Oregon Wine Industry History

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INDUSTRY HISTORY

Transcript of Oregon Wine Industry History

Page 1: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORY

Page 2: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

Oregon seemed inhabited by folks who often were of a stubbornly independent and even

renegade character, never quite convinced of the perceived wisdoms and blessings of the wider

world... all remaining in or coming to Oregon to seek or pursue some insistent, uncontrollable

and potentially soul-wrecking passion.

- CHANG-RAE LEEFood & Wine

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

HENDERSON LUELLING

Image: Oregon Historical Society

1847Oregon Trail pioneer Henderson Luelling

brings his wife, eight children and several

dozen varieties of fruit plantings from Iowa

to the Oregon Territory, including Oregon’s

first recorded grape plantings.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

PETER BRITT

Image: Southern Oregon Historical Society

1854Peter Britt, a Swiss immigrant who has

come to be known as the “father of the

Southern Oregon fruit industry,” establishes

the Northwest’s first winery, Valley View,

in Jacksonville.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1859More than 50 years after Lewis and Clark

arrived at the Oregon Coast, Oregon

becomes the Union’s 33rd state.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

Image: David Hill Winery, The Oregonian

ERNEST REUTER

OREGON TEMPERANCE WORKERS

Early 1900sForest Grove winemaker Ernest Reuter wins silver for

his Riesling at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the first

award given to an Oregon winemaker.

In 1916, zealous Oregon voters pass Prohibition four

years before it takes effect nationally. Reuter’s vines

are torn out to plant fruit trees and potatoes.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

OWNER MARY REINKE AT THE STATE FAIR, ca. 1960

HONEYWOOD WINERY NOW PRODUCES PREMIUM VINIFERA WINES IN ADDITION TO AN EXTENSIVE

SELECTION OF FRUIT WINES

Image: Honeywood Winery

1933Shortly after the U.S. Congress repeals

the Eighteenth Amendment, John Wood

and Ron Honeyman receive bonded

winery status for Honeywood Winery

in Salem, Oregon’s oldest continuously

operating winery.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1960sThe modern era of Oregon wine is born.

Lett and Coury had been told the rain would wash them out, they would

grow fungus between their toes, it would rot their clothes off, and there

was no way in hell they would be able to grow great grapes up here.

-MYRON REDFORDAmity Vineyards

Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place

Pictured: David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1961After a long dry spell following Prohibition,

Richard Sommer launches the modern era

of Oregon winegrowing with plantings at

HillCrest Vineyard in the Umpqua Valley.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1965Defying conventional wisdom, but

convinced that Burgundian varieties were

better suited to Oregon than California,

UC Davis classmates David Lett and

Charles Coury separately make their way

to Oregon and root the first Pinot noir

vines in the Willamette Valley.

DAVID LETT CHRISTENS HIS FIRST PINOT NOIR PLANTINGS

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive / The Eyrie Vineyards

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1967Back in the Umpqua Valley,

Sommer bottles his first “crop of any

consequence,” resulting in Oregon’s

first vintage of Pinot noir.

RICHARD SOMMER SAMPLES HIS 1967 PINOT NOIR

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1970sIntrepid pioneers plant roots and begin to get noticed.

My mom always likes to say, 'There was Paris in the '20s

and there was McMinnville in the '70s.' There was definitely

a feeling here there was something cool afoot.

-JASON LETTSecond-generation winemaker at The Eyrie Vineyards

Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place

INDUSTRY HISTORY

Pictured: Frank Wisnovsky of Valley View Winery

Oregon Wine Board

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

Images: Oregon Wine History Archive

DAVID AND GINNY ADELSHEIM,

ADELSHEIM VINEYARDS

DICK ERATH, ERATH WINERY

PAT AND JOE CAMPBELL,

ELK COVE VINEYARDS

NANCY AND DICK PONZI,

PONZI VINEYARDS

BILL BLOSSER AND SUSAN SOKOL BLOSSER,

SOKOL BLOSSER WINERY

DAVID AND DIANA LETT,

THE EYRIE VINEYARDS

Early 1970sThe Willamette Valley's now-famous founders were once

intrepid explorers - the Erath, Sokol Blosser, Adelsheim,

Campbell and Ponzi families establish their first vineyards.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1972The Wisnovsky family revives Peter Britt’s

historic property, establishing the first

commercial vineyard and winery in

Jackson County. The family honored

Britt’s legacy by retaining the original

name of Valley View.

