers helping define this new chapter, all of whom are members of Method Oregon.

Lytle-Barnett (Brut 2018; SRP $75)

Origin
What began as a fact-finding mission for a larger wine company became a reinvention of Oregon sparkling wine. Andy Lytle discovered the property in 2014 in the Eola Amity Hills, surrounded by what’s now known as the Anahata Vineyard. Recognizing its potential, Lytle refurbished the entire property as a luxury rental and retreat center, AtTheJoy. His partnership with Antony Beck, whose family legacy includes South Africa’s iconic Graham Beck sparkling wines, brought a deep respect for Méthode Cap Classique and a global perspective to Oregon.

Good timing tied them to their winemaker, Andrew Davis—Lytle-Barnett’s founding coincided with a brief moment between Davis’s departure from Argyle and the opening of The Radiant Sparkling Wine Company. “Had they waited another week,” Davis reflects, “the story of Oregon sparkling wine may be written very differently.”

House Style
Lytle-Barnett produces only vintage-dated wines, each aged a minimum of five years in bottle before release—a bold commitment rarely seen outside the great Champagne houses. The long aging defines their style—rich, textural, and complex, balanced by Oregon’s natural acidity.

The Wine
The 2018 Brut blends Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and spent five years on the lees. It’s zesty and expressive, showing apple compote, quince, brioche, and marzipan, proof of what extended aging can achieve in Oregon. 

Corollary (“Cuvée 1” 2021; SRP $50)

Origin
Willamette Valley native Jeanne Feldkamp and Dan Diephouse parlayed their love of food and wine into the launch of Hearsay, an intimate supper club in San Francisco. Curiosity about sparkling wine, especially Champagne, became the cornerstone of the project, ultimately guiding them back to Feldkamp’s Oregon roots to make wine and build Corollary.

House Style
Corollary focuses entirely on sparkling wine, sourcing from cool-climate vineyards that are farmed herbicide-free and often organically. Elevation, wind exposure, and tension-driven fruit define their style: precise, bright, and reflective of site.

The Wine
“Cuvée 1” is their flagship and a snapshot of each vintage. The 2021 blend draws from six vineyards, unified by lift, structure, and purity. It’s the clearest expression of what Corollary aims to capture each year.

Arabilis (Blanc de Noirs “Johan Vineyard” Brut Nature 2021; SRP $80)

Origin
Kenny and Allison McMahon founded Arabilis, named after the Latin word for “farmable land.” Kenny’s early exposure to wine came from a family friend from California, which sparked enough interest to lead him to Washington State University where he met Allison. Their fascination deepened through a close friendship with Guillaume Doyard,  chef de caves at Champagne Doyard, who illuminated what great sparkling wine could be. When Washington’s warmer climate proved not to be the best fit for their sparkling ambitions, they moved south to Oregon.

House Style
Arabilis wines emphasize precision, purity, and minimal intervention. Their approach leans heavily on site transparency and long lees aging, with an admiration for grower-Champagne sensibilities.

The Wine
The 2021 Johan Vineyard Blanc de Noirs Brut Nature showcases exotic red fruits like spring cherries, with delicate, persistent beads and vibrant acidity. With zero dosage, the wine’s structure and fruit speak entirely for themselves.

Gran Moraine (Blanc de Blancs 2017; SRP $100)

Origin
Winemaker Shane Moore leads the sparkling and still wine programs for Gran Moraine,  the Jackson Family’s top Oregon portfolio. His work with high-elevation and marine-sediment vineyards inspired a pursuit of sparkling wines that combine texture with tension.

House Style
Gran Moraine focuses on Chardonnay-driven sparkling wines, particularly their vintage Blanc de Blancs. Their approach highlights purity, elegance, and the expressive potential of Yamhill-Carlton’s unique soils.

The Wine
The 2017 Blanc de Blancs comes from a single estate vineyard and blends grapes from three blocks that capture Moore’s vision each vintage. It’s a study in delicate opulence, with notes of sunlit fruit, fine mousse, and layered minerality.

Argyle (“Extended Tirage” Brut 2014; SRP $85)

Origin
Argyle is the old soul of Oregon sparkling wine. Founded in 1987, the winery has produced traditional-method sparkling through every single vintage. Its current winemaker, Kaye Payne-Brown, brings experience from Archery Summit, Ambar Estate, and her own label, Dolores Wines.

House Style
Argyle’s hallmark is longevity—few sparkling producers anywhere regularly commit to decade-long tirage aging. Payne-Brown emphasizes that tirage culture is the hardest part. “You have one shot to get it right each time a base wine is ready to transform,” she says.

The Wine
For more than four decades, Argyle has produced its Extended Tirage bottling. The 2014 spent a full 10 years on the lees, developing profound depth with notes of toasted almond, lemon curd, baked pear, and a graceful, enduring finish. It is a benchmark for Oregon sparkling wine.