St Joseph's
Reader:
(study the links to be able to engage in discussion and answer questions)
Introduce yourself and then READ this 5 minute 'intro' to your group. Then, when you're done, ask if anyone has any questions. Please be prepared to possibly (at least minimally) engage in discussion and answer questions.
Oregon Wine Country... An Amazing Place... And A Wine Country Intro.
Oregon has a wild geology shaped by tectonic plates, volcanoes (CRBG), ice age floods, winds and time. And pinot noir is all about the place. It doesn't have an overriding varietal character that stamps the place, it is ALL about the place (the mother rock)...it's a blank canvas. There is no food or beverage on the planet that connects you with place more than pinot noir. And this place and its varied geology is the reason why the Northern Willamette Valley is an excellent area for growing grapevines. Today, the three dominant soil types (or mother rock) for growing Pinot Noir in this region are (1) Willakenzie or Marine Sediment, (2) Laurelwood or Windblown Silt and (3) Jory Volcanic Clay. When the pioneers of Oregon Pinot Noir arrived in the Willamette Valley in the late 60's they recognized that the nourishing volcanic and ocean/lake sedimentary soils and the climate were perfect for cool climate viticulture. It is this mother rock which gives our wines its character (see Ken Wright video). Volcanic mother rock will be typically fruity (berry) wines, whereas marine sediment mother rock, being completely different, will give you spice & floral; violet, anise, clove, chocolate & tobacco. The Cascade Foothills have all 3 soil types.
Oregon is the premier Pinot Noir wine growing region in the world; as no other area except Burgundy has a climate as ideal for producing this complex, elegant red wine! It's a young wine growing region and Oregon wines are considered to be rare as you can put the entire Oregon production of about 22,000 acres into 1 large-sized California winery. But it's estimated there is the potential of 100,000 acres in the future. This Valley is eerily similar to the Napa Valley of 70 years ago, but cooler, and filled with orchards before the vineyards came. It is a potential paradise for wine production.
You go to France and there are lots of little family plots on the hillsides. The family works the land and makes the wine and has for generations. There is not a desire to be huge. The desire is to have a product you are proud of, that you put your name on the side of the bottle.
The East Willamette Valley regions (Cascade Foothills) quiet, interconnected back roads allow a relaxing intimate wine tasting experience. Here, the owner or winemaker--often one and the same--is likely to greet you and personally guide you through the tasting.
The wineries here in the Cascade Foothills are small, like the old-world wineries.
The Valley and the charming towns will embrace you with extraordinary hospitality. It's the way the Wine Country used to be -- Un-crowded and Unpretentious -- Authentic wine, food, and people. The original winemakers began in the 1960s with no winemaking experience, no business skills and no money; but the 10 original families stuck together and focused on quality right from the beginning and the pinot noir grape.
Now with over 730 wineries in Oregon, it's still a small-scale, artisan winemaking environment; especially here in the Cascade Foothills, where the winemakers who tend their own vines and live next door to their vineyards are called vignerons (pronounced vēn-ye-rōn).
"The concept of a vigneron' (vēn-yə-ˈrōn), says Gypsy Dancer Estates owner Gary Andrus, 'is someone who grows their grapes, picks their rootstocks, picks their soil (AKA terrior (tehr-wahr)--the notion that the growing site defines a wine's character), picks their clones, spacing and techniques--whether LIVE, biodynamic, organic, sustainable or 'nuked'--using Modern or Historic winemaking techniques--and they make those decisions and executes that decision inside the cellar. That's because they wants to make the wine that's in their mind. It's their wine--the greatest--or the worst." The Willamette Valley is full of vignerons.
The vines at St. Josef’s, one of Oregon’s pioneer wineries, were planted in 1978 and 1979, including the first Syrah (a cool climate Syrah) in the Willamette Valley — planted in 1993. Other estate wines they produce are pinot noir, sparkling chardonnay & Riesling, pinot gris and Gewürztraminer. They round out their selection with Cabernet & Merlot, with grapes grown in southern Oregon.
St, Josef's produces their wines bio-dynamically! (One of about 15 in the state. That's the only agricultural system that doesn’t deplete or take anything away from the soils, and is the oldest natural farming system in existence. Everything is done in harmony with nature; the sun, the moon & the stars...and can have mystical elements. For example, one of the principles involves smooshing manure into a cow horn and burying it.)
Does Anyone Have Any Questions?????
Study Guides:
What makes the North Willamette Valley so Unique? (Reader or Study Guide. If your group is really engaged and interested, you can ask them if they want this article read to them.)