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive / Valley View Winery

FRANK WISNOVSKY AND HIS SON MIKE WITH NEW PLANTINGS

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1973Oregon Senate Bill 100, the Land

Conservation and Development Act,

passes, protecting agricultural land from

suburban sprawl.

Thanks to forward-thinkers from the

blossoming Oregon wine industry, hillsides

perfect for wine grapes were included in

the protection.

Image: oregon.gov

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

Image: Unknown

1975Trendy Portland restaurant L’Omelette

is the first to introduce an Oregon

section on its wine list, curated by then-

sommelier David Adelsheim.

L’OMELETTE OFFERED FINE FRENCH DINING IN PORTLAND

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1977Oregon’s winemakers join together to

propose adoption of the strictest wine-

labeling regulations in the country. These

innovative regulations protect the purity

of variety and source of wines produced

in Oregon.

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1979Stunning results come in from the Gault-

Millau Wine Olympiad in Paris: The Eyrie

Vineyards 1975 South Block Reserve Pinot

noir places in the top 10 in a blind tasting

among the finest Burgundies.

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1980sA community grows and thrives.

In the '80s there was a big surge of new people coming into the

industry and they needed help and we wanted them to have help.

We wanted things to be planted properly and them to plant the

proper grapes. We wanted them to improve the quality because one

flaw on a wine in the market would reflect on the whole industry.

-DICK PONZIPonzi Vineyards

Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place

Pictured: clockwise from bottom left: Joe Campbell, Bill Blosser, Don Byard, Myron Redford, Dick Erath, Fred Arterberry, Fred Benoit, David Lett, David Adelsheim

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1980Burgundian vigneron Robert Drouhin

sponsors a blind tasting rematch of

the 1979 Olympiad, reconfirming the

evaluation of The Eyrie Vineyards 1975

Pinot noir.

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1980The inaugural Steamboat Conference takes

place with winemakers convening to learn

from each other, share best practices, offer

constructive critiques and “improve the

breed” of Pinot noir. This event, held in the

Umpqua Valley, has become an annual

tradition and celebration of Oregon’s spirit

of collaboration.

Image: Steamboat Pinot Noir Conference

WINEMAKERS SHARE IDEAS AT A RECENT STEAMBOAT CONFERENCE

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1980Fourth-generation farmer Casey McClellan

helps his dad plant Seven Hills Vineyard,

one of the first commercial vineyards in the

Walla Walla Valley.

Image: Seven Hills Winery

CASEY MCCLELLAN IN THE VINEYARD, 1987

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1982When Umpqua Valley vintner H. Scott

Henry notices a rapid decline in fruit

quality in his vineyard, he takes matters

into his own hands and designs an

innovative vine-trellising system to give

grapes greater sun exposure. The Scott

Henry Trellis System is soon adopted by

vineyards around the world.

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive

SCOTT HENRY AND HIS TRELLIS SYSTEM, 2013

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1982Lonnie Wright purchases and revives

The Pines, a century-old Zinfandel

vineyard on the Oregon side of the

Columbia Gorge, sparking a rebirth in

winegrowing in that region.

Image: The Pines 1852 Vineyard and Winery

LONNIE WRIGHT AND HIS SON, LEE

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1983Nine Willamette Valley vintners get

together to form the Yamhill County

Wineries Association and open their

winery doors for the first “Thanksgiving

Weekend in Wine Country,” now a

beloved tradition.

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive

FOUNDING MEMBERS OF YAMHILL COUNTY WINERIES ASSOCIATION

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1983The Willamette Valley is officially “on the

map,” approved as Oregon’s first American

Viticultural Area.

In recognition of the marketing and research

needs of a growing industry, Oregon's winemakers and grapegrowers

petition to establish the Oregon Wine Advisory Board (now the Oregon

Wine Board). To fund it, they elect to levee a $25/ton tax on themselves, the

largest wine industry tax in the world at that time.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1984The Umpqua Valley becomes the first AVA in

Southern Oregon to gain approval.

