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Wine-Country
News Bytes...
Tidbits,
Anecdotes
and Just In
Discover a land of
little-known wineries
along Washington's I-5 Corridor
The boutique wineries of Southwest Washington
Reviews of Pacific NW wines
Wine-Country News...
Just In
Idaho Winemakers
Sweep NW Wine Summit
By Jake Putnam
Courtesy of
Idaho Farm Bureau News
Marsing—Further evidence that
Idaho’s wine industry has arrived: Gem State
winemakers took home a record 47 medals at
the prestigious Pacific Northwest Wine
Summit held last week at Timberline Lodge in
Oregon. It's the largest wine competition in
the Northwest.
Canyon County and YF and R Farm Bureau
Member Gina Davis of Davis Creek Sellers
took home four bronze medals, two silvers, a
gold and a double gold for her 2007 Syrah
($20.00) and 2007 Malbec (20.00), 2008 Rosé
of Syrah ( $10) 2007 Cabernet
Sauvignon($29); and 2007
Tempranillo ($20).
“I had no idea I’d win,” said Davis. “I had
hoped to place somewhere in the middle of
the pack because it was my first year out
and I was hoping for decent placing, I
didn’t think I’d place higher than some of
the wineries I worked for.”
Davis recently graduated from the University
of Idaho but already has gained a reputation
for her Davis Creek Cellar label. She has
her own shop in Marsing, Idaho. “The tasting
room opened last June and the first wines
were harvested in the fall of ’07, we’ve got
’08 in the barrels, so we’re moving right
along.
Gina
Davis with the 2008 crop--Jake Putnam photo
Gina Davis’ reputation as a
winemaker is secure after her rookie season
but says modestly that she learned from the
masters who passed on the tried and true
methods to Idaho winemaking. “Working for
Brad Pintler had an impact on my success,
the basic of what I learned comes from him
and Greg Koenig really helped polish my
skills to get to where I am now.”
Davis is active in Canyon County Farm Bureau
and the Young Farmer and Rancher group; she
says the industry is growing because of
diversity, new ideas, and blood in the Snake
River viticultural area. She points out that
growers are using open vine canopies, drip
irrigation and aggressive pruning that
stress the vine that produces fewer yet
tasty grapes.
That diversity comes from plentiful
irrigation water and volcanic soil that
gives the land richness unique in the entire
world; it transformed this land from desert
sage to lush cash crops. Elevations are 2-to
3-thousand feet higher than California’s
famed Napa Valley and this change in
elevation combined with the ash laden soils,
warm days, cool nights translates into grape
sweetness that’s found only south of Nampa.
Aggressive new ideas and practices add up to
a bright future according to Davis. “Our
growers have improved BMP’s, we’ have great
fruit out there and finally we’re getting
the medals to show for it.”
At last count more than 15 wineries thrive
in Snake River Wine Region with 46 distinct
vineyards covering 1,107 acres. Most
vineyards are open to the public and wine
tasting rooms offer enthusiasts a taste of
wine, picnics not to mention special events
such as concerts, wine dinners, and even
weddings.
“We have some of the most beautiful
vineyards in the in the country and yet they
haven’t heard of Marsing or how to get
here,” said Ron Bitner of Bitner Vineyards.
But with the success more and more wine
aficionados are finding their way to
Marsing’s wine tasting rooms.
For the Idaho Wine Industry the pressure is
on to keep producing great vintages and it
all starts once again in the vineyards.
“Well, you try and maintain and hope to do
as well with the wine in the barrels right
now. We’ve got the new vintages, the 2008
reds are in the barrel, I’m heading out
today to go work on those right now, and
make that Vintage as well as the last
vintage,” said Davis.
The Gold Medal Winners:
Cinder
Winery's Melanie Krause won gold and Best
Rosé for her 2008 Cinder Rosé ($14.99).
Veteran Winemaker Greg Koenig won big,
taking a total of 9 medals, including gold
for his Koenig Cuvee Amelia Reserve Syrah
($50) and the Bitner Vineyard's Riesling
($12) he also makes.
John Danielson of Vale Wine Co. also took
gold for his first vintage 2008 Riesling
($14).
Sawtooth winemaker Bill Murray won gold for
his Reserve Cabernet ($24.99).
Sad
News... Oregon Wine Tasting Room
closes doors
The Oregon Wine Tasting Room (OWTR), a
fixture in Willamette Valley wine tasting for 29
years, is closing June 22, 2009.