Willamette Valley Wine Country Facts
Articles & Videos
St. Josef's EVENTS
Reader:
(study the links to be able to engage in discussion and answer questions)
Introduce yourself and then READ this 5 minute 'intro' to your group. Then, when you're done, ask if anyone has any questions. Please be prepared to possibly (at least minimally) engage in discussion and answer questions.
Oregon Wine Country... An Amazing Place... And A Wine Country Intro.
Oregon has a wild geology shaped by tectonic plates, volcanoes (CRBG), ice age floods, winds and time. And pinot noir is all about the place. It doesn't have an overriding varietal character that stamps the place, it is ALL about the place (the mother rock)...it's a blank canvas. There is no food or beverage on the planet that connects you with place more than pinot noir. And this place and its varied geology is the reason why the Northern Willamette Valley is an excellent area for growing grapevines. Today, the three dominant soil types (or mother rock) for growing Pinot Noir in this region are (1) Willakenzie or Marine Sediment, (2) Laurelwood or Windblown Silt and (3) Jory Volcanic Clay. When the pioneers of Oregon Pinot Noir arrived in the Willamette Valley in the late 60's they recognized that the nourishing volcanic and ocean/lake sedimentary soils and the climate were perfect for cool climate viticulture. It is this mother rock which gives our wines its character (see Ken Wright video). Volcanic mother rock will be typically fruity (berry) wines, whereas marine sediment mother rock, being completely different, will give you spice & floral; violet, anise, clove, chocolate & tobacco. The Cascade Foothills have all 3 soil types.
Oregon is the premier Pinot Noir wine growing region in the world; as no other area except Burgundy has a climate as ideal for producing this complex, elegant red wine! It's a young wine growing region and Oregon wines are considered to be rare as you can put the entire Oregon production of about 22,000 acres into 1 large-sized California winery. But it's estimated there is the potential of 100,000 acres in the future. This Valley is eerily similar to the Napa Valley of 70 years ago, but cooler, and filled with orchards before the vineyards came. It is a potential paradise for wine production.
You go to France and there are lots of little family plots on the hillsides. The family works the land and makes the wine and has for generations. There is not a desire to be huge. The desire is to have a product you are proud of, that you put your name on the side of the bottle.
The East Willamette Valley regions (Cascade Foothills) quiet, interconnected back roads allow a relaxing intimate wine tasting experience. Here, the owner or winemaker--often one and the same--is likely to greet you and personally guide you through the tasting.
The wineries here in the Cascade Foothills are small, like the old-world wineries.
The Valley and the charming towns will embrace you with extraordinary hospitality. It's the way the Wine Country used to be -- Un-crowded and Unpretentious -- Authentic wine, food, and people. The original winemakers began in the 1960s with no winemaking experience, no business skills and no money; but the 10 original families stuck together and focused on quality right from the beginning and the pinot noir grape.
Now with over 730 wineries in Oregon, it's still a small-scale, artisan winemaking environment; especially here in the Cascade Foothills, where the winemakers who tend their own vines and live next door to their vineyards are called vignerons (pronounced vēn-ye-rōn).
"The concept of a vigneron' (vēn-yə-ˈrōn), says Gypsy Dancer Estates owner Gary Andrus, 'is someone who grows their grapes, picks their rootstocks, picks their soil (AKA terrior (tehr-wahr)--the notion that the growing site defines a wine's character), picks their clones, spacing and techniques--whether LIVE, biodynamic, organic, sustainable or 'nuked'--using Modern or Historic winemaking techniques--and they make those decisions and executes that decision inside the cellar. That's because they wants to make the wine that's in their mind. It's their wine--the greatest--or the worst." The Willamette Valley is full of vignerons.
The vines at St. Josef’s, one of Oregon’s pioneer wineries, were planted in 1978 and 1979, including the first Syrah (a cool climate Syrah) in the Willamette Valley — planted in 1993. Other estate wines they produce are pinot noir, sparkling chardonnay & Riesling, pinot gris and Gewürztraminer. They round out their selection with Cabernet & Merlot, with grapes grown in southern Oregon.
St, Josef's produces their wines bio-dynamically! (One of about 15 in the state. That's the only agricultural system that doesn’t deplete or take anything away from the soils, and is the oldest natural farming system in existence. Everything is done in harmony with nature; the sun, the moon & the stars...and can have mystical elements. For example, one of the principles involves smooshing manure into a cow horn and burying it.)
Does Anyone Have Any Questions?????
Study Guides:
What makes the North Willamette Valley so Unique? (Reader or Study Guide. If your group is really engaged and interested, you can ask them if they want this article read to them.)
Willamette Valley Wine Country Facts
Articles & Videos
St. Josef's EVENTS