Archive for the ‘Winery News’ Category
Silent Fall
One of our fall rituals has traditionally been battling songbirds, who arrive in the vineyard en masse in October to feast on our newly ripened grapes. But climate change and catastrophes in our environment have started to take their toll on our feathered friends. This year there was no need for bird deterrents, large migrations of robins and cedar waxwings over our vineyard seem to have disappeared.
Cameron Spritz Rosé
Recently, my friend Bill had an idea about how to fight global warming. He figured if we could take the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and cram it into our wine, it would be safely […]
A Natural Wine Begins in the Vineyard
The quality of a wine has everything to do with the health of the vines from whence that wine comes. And the mileau within which the vines grow has everything to do with that health.
Press
Wine Enthusiast, November 2023: Why Oregon Winemakers Are Embracing Dry Farming
Oregonian/Oregon Live, November 2023: deep roots coalition unleashes a river of wine at annual Portland tasting event
JancisRobinson.com, February 2023: Oregon’s ‘drc’ – Deep Roots […]
What Makes a Vintage Fabulous?
Whenever a vintage like 2012 gives us beautiful fruit to vinify, discussion often revolves around “why?”. The truth lies in the vagaries of the weather. A tiny crop due to unusually warm spring weather resulted in wines of high intensity. Cool autumn nights preserved acidity while warm daytime temperatures resulted in grapes with perfect ripeness. While the intensity on these young wines makes them seem a bit “un-Pinot noir-like”, they will show their mettle as they age. Because the 2012 vintage is exceedingly small, don’t hesitate to invest in it now.
Summer on the Tractor
It is 5 a.m. The eastern sky is showing that a new day will soon be upon us. The tractor is in place, sprayer attached, ready to roll. It is time to get up and continue my summer battle to prevent mildew in the vineyard..
THE THING ABOUT RAIN
Wine, especially local wine, provides an embodiment of the relationship between man and the weather around him. 2011 was a cool summer with a wet autumn and very late harvest and the wines reflect that. 2012, remember that heat in August? That was followed by a little rain in early September to recover the vines and picture-perfect harvest and the wines reflect that. The wines are in essence a picture of the year that was, and how fun is that?!
Think pink!
Given the present enthusiasm over pink wines, it is hard to believe that there was a time in the very recent past when my best bet at selling pink wine was to put a picture of Ché Guevera on the front label and call the wine “Vino Pinko”. Now, thankfully, that has all changed.
Cameron Presents: the birds and the bees
It is said that healthy farms maintain a balance between plants and animals. Because of the birds and bees (and a few cloven hoofed species) our vineyard requires minimal input of nutrition from outside. This is in essence the definition of “sustainable.”
Vintage 2012
Another vintage under my belt; I have lost track of how many, but in a world that lives on comparisons and analogies, I know that this is one is special.
