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North Douglas Herald
April 2024
- North Douglas County
Rural Report Wine Growing in in the Elkton
Umpqua Valley. During the ’70s, cool-climate varieties thrive here.
Oregon’s AVA’s
Continued from Page 7
and is a single-vineyard AVA — one of
just a few in the country — with Red Hill
Vineyard planted to 220 acres of vines.
Climate
Red Hill Douglas County has a relatively
mild climate, with daytime averages of
75°F during growing season (as opposed
to regions farther south that can experience
highs of 105°F). The marine influence
reaching this area also provides a wetter
climate than the surrounding Umpqua
Valley area. Thanks to its higher elevation,
the area generally enjoys a frost-free
growing season.
Soils
Red Hill Douglas County is dominated by
iron-rich, red volcanic Jory soils, which
were formed from ancient volcanic basalt
and consist of silt, clay and loam soils.
They are mostly deep and well drained to
the 15-foot depth.
Topography
Elevation in this area ranges from the
800-foot contour line to 1,200 feet, the
maximum elevation for quality grape
production. Geologically, Red Hill is
part of the Umpqua Formation, which
is composed of basalts similar to the
volcanic rocks on the Pacific Ocean floor.
It has many rising domes that give it an
undulating appearance.
Varieties Grown
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling.
Story by Rusty Savage
The Umpqua Valley AVA sits
between the Coast Range to the west,
the Cascade Range to the east, the
Willamette Valley to the north, and
the Rogue Valley to the south. It’s near
everything, and entirely unique.
The Umpqua Valley’s winegrowing
history dates back to the 1880s when
German immigrants who had worked
for the Beringer Bros., the oldest
continuously operating vineyard in
Napa, planted the first wine grape
vineyard in the Valley. In 1961, Richard
Sommer established HillCrest Vineyard
near Roseburg and sunk Oregon’s first
Pinot noir vines into the ground. Like
his Willamette Valley peers, he ignored
the pessimists in California who said
Oregon was too cold and wet to grow
Pinot. In fact, the Umpqua Valley has
one of Oregon’s more diverse regional
climates, successfully growing both
cool and warm varieties.
Post-prohibition, Richard Sommer
established HillCrest Vineyards near
Roseburg in 1961. He planted Oregon’s
first Pinot noir vines into the ground as
well as Riesling and small amounts of
other varieties, despite being told by his
California (Davis) cohorts that it was
impossible to successfully grow wine
grapes in Oregon. Obviously, they were
wrong.
Just eight years later, in 1969, Paul
Bjelland of Bjelland Vineyards founded
the Oregon Winegrowers Association
new wineries opened, including Henry
Estate, whose winemaker Scott Henry
developed his eponymous world-
famous trellis system, which increases
grape yield, among other benefits.
The northern area around the
town of Elkton enjoys a cool, marine-
influenced climate and receives around
50 inches (125 cm) of annual rainfall.
Pinot noir and other cool-climate
varieties thrive here. The central area
to the northwest of Roseburg, has an
intermediate climate where both cool
and warm varieties do well. The area
south of Roseburg is warmer and more
arid, similar to the Rogue and Applegate
Valleys to the south. Warm-climate
varieties, including Tempranillo, Syrah,
and Merlot thrive here. Growing season
temperatures vary dramatically from
north to south creating a gradient of
opportunity for winemakers and wine
drinkers.
The Elkton Oregon AVA is
the coolest and wettest region within
the larger Umpqua Valley AVA and
produces different varieties and
different wine styles than the rest of
the larger AVA. The northern area
around the town of Elkton enjoys a
cool, marine-influenced climate. The
Elkton Oregon AVA has a cooler, but
milder and longer growing season than
the rest of the Umpqua Valley AVA
and receives much more rain annually,
about 50 inches. Pinot noir and other
The Elkton Oregon AVA is
situated 33 miles (53 km) inland from
the Pacific Ocean. It is wholly within
the Umpqua Valley AVA, which in
turn lies within the larger Southern
Oregon AVA. Elkton Oregon is the
northernmost region in the Umpqua
Valley. The Umpqua River weaves
through the middle of the region,
offering a cool afternoon breeze during
the growing season.
