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CapitalPress.com
Friday, September 9, 2022
Blue Heron Vineyard: Family switches from cattle to growing grapes
By CRAIG REED
For the Capital Press
ROSEBURG, Ore. — Hal and
Vicki Westbrook considered sev-
eral options for their land as they
contemplated transitioning out of
the cattle industry.
At the top of the list of options
were wine grapes, blueberries and
hazelnuts. The fi nal decision: wine
grapes.
Blue Heron Vineyard was born
at the southern end of Garden Val-
ley a mile west of Roseburg with
the fi rst planting of wine grapes
in 2011. More planting followed
in 2012 and 2014. The vineyard
expanded to 750 acres in 2020
when another 150 acres were
planted in the Umpqua area at the
northern end of Garden Valley.
The vineyard is 70% Pinot
noir, 25% Pinot gris and 5%
Chardonnay.
The vineyard is owned and
operated by the Westbrook family.
Teal and Taylor Stone manage the
business. Teal is the daughter of
Hal and Vicki Westbrook.
“They considered hazelnuts,
blueberries and grapes,” said Teal
of her parents’ decision. “All those
markets have their advantages and
disadvantages. They wanted a 30-
to 40-year lifespan crop, some-
thing to invest in.
“They decided on wine grapes
because they could be a standalone
business with a huge market for
the grapes,” she explained.
Teal and Taylor had both moved
away from their Roseburg homes
after high school to attend col-
lege. Taylor earned a construction
management degree from Colo-
Craig Reed/For the Capital Press
Blue Heron Vineyards, a mile
west of Roseburg, Ore., was es-
tablished in 2010 when Hal and
Vicki Westbrook decided to tran-
sition from cattle to wine grapes.
ing wine and we’re not inter-
ested in it,” Teal said. “And then
there’s the marketing, the sales
of the wine. We have no interest
in that.
“I do really appreciate what
people are able to do in making
wine, but it’s just not how we want
to spend our time,” she added.
“We’ll do our part and then it’s on
them to make the wine.”
Blue Heron Vineyard has con-
tracts of 5- to 10-year durations to
sell the majority of its grapes to
three Oregon wine making com-
panies: Erath of the Dundee Hills
Craig Reed/For the Capital Press area, A To Z Wineworks of New-
Teal and Taylor Stone check out the wine grape crop at Blue Heron Vineyards near Roseburg in late July. berg and Union Wine Co. of
Tualatin.
The Stones manage the vineyard that was started in 2010 by Teal’s parents, Hal and Vicki Westbrook.
“These are our backbone buy-
rado State University and Teal a college educations and subse- the management of the vineyard ers,” Teal said of the three. “We
human nutrition degree from Cal quent experiences have been use- crews, lining out work and the work with some others on a much
Poly-San Luis Obispo, Calif. Both ful in managing the vineyard. Teal tracking of fi eld equipment and smaller scale. It’s a big deal to us
that we are an Oregon grower and
were working in the San Francisco said there are a lot of similarities in supplies.
Bay Area for large companies, Teal human nutrition and vine nutrition.
The Stones said Blue Heron that we’re not shipping our grapes
in marketing and sales and Taylor She also had experience in contact- Vineyard is only in the business out of state.”
“Our whole goal and business
in commercial construction, when ing buyers and dealing with con- of growing and selling its grapes.
they decided to move back north tracts and negotiations.
There are no plans to build a win- model is to grow as much fruit as
to Roseburg to help in the family
Taylor said there are similari- ery and to make wines with a Blue possible at the highest quality,”
Taylor said. “We feel like we’re
business.
ties in what he was doing in com- Heron label.
Taylor and Teal both said their mercial construction and now in
“There’s a total art to mak- achieving that.”
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