Two AVAs spanning the Oregon-Washington

border are established: The Columbia Valley

and the Walla Walla Valley.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1985Expert judges pick Willamette Valley Pinot

noirs as the top three wines at the Burgundy

Challenge, conceived by confident Oregon

winemakers and hosted at the International

Wine Center in New York.

Wine Spectator and The New York Times

pick up the story of Oregon’s success.

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1987The inaugural International Pinot Noir

Celebration (IPNC) takes place, gathering

Pinot noir producers and lovers from all

over the world. Now, more than 1,000

people gather each year to celebrate

their favorite grape.

Image: Adelsheim Vineyards

AN EARLY IPNC GATHERING AT DAVID ADELSHEIM’S PERSONAL RESIDENCE

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1988Following the 1987 purchase of 30 acres

of land in the Dundee Hills by the highly

respected Drouhin family of Burgundy,

France, Veronique Drouhin makes Domaine

Drouhin Oregon’s first vintage.

Image: The Drouhin Family

VERONIQUE DROUHIN AT YET-TO-BE-COMPLETED DOMAINE DROUHIN OREGON

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

Pictured: Earl and Hilda Jones of Abacela

1990sThe industry takes action to sustain resources for the future.

INDUSTRY HISTORY

Oregon has been a wonderful example of what an industry can do

to make a living, increase the prestige of the state, bring money

into the state and keep the land healthy at the same time.

-NANCY PONZIPonzi Vineyards

Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place

Oregon Wine Board

Page 32: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1990 Ponzi Vineyards 1987 Reserve Pinot noir

receives Oregon’s first recognition on Wine

Spectator’s annual Top 100 list.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1991 In recognition of some of the most

important people in the industry, 18

Oregon wineries join forces to plan the

annual ¡Salud! Wine Barrel Auction,

raising funds to provide free healthcare to

migrant vineyard workers.

Image: Oregon Wine History Archive

LEDA GARSIDE TAKES THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF A MAN AT A ¡SALUD! CLINIC

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1995 After searching for the best Tempranillo

terroir in the U.S., Earl and Hilda Jones

decide on the Umpqua Valley to plant

their Abacela vineyard and Oregon's first

Tempranillo vines.

Image: Abacela

EARL AND HILDA JONES AT THEIR NEW VINEYARD

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1996 Oregon’s wine industry enters an age of

formalizing its environmentally friendly

practices as Sokol Blosser becomes the first

winery certified as “Salmon-Safe.” This third-

party certification promotes products made

without pesticides or causing runoff that

would harm salmon.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1997 A group of Oregon vintners join up to

form eco-certification LIVE (Low Impact

Viticulture and Enology). Today, nearly

300 Oregon wineries and vineyards

have commited to meeting third-party

certification of their sustainability practices.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

1999 Cooper Mountain Vineyards becomes

Oregon's first Demeter Certified

Biodynamic® winery, a practice that entails

a holistic view of treating the entire farm

as a living organism.

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

Oregon is finally fulfilling its vast potential.

-ROBERT M. PARKER, JR.

2000sOregon solidifies its place on the world's stage while keeping true to its roots.

INDUSTRY HISTORY

Pictured: Bergström Harvest Team, Image: CWK Photography

Oregon Wine Board

Page 39: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2001 The Portland urban winemaking scene is

born in an inner southeast industrial park,

as Renee Neely and Laurie Lewis launch

Hip Chicks Do Wine in an old warehouse.

There are now nearly twenty wineries

operating within Portland.

Image: Joshua Chang / PDX Urban Wineries

URBAN WINEMAKERS IN PORTLAND

Page 40: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2002 Eco-friendly Carlton Winemakers Studio

opens, embracing the Oregon spirit of

collaboration as the state's first co-op

winery facility. There are currently 13

winemakers working at the Studio.

Image: Clay McLachlan

CARLTON WINEMAKERS STUDIO

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2002 Oregon's largest winery, King Estate,

achieves organic certification for the

entirety of its estate vineyards - all 465

acres of them.

