Posted on Apr 2, 2023
How chardonnay reflects Oregon’s changing wine scene
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As the sun rises over a steep south-facing slope on the eastern side of the Eola-Amity Hills, workers arrive in dusty cars, minivans and SUVs. As though responding to an invisible signal, they mobilize, five-gallon buckets and shears in hand, delicately snipping and grabbing clusters of small translucent green grapes.
It’s a familiar setting across the Willamette Valley’s premiere vineyards: elevation high enough to cool off each night, slopes angled to catch each photon of the daytime sun, and row upon row of gnarled vines growing grapes that were first developed in the Burgundy region of France.
It’s a familiar setting across the Willamette Valley’s premiere vineyards: elevation high enough to cool off each night, slopes angled to catch each photon of the daytime sun, and row upon row of gnarled vines growing grapes that were first developed in the Burgundy region of France.
How chardonnay reflects Oregon’s changing wine scene
Posted from opb.org
Wine
Wine Making
Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."They make their way back to their vehicles and are soon on their way to the next of three picks they have scheduled for the day.
The grapes travel by flatbed truck up a steep gravel road to Martin’s home and winery in McMinnville, where he immediately presses them and stores the juice in large white plastic vats, where it starts to ferment.
Martin will eventually transfer some of the juice to barrels made of Oregon oak, where it will evolve and transform under his careful eye.
Oregon still produces about 10 times as much pinot noir as chardonnay but just as winemakers transform each season’s grapes into new libations, so they are transforming Oregon’s reputation.
More space is opening up for a huge range of varietals and styles, says Ball. “Oregon is a really big state. It’s a really big place with a lot of pockets that are still to be discovered.”
..."They make their way back to their vehicles and are soon on their way to the next of three picks they have scheduled for the day.
The grapes travel by flatbed truck up a steep gravel road to Martin’s home and winery in McMinnville, where he immediately presses them and stores the juice in large white plastic vats, where it starts to ferment.
Martin will eventually transfer some of the juice to barrels made of Oregon oak, where it will evolve and transform under his careful eye.
Oregon still produces about 10 times as much pinot noir as chardonnay but just as winemakers transform each season’s grapes into new libations, so they are transforming Oregon’s reputation.
More space is opening up for a huge range of varietals and styles, says Ball. “Oregon is a really big state. It’s a really big place with a lot of pockets that are still to be discovered.”
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