Friday, September 10, 2021
CapitalPress.com
Y Knot Winery: Wine,
food and golf for guests
Y Knot Winery
Y Knot Winery owner Teresa McCallum and winemaker
Jamie Martin.
fact that we make wines that
are comparable and even supe-
rior to any other designated
AVA in the Pacifi c Northwest
region,” she said.
Conditions in certain areas
of Idaho are perfect for wine
grapes.
“The grapes grown in the
Snake River Valley, especially
the eastern end of this AVA,
have a lot more minerality than
most,” Teresa said.
Minerality is the term to
describe a fl avor that is not
spice, herb or fruit. The fl a-
vor or aroma of minerality of a
wine is associated with the ter-
roir or origin of the wine, espe-
cially if the region has rocky
soil that is high in minerals.
“This gives a lot more char-
acter in the taste of the wines,
and more fun to work with, for
the winemaker,” Teresa said.
This is a temperate zone
along the river, and grow-
ers don’t have to fi ght harsh
winters.
“We still get the heat of
summer, which brings on
some very nice sugars,” she
explained.
“Most of our sales are
accomplished on site, but we
do have wines in a few stores
throughout the Treasure Valley
and Magic Valley. We self-dis-
tribute, and don’t have a ship-
ping club yet but we are work-
ing on that,” she said.
The name of their winery
and label brand came about
because Teresa and her hus-
band are in the cattle industry.
“I wanted a western theme,
and have a cattle brand as my
logo. My husband wouldn’t let
me use our ranch brand, and I
asked ‘Why not?’ and about
6 hours later realized that
phrase would make a brand!”
she said. “The Y looks like a
wine glass, and the knot is on
its stem. It’s been a lot of fun
to work with that logo.”
It’s also very catchy and
people remember it.
DUNDEE, Ore. — Joe
Dobbes drew on his life
savings and 30 years of
experience, including Euro-
pean winemaking appren-
ticeships, in starting Dobbes
Family Estate in 2002.
Though he special-
ized in Pinot noir wines,
the Dundee, Ore., vintner
decided early on that he
wanted his brand to also
showcase wines made from
grapes from other parts of
Oregon such as the Rogue
Valley.
“There is a lot of diver-
sity in our portfolio,” Sarah
Pearson, CEO of Dobbes
Family Estate/Wine by Joe,
said. “We have a number
of varietals coming from
Southern Oregon as well as
from the Willamette Valley,
for example, and are work-
ing with other wine regions
in the state.”
They
also
operate
Dundee Vintners, provid-
ing a variety of wines and
services that include pri-
vate labels and custom
winemaking.
Just a year after starting
the Dobbes Family Estate
label for his wines, Dobbes
Sarah Pearson, CEO, en-
joys the Dobbes Family
Estate 2018 Willamette
Valley Chardonnay. It is
one of many white wines
they make from Willa-
mette and Rogue Valley
grapes.
started Wine by Joe out of a
desire to off er “really good
Oregon wine for people
to enjoy any day or every
day.”
In less than 20 years,
Dobbes Family Estate/Wine
by Joe has become one of
the largest wine producers
in Oregon, shipping 5,000
to 10,000 cases of Dobbes
Family Estate wines per
year while Wine by Joe/Joe
to Go ships around 50,000
cases annually.
Wine by Joe has devel-
oped a following for its
bright, fresh fl avors that
express Oregon’s charac-
ter and the soils they come
from.
“Wine by Joe is some-
thing that’s very relatable
and approachable,” Pear-
son said. “We have created
wines that maintain Ore-
gon’s reputation for high
quality that people can enjoy
every day of the week.”
Just over three years ago
the company began can-
ning wine under the Joe
to Go label, seeing it as an
opportunity to take wine to
places it’s never been before,
whether on a boat, a hike or
at a baseball game.
“Though it is meant to
be enjoyed immediately,
the can’s tight seal keeps
the wine vibrant, delicious
and fresh for 3-plus years,”
Pearson said. “It maintains
its integrity over time, even
if somebody throws it in the
back of their truck.
“There is much more
opportunity for this brand;
we have high expectations
for it and the plans in place
to make it happen,” Pear-
son said. “We have a very
scalable operation and we
just keep adjusting as we
grow, and I think our nim-
bleness has been part of our
success.”
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GLENNS FERRY, Idaho
— The Y Knot Winery and
vineyard produces 13 diff erent
wines and is the perfect place
for people to hang out when
they need a break from a busy
life.
“The winery has been craft-
ing wine here for over 35
years,” said Teresa McCallum,
owner and manager. “At our
vineyard, you can sit back and
relax at a wine tasting, play a
round of golf or treat yourself
to a nice dinner. We strive to
create a comfortable environ-
ment, which is why we have a
relaxed dress code.”
She and her husband have
a cattle ranch and large farm,
but Teresa is the wine person.
Three years ago she had to take
over the winery from its previ-
ous owner and runs it herself.
“Halfway through COVID,
when Idaho was looser on
COVID restrictions, peo-
ple from Oregon and Wash-
ington came here in droves,
and it hasn’t stopped,” she
said. “They discovered a good
thing. The word is getting out
in Idaho as well, that there’s a
unique new winery in Glenns
Ferry.”
The wine is worth the drive,
she said.
“We have a talented wine-
maker, Jamie Martin, who
came on board 3 years ago, and
he is making outstanding wine
that has won many awards.
He’s been making wine for 40
years and was one of the fi rst
winemakers in Idaho,” Teresa
said.
“We buy most of our grapes
in the Hagerman Valley, and
some are grown here on site,
and some from the Sunnyslope
of Idaho,” she said. “We pro-
duce all our wine on site.”
The Idaho wine industry
has grown tremendously in the
past decade.
“People now recognize the
Dobbes Family Estate:
Pinot noir and more
By BRENNA WIEGAND
For the Capital Press
By HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
For the Capital Press
7