Image: King Estate Winery

KING ESTATE WINERY

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2004Winegrowers around the state continue to

define their regions' distinctive traits and

establish AVAs:

• Southern Oregon AVA is established, encompassing the previously

authorized regions of the Umpqua, Rogue and Applegate Valleys.

• The Columbia Gorge AVA is established, joining the Columbia Valley

and Walla Walla Valley as winegrowing regions shared with Oregon’s

northern neighbor Washington.

OREGON IN CONTEXT

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2006In 2002, winegrowers in the Willamette

Valley collaborated to submit their

applications for six new AVAs together in

a single envelope in an act of collegiality

and respect for each other's unique

characteristics.

By 2006, all six north Willamette Valley

AVAs are approved.

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DUNDEE HILLS

CHEHALEM MOUNTAINS

EOLA-AMITY HILLS

YAMHILL-CARLTON

WILLAMETTE VALLEY SUB-AVA PETITION AUTHORS, MARCH 15, 2002

Image: David Adelsheim

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2007As the industry's footprint grows, 14 of

Oregon's largest wineries join forces with

the Oregon Environmental Council to kick

off the Carbon Neutral Challenge, the wine

industry's first carbon reduction program

in the U.S.

TASTING ROOM AT STOLLER, THE WORLD'S FIRST LEED GOLD CERTIFIED WINEMAKING FACILITY

Image: Mike Haverkate

Page 45: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2009One of Oregon's biggest wineries,

Willamette Valley Vineyards, promotes

sustainable practices by partnering with

Cork ReHarvest to launch a nationwide

cork recycling program.

CORK FARM, PORTUGAL

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INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2010Oregonians begin enjoying wines on tap.

This fresh, environmentally friendly twist

on by-the-glass wine saves 39 bottles

with a single keg. In 2013, the Oregon

wine industry was the first in the nation

to convince state legislature to allow

consumers to take their favorites home in

growlers, similar to craft beers.

COOPERS HALL WINERY AND TAPROOM, OREGON'S ONLY EXCLUSIVE KEG PRODUCTION WINERY

Image: Dina Avila and Heidi Hoffman / Coopers Hall

Page 47: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2012Governor Kitzhaber proclaims May as Oregon

Wine Month in recognition of the wine

industry's importance to the state's economic

growth. Today, the industry contributes $3.35

billion to the state economy, and Oregon

Wine Month is an annual celebration of the

world-class wines grown here.

Page 48: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2014A to Z Wineworks, Oregon's largest wine

producer, becomes the first B Corp certified

winery in the world, cementing their

commitment to socially and environmentally

responsible business practices.

Image: CWK Photography

THE A TO Z WINEWORKS TEAM CELEBRATES THEIR NEW B CORP STATUS

Page 49: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2014The release of the 2012 vintage earns

Oregon winemakers winespread critical

acclaim. Wine Enthusiast honors Ken

Wright Cellars 2012 Abbott Claim Vineyard

Pinot noir as its 2014 Wine of the Year.

Image: RJ Studio

Page 50: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2015Joel Palmer House in Dayton, Oregon is

named the inaugural Oregon Wine A-List

Wine Program of the Year.

Image: Evrim Icoz Photography

OWNER AND CHEF CHRIS CZARNECKI, JOEL PALMER HOUSE

The Oregon Wine A-List Awards

recognize restaurants across the

world displaying enthusiasm for

Oregon wine and its diverse regions,

varieties and producers.

Page 51: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board

2016Recent blockbuster vintages have

produced what critics and winemakers

alike are calling “Oregon’s Golden Era,”

in which quality is at an all-time high,

demand comes from around the globe,

and our community is as strong as ever.

Image: Andrea Johnson

SOKOL BLOSSER CELEBRATES THE OPENING OF ITS NEW TASTING ROOM IN 2013

Page 52: Oregon Wine Industry History

INDUSTRY HISTORYOregon Wine Board INDUSTRY HISTORY

There was a much higher calling than trying to imitate some other place, and that goal was to figure out who we wanted to be for ourselves

and what it was that we could do that nobody else in the world could do.

-DAVID ADELSHEIM Adelsheim Vineyard

Oregon Wine: Grapes of Place

Pictured: Sokol Blosser team, Image: Andrea Johnson

Oregon Wine Board