Oregon winemakers continued to win awards in the 1980s . In 1980 , there thirty-four bonded Oregon wineries , and 115 growers with planted . The 1980 vintage was greatly affected by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens , and two wines from that vintage won gold medals in the 1982 International Wine Competition in London . Ponzi Vineyards ( then of Beaverton , now Sherwood ) was favorably covered by the New York Times in 1981 . In 1984 , noted wine critic Robert M. Parker , Jr. visited Oregon and was highly impressed with the Pinots he encountered . Oregon Pinots won further acclaim in the 1985 Burgundy Challenge , wherein wine experts could not distinguish between Oregon and Burgundy Pinot noirs in a blind taste test ; in the rankings , the Oregon wines were rated ahead of the Burgundy entrants . Also in 1985 , the Oregon wine industry received its first mention in '' Wine Spectator ''
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
History of Oregon wine