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CapitalPress.com
July 27, 2018
People & Places
Vineyard, winery work in progress
John Komes
constantly
experiments with
new techniques
Western
Innovator
By JULIA HOLLISTER
For the Capital Press
NAPA VALLEY, Calif.
— John Komes can tell you
a lot about viticulture and the
changes he’s witnessed; he’s
been at it for 41 years.
“My ‘first’ career was as
a contractor, and I worked
on construction projects all
over the Bay Area,” he said.
“But in the early 1970s I took
a wine appreciation course
and my fascination with wine
just took off. When my par-
ents bought the Flora Springs
property in 1977, I convinced
them to let me start making
wine from the vines there.
“Part of my motivation
was that I wanted to move my
family to Napa Valley. It was
so unspoiled, so bucolic, and
it seemed like a good place
to raise children. And I loved
the idea of having the whole
family involved in the winery.
Today I work closely with my
son, my brother-in-law and
my nephew, which is very sat-
isfying.”
Komes said there have
been many changes in viti-
culture since he got started,
and he’s learned much over
the years. At Flora Springs he
is constantly experimenting,
both in the vineyard and the
winery. They were one of the
first wineries to try barrel fer-
mentation with Chardonnay.
“Our flagship wine, Tril-
ogy, which we introduced in
1984, was one of Napa Val-
ley’s the first proprietary red
John Komes
Residence: Napa Valley
Occupation: Founder,
president and proprietor of
Flora Springs Vineyards and
Winery
Years in Business: 41
Family: Married to Carrie
Komes. Son is Nat Komes.
Sister and brother-in-law are
Julie Komes Garvey and Pat
Garvey.
Flora Springs Winery
John Komes and his son, Nat, sort grapes at Flora Springs Winery in the Napa Valley of California.
Bordeaux-style blends,” he
said.
“Because we’ve owned our
vineyards for so long we’ve
had several opportunities to
replant, and every time we do,
we experiment with different
spacing, rootstocks, clones,
trellis systems, you name it,”
he said. “It’s all about fine
tuning as you go along, and I
can tell you that the wines we
make today are more compel-
ling than ever because of the
experimenting we’ve done
over the years.”
Napa Valley is a superb
place to grow grapes, but over
time Komes admits he has
learned a lot about which va-
rieties grow best here. This is
a region where Cabernet Sau-
vignon thrives, and the Sauvi-
gnon Blanc also grows well.
“I guess to answer the
question, the hardest grapes to
grow are the varieties that are
planted in the wrong place,”
he said.
The family has 500 acres
throughout the Napa Valley,
300 of which are planted to
vineyard.
“We have estate properties
in Carneros, Oakville, Ruth-
erford and St. Helena, and we
produce varietal wines rang-
ing from Sauvignon Blanc
and Chardonnay to Merlot,
Cabernet Sauvignon and oth-
er red Bordeaux varietals,” he
said. “All of our vineyards are
sustainably farmed, and many
are farmed organically.”
Wine tastes are changing,
and Komes sees more people
gravitating to reds these days,
but that’s not to say there
aren’t a lot of white wine lov-
ers out there.
“In fact, we happened to
notice recently that there is
no white wine emoji, just a
red one! So Flora Springs
launched a ‘Where’s the
#WhiteWineEmoji’
cam-
paign, and we’re inviting peo-
ple to sign a petition to have
one created,” Komes said.
“People can go our website
at www.florasprings.com to
learn more.”
In spite of the excellent
weather and high-quality
grapes, Komes said two chal-
lenges stand out.
“The two that stand out
to me are climate change
and labor,” he said. “But the
wine industry has faced a lot
of challenges, and when we
work together we usually find
solutions.”
One more thing: What
about the big wineries in
Napa?
“People often ask me if I
think there are too many win-
eries in Napa Valley. I don’t
think there are too many win-
eries; I just think there are too
many big wineries,” he said.
“In the last couple of decades
the wine industry has experi-
enced what many American
industries have undergone:
conglomeration. A few big
guys buying up the little guys.
“But the little guy is the
genius of this industry. The
one who discovers new tech-
niques in the vineyards and
wineries, who finds and de-
velops small plots of land that
produce outstanding grapes,
who innovates and creates.
