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.”