Applegater Fall 2015
The fine history of
southern Oregon wine
23
BY MElISSa RHODES
Among the beauty of southern
Oregon are some of the top-rated wines
in the American West. “There are a
lot of good wines being produced that
resemble wines from the California Sierra
foothills,” says wine expert and historian
Dr. Will Brown, who was generous in
sharing his knowledge of the southern
Oregon wine industry for this story.
Now an Ashland resident, Dr.
Brown started to study wine in 1954
while in medical school after being
introduced to fine wine by a professor.
In 2003, Dr. Brown purchased the Bern
Ramey Wine Library and donated it to
Southern Oregon University (SOU).
The impressive collection of 371 books,
accumulated over four decades, contains
many rare first editions and is housed
in Hannon Library at SOU. (The late
Bern Ramey was a member of the
first graduating class of seven from the
University of California-Davis School
of Viticulture and Enology, along with
the late Peter Mondavi and the late Joe
Heitz, both internationally recognized
Napa Valley winemakers. Ramey is the
author of the 1977 The Great Grapes and
The Wines They Make, which took over
20 years to complete.)
SOU’s growing collection,
entitled “ Wine of Southern
WINE BRANDING
Asante and benefits the Children’s
Miracle Network. Liz coordinated the
classes for both wine aficionados and
wine novices and included Oregon
Wine University classes by physician
and wine educator Peter Adesman,
MD, comparing old-world wines with
southern Oregon wines. There were also
classes comparing cold and hardy grape
varietals, classes by Riedel glassmaker,
and a tasting class with the Ledger David
Cellars wine team.
There were 12 classes at the Oregon
Wine University this year at the event site
on Bigham Knoll Campus in Jacksonville
and two classes at the Southern Oregon
Wine Institute (SOWI) in the Umpqua
Valley. Based on the success of this year,
next year they are hoping to have two
weeks of events and classes so OWE will
become more of a destination for wine
lovers near and far, and the classes at
Oregon,” also contains wine bottle
labels, photographs, annual price lists, and
other items that have been contributed
by participating area vineyards, wineries,
and individuals connected to southern
Oregon’s wine industry, as well as
images collected by MJ Daspit and Eric
Weisinger for their book Rogue Valley
Wine (Arcadia, 2011).
These materials document
the important history of grape
growing and wine production in
the Rogue Valley American Viticultural
Area (AVA), which encompasses the
drainage basin of the Rogue River and
several tributaries, including the Illinois
River, the Applegate River, and Bear
Creek, making the collection a valuable
resource for students, researchers, local
vineyards, and wine makers. If you
are interested in contributing wine-
related items to Hannon Library Special
Collections, email libdigi@sou.edu.
More information about the collection
is available online at http://hanlib.sou.
edu/speccoll/wine.html.
Dr. Brown appreciates the wine
produced in southern Oregon. “I would
say that the Applegate Valley is the
best all-around area in the Rogue for
producing premium wines, but good
wines come from all over, depending
FROM PAGE 1
the Oregon Wine University will attract
more wine professionals, wine writers,
as well as wine novices. According to
Liz, OWE is developing into a major
wine festival bringing people to southern
Oregon. Besides the competition and
good wines, there is also a great deal of
money raised for a very worthy cause.
If you didn’t attend the Oregon Wine
Experience this year and you love wine,
mark your calendars for this fun and
informative event in August 2016.
Debbie Tollefson
debbie.avrealty@gmail.com
• • • • •
Contact Information
• The Oregon Wine Experience: www.
theoregonwineexperience.com
• Serra Vineyards: 222 Missouri Flat,
Grants Pass; www.serravineyard.com
• Vino-Verse Consulting: www.vino-
verse.com
Liz Wan with Paul Gregutt, contributing editor for Wine Enthusiast magazine and
author of Washington Wines & Wineries, the Essential Guide.
Photos (top)
Dr. Will Brown,
wine historian.
(right) Smoke-
filled vineyard at
Valley View. Photo:
Melissa Rhodes.
on soil, climate, aspect [the direction
the vines are facing], and elevation,” he
explains. This is the reason that so many
wineries call the Applegate Valley home
and succeed in doing so.
