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8 CapitalPress.com September 8, 2017 Wineries look to diversify their offerings For the Capital Press In the global market, Ore- gon wine is virtually synony- mous with Pinot noir. But that may be about to change. A new generation of winemak- ers is on the hunt for different grape varieties, and the Ore- gon grape growing industry is just starting to catch up. Pinot noir remains the undisputed king of Oregon grapes in terms of acreage planted and tons of grapes crushed. In 2014, there were 17,146 acres planted to Pinot noir in Oregon, representing 63 percent of harvested acre- age and 58 percent of all vine- yard production. Yet those dominant statis- tics mask another discomfit- ing reality: For the past sev- eral years, demand for Pinot noir seems to have softened. “For at least five years, there has been a lot of fruit that just hung on the vines. It never found a home,” says Chad Stock, partner at Craft Wine Co. and winemaker at Minimus Winery. “The over- supply on Pinot noir is so se- vere.” At the same time, many newer winemakers who can’t afford to grow their own grapes are searching for unusual or alternative vari- etals to help their businesses stand out. Those winemak- ers say tracking down al- ternative varieties is getting more challenging, and more competitive. “It’s always fun to have an adventure or two,” says Kate Norris, co-owner and winemaker at Southeast Wine Collective. Under her labels, Division Winemak- ing Co. and Gamine, she Margarett Waterbury/For the Capital Press Northwest Chenin blancs are served alongside wines from France and South Africa at the third annual #DrinkChenin event at the Southeast Wine Collective. Winemaker Kate Norris says Chenin blanc is one of her favorite grapes, but it can be a challenge to source. uses a wide range of grape varietals, including standbys like Pinot noir and Char- donnay as well as Gamay noir, Grenache and Chenin blanc. “Chenin blanc and Ga- may have been the hardest to source,” says Norris. “You have to be really respect- ful, because you don’t want to be stealing somebody else’s contract or knock- ing somebody else off the vineyard.” “What’s getting hard- er, from my perspective, is finding the other odd grapes that are not spoken for,” says Corey Schuster, winemaker V17-3/#5 By MARGARETT WATERBURY V17-3/#7 at Jackelope Wine Cellars, who uses Viognier and Cab- ernet Franc, among other un- usual varietals. “Some cool varieties are being grown, but in really small quantities that are hard or impossible to access without the neces- sary relationships. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt.” One way that winemakers are helping growers take the risk of planting something like Viognier rather than Pinot noir is through the use of multi-year contracts. “Growers want to grow fruit that will sell,” says Shuster. “And if they get a long-term contract from a buyer, it’s more likely they’ll plant something ‘odd.’” Stock has been using the contract model for seven years, entering into long- term agreements with grow- ers throughout Oregon to plant or graft varieties like Vermentino and Trousseau noir where, in many cases, Pinot noir once grew. He says the economics of re- placing Pinot noir with other in-demand varieties like Ga- may noir, Cabernet Franc, and Trousseau noir pencil out just fine. “One thing that’s appeal- ing about these varieties is they yield higher amounts of fruit per acre,” says Stock. “They are much more pro- ductive, so farmers can gen- erate a lot more product. Even if their pricing is less than Pinot noir, they will make more money at the end of the day.” While some write off these long-tail varieties as a trendy flash-in-the-pan, Stock doesn’t think so. “It’s not just a micro niche among a bunch of geeky wineries,” says Chad. “I think the de- mand for diversification is real across the entire indus- try. We need it bad — the wine industry in general needs it — and this is a very good thing.”