I like to think we still have
that spirit at Flora Springs,
and I certainly think it shows
in our wines and hospitality. I
also think there will always be
little guys, people willing to
risk everything to pursue their
life’s passion. And to them, I
raise my glass!”
Idaho shags’ stamina, livestock handling spur surge in popularity
By DIANNA TROYER
For the Capital Press
Curious about a new com-
ical-looking breed of cow dog
she had heard about, Susie
Morton bought her first Idaho
shag three decades ago.
Judging from their ap-
pearance, it was hard to
take them seriously. With
their frazzled hair coat, they
looked like they had a mis-
hap with an electric fence.
Their origins sounded like
an accident, too.
“They’re a cross of Aire-
dale, border collie and Aus-
tralian shepherd and usually
weigh about 40 pounds,” said
Morton, 55, one of the first
breeders in central Idaho.
“Whatever people think about
their appearance, they’re real-
ly faithful and tough. If they
get kicked or beat up, they go
right back at it.”
After buying her first Ida-
ho shag from a breeder in
southern Idaho and working
cattle, she was impressed.
“When she had pups, I
kept some and started breed-
ing,” Morton said. “They’re
becoming really popular, so
more people have started
breeding them.”
For decades she relied on
her Idaho shags while work-
ing for livestock associations
in the Challis, Pahsimeroi and
Dianna Troyer/For the Capital Press
Sam Clark with his 6-month-old Idaho shag, Buddy. The pup is known for his stamina in handling livestock.
Lost River Valley areas.
“They can go all day,” said
Morton, who lives south of
Mackay and manages a ranch.
“They can be hard-headed, so
you just learn to deal with it.
Early on, you have to make
sure they know who the boss
is. They really have a lot of
personality.”
Whenever she checks cattle,
her shags, Monte, Henry, Mary,
and Shorty, accompany her.
Although rancher Sam
Clark grew up in the Lost
River Valley, he never worked
cattle with an Idaho shag until
six months ago.
“I bought my first one
from a friend in Malta and
wouldn’t have any other breed
now,” said Clark, who moved
to the Raft River Valley in
southeastern Idaho several
years ago.
Working cattle, he said
his six-month-old shag, Bud-
dy, “goes all day, won’t back
down, and rides on the back
of my horse. At home, he’s
protective of our daughter
Payzlee.”
In eastern Idaho, Bill
Fuchs, who owns the Henry’s
Fork Ranch, a cattle and guest
ranch near Chester, became
a convert about seven years
ago.
He and his son Tanner, 24,
bought one and liked how she
worked livestock so much
they began breeding shags.
Their small size may cause
livestock not to take them se-
riously at first.
“If a cow doesn’t respect
Marley or looks at her the
wrong way, she lets them
inch closer to her for a sniff,
then she grabs their nose,”
Bill said. “It’s her way of
telling a cow to respect her
space.”
“It’s amazing how many
people are looking for that
specific breed,” Bill said.
At a recent branding in the
Leadore area, most cowboys
had an Idaho shag.
“That’s the breed they pre-
fer there,” Bill said.
Dr. Andy Clifton, a vet-
erinarian in nearby Salmon,
said the scruffy dogs in her
area are known as the Pah-
simeroi fuzzy. She said the
dogs are intelligent, protec-
tive of family, have stami-
na, and want to please their
owner.
“They’re tough and have
an instinct to work cows all
day, yet they can come home
and play ball with the kids in
the evening,” she said.
Cowboys are loyal to the
breed, Clifton said.
“Once they start seeing
how they work, that’s the only
breed of dog they want.”
Calendar
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1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem, OR
97301 or emailed to newsroom@
capitalpress.com. Write “Calendar”
in the subject line.
Through July 29
California State Fair. 11 a.m.-10
p.m. California Expo Center, 1600
Exposition Blvd., Sacramento, Ca-
lif. California’s state fair brings out
the best is the state’s agriculture.
Website: http://www.castatefair.org
Saturday-Sunday
July 28-29, Aug. 4-5
The Great Oregon Steam-Up.
7 a.m.-6 p.m. Powerland Heritage
Park, 3995 Brooklake Road NE,
Brooks, Ore. Foreign and gar-
den tractors are featured in this
year’s event, which also includes a
steam-powered sawmill and thresh-
ing and hundreds of displays and
museums. The Parade of Power is
each day at 1:30 p.m. Cost: $12.