While there are about 70
different wine grapes being grown
in southern Oregon, growers are testing
many varieties to see what grows best
here. As a result, southern Oregon
vineyards have grown not only an
assortment of the Bordeaux varieties that
were first planted here (e.g., cabernet
sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc),
but later planted Rhone Valley varieties
like syrah, grenache, viognier, and
tempranillo. Pinot noir, chardonnay,
and pinot gris are also grown in southern
Oregon.
The first winery in Oregon was
created by Peter Britt in Jacksonville in
the 1870s. Britt died in 1905 and his
winery closed two years later. However,
there were several small wineries in the
Roseburg area in the late 19th century.
With prohibition, all wineries closed,
but some vineyardists in the Roseburg
area continued to sell grapes to home
winemakers, which was legal.
Wine made its comeback in the
1960s and ’70s, resulting in new wineries
spread across the valley. Richard Sommer
started Hillcrest Winery in Roseburg
in the early 1960s. Frank Wisnovsky at
Valley View Winery established the first
winery in the Rogue Valley—their first
wine was made in 1976. Siskiyou Winery
in the Illinois Valley was opened shortly
after Valley View, and was later sold to
Bridgeview Vineyards and Winery.
Today, larger vineyards are being
planted. Land is cheaper in southern
Oregon than in the northern parts of the
state, and there is a lot of land suitable
for growing grapes. At the same time,
more grapes are being sent to northern
Oregon wineries, which want grapes that
don’t grow well in the north.
The wine industry in southern
Oregon seems to be doing very well
with new vineyards being planted and
new wineries being opened. “There is
a mystique about being in the wine
industry that attracts money and people,”
says Dr. Brown.
Melissa Rhodes
rhodesm1@sou.edu
Melissa attends SOU and plans to pursue
a master’s degree in English. We thank her
for researching and writing this article.
— Winery News in Brief —
• John Michael Champagne Cellars
recently moved its tasting room to the
winery site at 1425 Humbug Creek Road
in Applegate and is now serving local
organic foods to pair with their wines
(www.johnmichaelwinery.com).
• Plaisance Ranch received a 91 rating
and recognition in the Wine Enthusiast
magazine’s August 2015 for its 2012
pinot noir (www.plaisanceranch.com).
• Troon Vineyard’s new general manager
is Chris Cunningham. Wine maker and
vineyard manager is Steve Hall (www.
troonvineyard.com).
FARMERS’ MARKET
and other useful objects. “I will make
anything to order,” he cheerily offers
interested customers. Jim was born in
Williams 70 years ago and still lives on
the same ranch. His wife, Barbara, of
Barbwire’s Creations, exclaims, “I just
love to try new things.” Her display
includes bracelets hammered from
copper tubing and earrings of embossed
metal, natural stones or horseshoe nails.
L i z D o l a n Tr e e , v o l u n t e e r
coordinator, helped spearhead the
market initially in 2002. She is pleased
at the growing demand and dreams
of finding a larger venue with more
convenient parking. Liz has a wide range
of experience from buying directly from
farmers for a store to setting up the
People’s All Organic Farmers Market in
Portland years ago.
FROM PAGE 3
She and co-manager Sarah Shea of
White Oak Farm make sure that the
market maintains the high standards
that people expect. The market requires
certified scales and that foods be prepared
in certified kitchens. Recently, the
Oregon Department of Agriculture
checked the accuracy of all the scales.
Organizing can be challenging at times,
but the reward lies in interacting with
customers face to face and sharing in the
weekly fun. “I do this primarily to bring
the community together,” says Sarah.
There is a lot of joy and pride at
the Williams Farmers’ Market. These
are key features of life in Williams, and
the market represents these qualities
exceptionally well.
Gabriela Eaglesome
gabrielas@aol.com
Handcrafted ‘Applecrates’ for sale
Beautiful planters called “Applecrates,” built with donated local
wood and volunteer labor, are for sale. All proceeds will help
sustain the Applegater. You can see these useful and long-lasting
Applecrates at Applegate Valley Realty, 935 N. Fifth Street,
Jacksonville. The price of a stock planter box (see photo), 12”
wide x 22” long x 14” deep, starts at $40. For more information,
or volunteer to help, call Chris Bratt at 541-846-6988.
