IT’S A MIGHTY VINE LIFE! Reprinted from The Jacksonville Review
Stacy Van Voorhees
August 20, 2008
For those of you who are
put off by the perceived pretension and feel a bit behind the curve in the wine
world, take heed. My goal in this column is to pique your interest with plain
and simple language so you might approach this magical substance with curiosity
and confidence.
Why magical? Grapes have
all the tools they need to create wine with zero help. The sugars in the juice
meet the natural yeast in the skin, ferment and alacazam, wine. Primitive
stuff, perhaps, but the real deal.
My family and I are new
transplants to the Southern Rogue Valley. We were lured from New York City by
the drama of radical life change, adventure of the Oregon Trail and the
old-timey charm of Jacksonville.
I found Grape Goddess
Traute Moore of Quail Run Vineyards through Craigslist. Her dream of running a
Tasting Room after 20 years of growing the Valley’s finest grapes coincided
perfectly with my dream of beginning a new life chapter on the sunny west
coast.
Upon arrival, I was unaware
that Oregon wine was a thing, much less how complex, interesting and beautiful
a THING it really is. “Wine is wine”, I thought. You grow the grapes, crush the
grapes, barrel the juice, age it for a time, bottle it, put it on the shelves,
drink it and be happy. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Some have the land,
others grow the grapes, and others still have wineries. There are folks with no
land, grapes or wineries, but have savvy, and a knack for putting the right
people together. There are AVAs, clones, master migrant workers, grafts, good
molds, bad molds, bears, elevations, custom crushes, endless varietals, brix,
stelvin closures and the list goes on.
Vine and wine cultivation
in Southern Oregon has evolved tenfold in the past twenty years alone. We are
New World wine country for two reasons: Terroir and technology (which is for
another column).
Terroir (the-RAWHR) is a French
term, yes, pretentious concept, no. Simply, it pertains to the natural, earthly
elements that affect the roots, vines and grapes. Soil, Climate and Topography
comprise the holy trinity of Terroir.
Grapevines love bad dirt:
stones, clay, sand, limestone, chalk, silt, gravel. Not great for playing
Frisbee barefoot in your backyard, but great for water drainage, heating the plant
and holding up the vines. If the soil is good and fertile, insert vegetable
garden here. Grapes will develop rot, bugs and mildew that are obviously undesirable
notes in the flavor profile of your wine.
Grapes want hot and dry.
There are variations depending on the grape, Whites and some Reds prefer it a
bit cooler. But in general, warmth, sunlight and lack of water force the roots
to burrow deep to find it’s own water source and become self-sufficient. There
is suffering by the vine, it is hard, but the quest for greatness is rarely
easy.
Elevation, Slope and
Aspect are catchwords of Topography. Elevation aids airflow. The slope promotes
water drainage. Southern facing hillsides have the aspect / angle of choice for
the grapes. They are the ultimate sun worshippers.
There is debate as to
which element of Terroir most affects the vigor, health and flavor of the
vines, hence your wine. To me, the earth seems the most important. Without it,
it would be pretty difficult to plant anything, period.
To enjoy your wine, or any local, live food really, to its fullest extent, meet the dirt. With so many accessible vineyards in your backyards, it is an easy introduction to make. Take a tour, it lends a whole new perspective. A great organization to check out is THRIVE (The Rogue Initiative For A Vital Economy). They are having their Eat Local Week event this month from the 5th – 14th
(www.rogueflavor.com).
You can meet the makers of the valley’s most amazing bounty, wine and
otherwise.
As part of Eat Local Week
South Stage Cellars is having a “Viticulture is Sexy” event on Tuesday, Sept. 5th from 1-2. Vineyard manager Chris Hubert will delve into the dirt and teach you
about the true nature of the grapes. And Saturday, Sept. 20th SSC
(southstagecellars.com) is hosting a Quail Run Vineyard Tour & Winemaker
Dinner with Joe Dobbes. Call for more information 541-899-9120.
Get down to the nitty gritty, literally, and your wine savvy will soar. Very unpretentious
.
Next Month: It’s Harvest
Time!!