Website: http://antiquepowerland.com/
Thursday, Aug. 2
WSU Eggert Family Organic
Farm Field Day. 8 a.m.-noon. Wash-
ington State University Eggert Family
Organic Farm, Animal Science Road,
Pullman, Wash. Learn about organ-
ic herbicide trials, orchard planning
and the Food Safety Modernization
Act. There also will be a guided tour
of the fruit and vegetable growing
areas. A garlic braiding workshop
will be offered by Kate Jaeckel start-
ing at 12:30 p.m. at the farm. Bring
a sack lunch. The workshop will be
limited to 10 participants, tickets sold
through the farm’s website or at the
farm. Website: http://css.wsu.edu/
organicfarm/
Sunday, Aug. 5
Raised Country Music Fes-
tival. 1-6 p.m. Antelope Church
Lawn, Antelope, Ore. Steve and
RonaLee Campbell, a Chuckwag-
on Barbecue by Paradise Rose
Ranch, a petting zoo and face
painting; the Mud Springs Gospel
Band and Joni Harms are featured.
Cost: Free
Tuesday, Aug. 7
Rice Production Workshop.
8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Lundberg Fami-
ly Farms, 5311 Midway, Richvale,
Calif. Topics include rice growth,
water management, tillage, vari-
ety selection, fertility and weeds.
Enrollment is limited to 75 people.
Cost: $100. Website: http://ucanr.
edu/rice2018
Friday, Aug. 10
Stream Restoration Workshop.
8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. University of Ida-
ho Extension Office, 1808 N. Third
St., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The
workshop will include a classroom
session and a field trip showing
stream restoration projects. Space
is limited. For more information, call
208-446-1680. Cost: $20 Website:
http://uidaho.edu/extension/forestry
Wednesday, Aug. 15
Organic Hazelnuts Second An-
nual Summer Farm Tour. 9:30 a.m.-
4:30 p.m. Cold Springs Farm, 35541
Cold Springs Road, Lebanon, Ore.
Join the Organic Hazelnut Growers
Association’s summer tour at one
certified organic farm and one tran-
sitioning farm. Cost: $18 for mem-
bers of Organic Hazelnut Growers
Association. $45 for non-members.
Website: http://www.pesticide.org/
organichazelnuts
Friday-Sunday
Aug. 17-26
Western Idaho Fair. Western Idaho
Fairgrounds, 5610 Glenwood St., Boi-
se, Idaho. Website: www.idahofair.com
Thursday, Aug. 23
Inaugural Washington FFA Foun-
dation Golf Tournament. 1:30-6 p.m.
Apple Tree Golf Course, 8804 Occi-
dental Road, Yakima, Wash. To take
part, contact FFA Foundation Executive
Director Jesse Taylor at jesse@wash-
ingtonffa.org or 253-208-9071. A dinner
and auction will follow the tournament.
Friday-Monday
Aug. 24-Sept. 3
Oregon State Fair. Oregon State
Fair and Exposition Center, 2330 17th
St. NE, Salem, Ore. https://oregonstate-
fair.org/
Friday-Saturday
Aug. 31-Sept. 8
Eastern Idaho State Fair. Eastern
Idaho State Fairgrounds, 97 Park St.,
Blackfoot, Idaho. Website: https://fun
atthefair.com/
Friday-Sunday
Aug. 31-Sept. 23
Washington State Fair. 110 Ninth
Ave. SW, Puyallup, Wash. www.the-
fair.com/
Tuesday, Sept. 18
Oregon Farm Bureau Classic
Golf Tourney. 1 p.m. Stone Creek
Golf Club, 14603 S. Stoneridge
Drive, Oregon City, Ore. Contact:
tiffany@oregonfb.org
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Index
Dairy .................................... 10
Markets ............................... 12
Opinion .................................. 6
Correction
An article on page 4 of the July
20 edition of the Capital Press
should have stated that Alexis
Taylor, director of the Oregon
Department of Agriculture,
intends to put forth a candi-
date for the Oregon Board of
Agriculture from Southeast
Oregon, not necessarily the
Klamath basin specifically.
The Capital Press regrets the
error.
Correction policy
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