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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2019)
Friday, September 13, 2019 CapitalPress.com 3 Wineries thrive in Eastern Oregon By GEOFF PARKS For the Capital Press The tiny Eastern Oregon town of Echo — with large Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area. “We just replanted two acres of Cabernet Sau- all of 700 residents — boasts a full measure of resi- dent wineries with the 2012 establishment of Echo vignon four years ago so the newest ones are just coming on line now,” Jay said. “We’re trying to Ridge Cellars at the southwestern edge of town. Echo Ridge is the second winery — the other sell about 80 percent of our grapes. We’ve got is Sno Road Winery, established in 2004 — to be plenty of fruit here, and it’s a great product.” sited in the old town, formerly a major stop on the He said a long-term goal is to sell his grapes to old Oregon Trail in the mid-19th century. wineries in areas such as the Willamette Valley in In true Eastern Oregon style, the business is run order to be true to the concept of an Oregon-specific by the hard work and pioneer vision of the Bales identity for wines made from warm-climate grapes. family. Taking some marketing risks may pay off in Jay Bales, 59, retired from the short term for the winery. the construction industry in Echo Ridge for the first time the Seattle area, moved with THIS LAST BOTTLING this year produced 700 gal- lons of blended red wine in his wife, Kim, 55, and family WE DID OVER 2,000 single-serve, to-go only, 8.4- to Echo after purchasing Fly- ing B Vineyard in 2010. Sited aluminum cans, labeling it CASES. TYPICALLY oz. between Umatilla River bot- “Rodeo Red.” tomland and the basalt cliffs “We just started selling FOR US, WE’RE of Alkali Canyon, the now-89- them (in mid-June),” Berlyn CLOSER TO 1,000 TO said. Jay added that the fam- acre vineyard, mostly planted between 2006 and 2008, was 1,500 CASES, SO WE’RE ily is “still trying to find a niche for the cans. We’ve got added to and renamed Fire- REALLY SMALL.” thorn Vineyard. a lot of rodeos going on over The 11-acre property on here and cans are an easy, sin- gle-glass pour where some- which the 2,500-square-foot Berlyn Bales body doesn’t have to buy a Echo Ridge’s co-owner winemaking facilities and whole bottle.” 400-square-foot tasting room The 16 blocks of wine are located once was a farm. The property is on the main highway through Echo grapes were planted into a top layer of loess soil, and they enjoy, the Baleses say, “free-draining soils and is about a mile-and-a-half from the vineyard. The Baleses took an 1945 lap-wood grain ele- and aspects suited to each clone.” vator on the property, converted it into the tasting The winery’s current offerings consist of typ- room and features it on Echo Ridge’s wine labels. ical Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvi- gnon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Wine is made in the adjacent 1909-era building. Thanks to the mid-2000s plantings by the for- Merlot as well as Syrah and a red blend called mer vineyard owner, “we were able to start pro- Three Blondes and a Boy. Muscat Canelli white ducing wine our first year here,” said Berlyn grapes are also utilized, and a small number of bot- Bales, 30, Echo Ridge’s co-owner, winery opera- tles of dessert wine called Arrete is produced from tions director and assistant winemaker. them. “This last bottling we did over 2,000 cases,” A higher-end Bordeaux-style blend called Cinq she said. “Typically for us, we’re closer to 1,000 to Blocs is sourced from grapes from five of the vine- yard’s dedicated blocks of grapes. The first vintage 1,500 cases, so we’re really small.” Echo Ridge Cellars is considered part of the of Cinq Blocs was from 2016’s crop. IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT Huston Vineyards BOUGHT. SOLD. RENTAL. Wednesday - Monday 12 - 5 PM Closed Tuesday hustonvineyards.com 208-455-7975 Design of Effluent Handling Systems - Gates, Valves & Aerators New & Used Parts • Aluminum Pipe • Certa-lok • Siphon Tubes • HDPE • Sand Media Filters • Wheel Lines • Pumps Branson Model 4520 THE TRACTOR STORE (541) 342-5464 5450 W. 11 th , Eugene, OR Carlos (209) 481-7677 Jim (209) 986-0099 www.pacsouthwestirr.com V19-1/102 V19-4/100 SERIES 3120R 3520R 3510H 4020R 4525R 4720H 6640 8050 24 - 80 hp., 4WD, Compact Synchro Shuttle; Hydro 24, 28, 35, 47hp Geoff Parks/For the Capital Press Kim, Berlyn and Jay Bales in the barrel room of their Echo Ridge Cellars in Echo, Ore. V19-1/108
