White Oak Orchard and Vineyard

From John, June 8th, 2021

Julian & Leila picking cider apples

One of the longtime strengths of the Oregon Wine Industry has been our parade of dynamic characters.  And Alan Foster, the owner of White Oak Orchard qualifies for this list.  Alan started planting one of the finest cider apple orchards in Western America in 1989 using budwood from Cornell University which was augmented along the way with material from England and Normandy.  He later added Perry Pears from the germ plasm repository in Corvallis as well as from old trees in Southern Oregon.

But Alan, as is his way, was far ahead of the curve and the market for fine English-style cider was weak.  So in 2006, he ripped out a portion of the trees (he says “not the best trees”) and planted just under 2 acres of Pinot noir and 2/3 of an acre of the noble Nebbiolo grape variety.  The soil at White Oak is marine sediment in origin so strikingly different from what is found at both Clos Electrique and Abbey Ridge.

For over 10 years Cameron has been buying all of Alan’s fruit for our Ribbon Ridge Pinot noir and part of our Nebbiolo blend.

When the tiny 2020 vintage arrived, our son Julian Paul decided that it was time to try making traditional cider and perry from Alan’s legendary cider orchard.  While the work is in progress as of this writing, we will soon be releasing Julian’s first creative endeavor in the world of cider.

Share This

Recent News & Rants

The Amazing 2021 Vintage

Every so often a vintage of exceptional quality and potential comes along to capture our
attention. 2021 wines, now available in the marketplace, come from just that kind of vintage!

There’s More... >
The 2023 Harvest

After a brilliant growing season with moderate temperatures, our 2023 wine is fermenting happily in barrels, amphorae and stainless steel tanks!

There’s More... >
The Hazards of Irrigation

Recent studies show that Oregon in is experiencing significant groundwater depletion. So what are we to do?

There’s More... >

... for anything your heart desires: a wine, a retailer, a rant, a newsletter, true love (if you’re not too picky). It’s all one convenient, global search away:

(or close this incredibly helpful search tool).