The brainchild of Myron Redford, Owner of
Amity Vineyards, the tasting room opened on
May 1, 1980 in the Lawrence Art Gallery on
Highway 18, nine miles southwest of McMinnville
at the Bellevue Junction. The business was
the first to promote all
Oregon wines.
During its 29 years of existence, the OWTR has
been a tireless advocate for
Oregon wines,
and more than 200 Oregon wineries have been
featured on its shelves. Over the years, many
start-up wineries were discovered by the public
at the Oregon Wine Tasting Room. The
store's manager, Patrick McElligott, became
known as a major and reliable resource for
information about Oregon wines.
In 2003, the tasting room moved across the
street into the former Farmer’s Market. The
building, originally built in the 1920’s,
underwent an extensive renovation, and the new
space was called the Oregon Wine Tasting Room
and Bellevue Market. It continued to
feature wines from all of
Oregon’s AVAs
as well as adding local and gourmet foods and
beers.
A going-out-of-business sale will start
on June 3rd and continue until June 22nd when
the business will close. Wines and food items
will be 20% off. The space will be available
for lease starting July 1st.
Inquiries about the sale should be
directed to the OWTR,
503 843 3787
or
owtr2003@yahoo.com.
Inquiries about leasing the business space
should be directed to Myron Redford
503 835-2362 ext
7# or
myron@amityvineyards.com. Or Darcy
Pendergrass 503
835-2362 ext 5# or
darcy@amityvineyards.com.
WSU to Partner with
Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center
Washington State University will join forces
with those leading the creation of the Walter
Clore Wine and Culinary Center at Prosser to
highlight the breadth, depth and quality of all
aspects of Washington agriculture.
Dan Bernardo, dean of the WSU College of
Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource
Sciences, announced formalization of the
partnership here today at the annual meeting of
the Washington Association of Wine Grape
Growers.
“Washington desperately needs an icon that
can represent the diversity and quality of its
agricultural enterprise,” Bernardo said. “The
science behind the food is a critical,
compelling story to tell. With the completion of
the Clore Center, we will have a world-class
stage, in eastern Washington, on which to
present our heritage as well as the evolving
research that will improve our future.”
Bernardo said WSU is “very excited to join
with the Clore Center’s Board of Directors and
the entire state’s food, wine, agriculture and
tourism industries in making this visionary
project a reality. The center is a natural
extension of the foundational work Dr. Walter
Clore did to help found the Washington wine
industry, and it provides many opportunities to
highlight the science and education behind the
entire agriculture and food system within the
state.”
The late Walter Clore, who was a WSU faculty
member for nearly 40 years, was named the
“Father of the Washington Wine Industry” by an
act of the Washington State Legislature in 2001,
in recognition of his efforts proving that
premium wine grapes could be grown in Washington
state. Members of the viticulture and enology
community from across the state began plans in
2002 to develop a center named for him to
highlight the burgeoning Washington wine
industry.
# # #
Wine-Country News Bytes
Cold
Hardiness System alerts growers during winter
months |
Using a sophisticated system they designed, WSU
viticulturist Markus Keller and his team are
measuring the cold hardiness of grapevine. The
system allows them to collect data from buds and
wood pieces from a range of grape varieties in
order to determine “critical” temperatures for
each variety
–
temperatures at which the tissues freeze and are
killed.
The system is now being used as a model for
programs working in grapes and other crops
around the world.
Each week the team adds new information to
their Web site, which growers use to track the
changes in cold hardiness throughout the winter
season. Based on this information, growers
can decide whether to run their wind machines or
use other measures of frost control.
This year, for the first time, Ste. Michelle
Wine Estates is participating in the project.
Ste. Michelle viticulturists collect samples
from their extensive variety collection each
week, and that information is used to supplement
samples collected by Keller’s team.
The service is funded by WSU, the Washington
Association of Wine Grape Growers through the
Washington Wine Industry Foundation and the
Washington State Concord Grape Research Council.
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Visit the Grape Cold Hardiness Web
site:
http://tinyurl.com/5vndbx. The
site has year-round value for grape
growers, including information on
Powdery Mildew, precipitation,
growing degree days, and
evapotraspiration.
Want the scientific low down on
how Keller’s team is collecting
cold-hardiness data? Fire up
your browser and visit the
American Journal of Enology and
Viticulture to download the
paper by Mills, Ferguson and
Keller:
http://tinyurl.com/63q5te.
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