Vignerons -
(There is “old French song that says that the best fertilizer in the vineyard is the footprint of the owner.)
Oregon's Willamette Valley is a small-scale winemaking environment, reminiscent of the village-strewn landscape of Burgundy, where the winemakers who tend their own vines and live next door to their vineyards are called vignerons. . . producing primarily Pinot Noir, Oregon's Willamette Valley is full of vignerons...(pronounced vēn-ye-rōn).
Most of the wineries sit amid their own vines giving the winemaking teams’ total control over their fruit from beginning to end. Daily access to their vineyards allows them to respond to changing conditions throughout the year. It also allows them to work quickly during crush; the fruit is picked and processed the same day. The wineries goal is to express in their wine the unique character of their place, or terrior, to have in the bottle be a direct reflection of what their land gives them."
'The concept of a vigneron', says Gypsy Dancer Estates owner Gary Andrus, 'is someone who grows his grapes, picks his rootstocks, picks his soil (aka terrior; pronounced tehr-wahr), picks his clones, picks his spacing, picks his techniques--LIVE, biodynamic, organic, sustainable or 'nuked' using Modern or Historic winemaking techniques--and he makes those decisions and executes that decision inside the cellar. That's because he wants to make the wine that's in his own mind. It's his wine--the greatest--or the worst'. The Willamette Valley is full of vignerons.
Today Oregon has a reputation for producing world class wines. Principal plantings include Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Other reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel; other whites include – Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Sémillon and Gewürztraminer.
Our selection of tours are designed to encompass the best of Oregon's wine industry. Packages are intended for independent travel groups.
(There is “old French song that says that the best fertilizer in the vineyard is the footprint of the owner.)
Oregon's Willamette Valley is a small-scale winemaking environment, reminiscent of the village-strewn landscape of Burgundy, where the winemakers who tend their own vines and live next door to their vineyards are called vignerons. . . producing primarily Pinot Noir, Oregon's Willamette Valley is full of vignerons...(pronounced vēn-ye-rōn).
Most of the wineries sit amid their own vines giving the winemaking teams’ total control over their fruit from beginning to end. Daily access to their vineyards allows them to respond to changing conditions throughout the year. It also allows them to work quickly during crush; the fruit is picked and processed the same day. The wineries goal is to express in their wine the unique character of their place, or terrior, to have in the bottle be a direct reflection of what their land gives them."
'The concept of a vigneron', says Gypsy Dancer Estates owner Gary Andrus, 'is someone who grows his grapes, picks his rootstocks, picks his soil (aka terrior; pronounced tehr-wahr), picks his clones, picks his spacing, picks his techniques--LIVE, biodynamic, organic, sustainable or 'nuked' using Modern or Historic winemaking techniques--and he makes those decisions and executes that decision inside the cellar. That's because he wants to make the wine that's in his own mind. It's his wine--the greatest--or the worst'. The Willamette Valley is full of vignerons.
Today Oregon has a reputation for producing world class wines. Principal plantings include Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Other reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel; other whites include – Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Sémillon and Gewürztraminer.
Our selection of tours are designed to encompass the best of Oregon's wine industry. Packages are intended for independent travel groups.
