De-Vine Couples: Lena Varner & David Traul of Ledger David Cellars – by MJ Daspit
LENA VARNER AND DAVID TRAUL, the couple behind the Ledger David label, were literally operating together long before their dream of having a vineyard and producing wine became a reality. In 1999 David, a vascular surgeon, moved to Southern Oregon and met ...
The Grape in Your Glass: Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier at Daisy Creek Vineyards – by MJ Daspit
For this installment in our series about distinctive varietals that thrive in Southern Oregon, the focus is on three white wine grapes that appear together so often that aficionados refer to them in one fell swoop as ‘MRV.’ Marsanne, Roussanne and Vio...
A Year in the Life: Winter in the Wine Scene – by MJ Daspit
The rush of harvest is over. The crush pad is idle. The bird netting is rolled up and put away. The vines stand naked under a leaden sky and the only apparent activity is a hawk circling overhead. But as Wine Scene found out from Dan Marca, owner of DANCI...
De-Vine Couples: Greg & Debbie Schultz – by MJ Daspit
THE DAY I SPOKE TO GREG AND DEBBIE SCHULTZ, the pair had started out early with a morning run. That’s actually the way they first met, in a club for runners back in Baton Rouge. The big difference, on this morning in 2018, is that they run through their...
The Grape in Your Glass: Cliff Creek Cellars Syrah – by MJ Daspit
The very first Syrah ever produced by Cliff Creek Cellars, the 2003 vintage crafted by Joe Dobbes, made a big splash at the 2005 World of Wine—today’s Oregon Wine Experience—by winning Best of Show only two weeks after it was bottled. Ruth Garvin, C...
Oregon Solidarity – by MJ Daspit
As many readers may recall, last summer’s smoky conditions in the Rogue Valley resulted in the cancellation of a California winery’s fruit contracts with several local vineyards. Lab tests did not support fears of wide-spread smoke taint, but the buye...
De-Vine Couple: Julie and Eric Weisinger – by MJ Daspit
In 2010, Julie Hall, (her maiden name) a teacher in the Yreka, California School District, moved to Ashland for the cultural offerings, the scenic beauty and the Ashland vibe. At the same time, Eric Weisinger, who had decided to broaden his experience bey...
The Grape in Your Glass: Pinot Gris – by MJ Daspit
Pinot Gris is one of the seldom seen, when speaking of US wine grape varieties. Other than a small group of producers in Oregon and minor plantings in the Napa Valley and Monterey, there isn’t substantial vineyard acreage of Pinot Gris in the United Sta...
A Year in the Life of a Winery: Harvest – by MJ Daspit
HARVEST MAKES US THINK OF PICKING DEEP PURPLE, LUSCIOUSLY-RIPE BUNCHES OF GRAPES. It’s the joyous time of gathering-in, reaping the fruits of a season’s work in the vineyard. The grower, who has spent sleepless nights worrying about frost, and long da...
De-Vine Couple: Rob & Jolee Wallace of Del Rio Vineyards – by MJ Daspit
COMING FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WITH NINE GENERATIONS OF FAMILY IN AGRICULTURE, you’d have to say Rob and Jolee Wallace had deep roots in California farming. So what made them opt for viticulture in Oregon? Had they dreamed of owning a vineyard and wine...