Elkton Oregon vineyard soils are
predominantly residual clay, silt loam
soil, alluvial deposits and river terraces
around the meandering Umpqua River.
Clay soils retain water very well,
resulting in less of a need to irrigate and
lower yields.
In contrast to the rest of Southern
Oregon, wines produced from this
region are more often from cool climate
varieties made in a lusher style, fuller in
body with bolder fruit notes than those
produced in the Willamette Valley.
The future of Winegrowing
and production in The Elkton AVA and
this region are poised to experience
phenominal growth and consequence
to the entirety of the Wine industry,
not just in Oregon. As climate change
affects Europe and California, to it’s
detriment. The nature of our climate,
soil and terrain will contribute to the
quality, quantity and diversity of wine
to quench the thirst of markets, likely
world wide.
Secretary of State Launches Public Information Campaign for May Primary Election
With the May Primary Election right around the
corner, the Secretary of State’s Office is launching a public
information campaign aimed at providing Oregon voters
with accurate and trusted information about elections.
“False information is as prolific as ever, meaning it’s
more important than ever that Oregonians know where
to get accurate information from a trusted source,” said
Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. “Voting
in Oregon feels good, and this is just one way we’re
spreading the word.”
This campaign is part of a larger initiative
with the Secretary’s In Oregon, this campaign
includes: Continuing the success of our public service
announcements done in partnership with Happylucky,
a Portland-based design firm. These include animated
videos, radio spots, and graphics for print and social media
in the most commonly spoken languages in Oregon.
These PSAs are a fun way to inform voters with
accurate information from an official, trusted source. In
2022, the campaign generated a 259% increase in the
number of people visiting OregonVotes.gov. Research
shows this approach can limit the impact of false
information.
The latest PSA highlights all the ways we work to
keep elections accurate, safe, and secure. Previous PSAs
have shared information about closed primaries and the
postmark rule. The Elections Division encourages media
outlets to air these materials as part of the effort to combat
false information.
The Legislature allocated $150,000 for the 2024
PSA campaign. The Secretary of State’s Office is working
with Gard Communications on the PSAs, which launched
today.
A social media campaign designed to reach voters
with accurate information in easy to understand — and
easy to share — formats. You can follow the campaign on
the Election Division’s Facebook and Twitter.
The Elections Division continues to share plain
language information on how elections in Oregon
work and debunking common myths. The division’s
website, OregonVotes.gov, is the best source of accurate
information from a trusted source that strives to keep
Oregonians informed and answer any questions.
What you need to know about the May 2024 primary
election
The deadline to register to vote, update your voter
registration, or register with a political party is April 30,
2024.
Both the Republican and Democratic parties in
Oregon choose to hold closed primaries. That means
you won’t see those candidates on your ballot unless
you are a registered member of the party. Ballots will be
sent out starting May 1, 2024. Election Day is May 21,
2024. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. or postmarked
Story by Milo Banks
on this day to be counted. Return your ballot in the mail,
at a county clerk’s office, or at any of the secure, official
drop boxes available throughout the state. Your ballot
will be routed to the county in which you are registered
to vote for processing. The postmark rule, passed in 2021,
allows ballots postmarked on or before Election Day to
count even if they are received up to seven days later.
These ballots are not late — they were cast on time and
will be counted alongside every other vote cast before 8
p.m. on Election Day. For this reason, election results may
be delayed because it will take a few days for all the votes
to be counted. Preliminary results will be available on the
Secretary of State website starting at 8 p.m. on Election
Day. The last day for the Secretary to certify election
results is June 27, 2024.
The 2024 elections will be the most secure elections
in history. Learn all the ways we protect your vote at
OregonVotes.gov/Integrity.
Veterans Corner - Enjoying your Freedoms? Thank a Veteran!