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There are hundreds of acres of hilly land in Douglas County, with gentle slopes to the south that are well adapted to grape culture. It is the belief of many viticulture specialists and farmers that the European grape varieties do better on elevated land and land that is not too rich.
There the grapes attain a finer and more prominent flavor, are less subject to mildew or decay, and the danger of injuries to vines by January frost is greatly reduced.
The preceding paragraphs read a little like my opening line to clients who are visiting the OSU Extension office and have an interest in finding land to start a vineyard. However, what makes those words most interesting is that they were written 105 years ago by Edward Von Pessl, and published in the Roseburg Review in January 1903. Early settlers to the Umpqua Valley in the 1880s experimented with table and wine grapes and had excellent results as they identified varieties suited to the climate of Southwestern Oregon.
The Von Pessl brothers and Adam Doerner were German immigrants who had worked in California at the Beringer Vineyard and Winery. They were responsible for bringing cuttings of European wine grapes to the Umpqua Valley to trial. The first wine grape varieties which proved successful were Riesling, and Sauvignon as well as Semillion, and one called Burgundy, which was believed to be pinot noir.
So why did all the vineyards and wineries disappear from the Umpqua Valley when early settlers were having success growing wine grapes? It seems prohibition forced wineries out of business and vineyard owners to sell grapes to homeowners. After the 1930s, local growers and wineries found their operations migrating to other crops that were in greater demand, such as prunes, melons and turkeys.
In the 1960s Richard Sommers started Hillcrest Winery in the Melrose area and the modern wine industry in Oregon began. Through the 1970s, Douglas County was the dominant wine grape producer in Oregon because vineyards could produce high quality grapes in our marvelous climate. However, over time the Willamette Valley became the predominant wine grape producer because it was closer to a large metropolitan area that fueled local demand for wine and because they found an excellent match between grape variety (pinot noir), climate and soil.
Favorable blind wine tasting results between Willamette Valley pinot noir and pinot noir from Burgundy, France, also gave a tremendous boost to new vineyard planting in the Willamette Valley.
So what is responsible for the current renaissance in the Umpqua Valley wine industry? It is my belief that growers are finding the true treasure of the Umpqua Valley, our climate and matching it with the right grape varieties. The Umpqua Valley is one of the few areas where warm and cool season wine grapes can grow to perfection depending on the site.
Serious wine critics and wine buyers are learning the Umpqua Valley of Oregon means pinot noir, tempranillo, syrah, Grenache, albarino and more.
Steve Renquist is the Horticulture Extension Agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 541-672-4461.
There the grapes attain a finer and more prominent flavor, are less subject to mildew or decay, and the danger of injuries to vines by January frost is greatly reduced.
The preceding paragraphs read a little like my opening line to clients who are visiting the OSU Extension office and have an interest in finding land to start a vineyard. However, what makes those words most interesting is that they were written 105 years ago by Edward Von Pessl, and published in the Roseburg Review in January 1903. Early settlers to the Umpqua Valley in the 1880s experimented with table and wine grapes and had excellent results as they identified varieties suited to the climate of Southwestern Oregon.
The Von Pessl brothers and Adam Doerner were German immigrants who had worked in California at the Beringer Vineyard and Winery. They were responsible for bringing cuttings of European wine grapes to the Umpqua Valley to trial. The first wine grape varieties which proved successful were Riesling, and Sauvignon as well as Semillion, and one called Burgundy, which was believed to be pinot noir.
So why did all the vineyards and wineries disappear from the Umpqua Valley when early settlers were having success growing wine grapes? It seems prohibition forced wineries out of business and vineyard owners to sell grapes to homeowners. After the 1930s, local growers and wineries found their operations migrating to other crops that were in greater demand, such as prunes, melons and turkeys.
In the 1960s Richard Sommers started Hillcrest Winery in the Melrose area and the modern wine industry in Oregon began. Through the 1970s, Douglas County was the dominant wine grape producer in Oregon because vineyards could produce high quality grapes in our marvelous climate. However, over time the Willamette Valley became the predominant wine grape producer because it was closer to a large metropolitan area that fueled local demand for wine and because they found an excellent match between grape variety (pinot noir), climate and soil.
Favorable blind wine tasting results between Willamette Valley pinot noir and pinot noir from Burgundy, France, also gave a tremendous boost to new vineyard planting in the Willamette Valley.
So what is responsible for the current renaissance in the Umpqua Valley wine industry? It is my belief that growers are finding the true treasure of the Umpqua Valley, our climate and matching it with the right grape varieties. The Umpqua Valley is one of the few areas where warm and cool season wine grapes can grow to perfection depending on the site.
Serious wine critics and wine buyers are learning the Umpqua Valley of Oregon means pinot noir, tempranillo, syrah, Grenache, albarino and more.
Steve Renquist is the Horticulture Extension Agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. He can be reached by e-mail at steve.renquist@oregonstate.edu or by phone at 541-672-4461.
