Can't see the Grapes for the Vineyards

At the recent Oregon Wine Awards in Portland a local winery, Ruestle Prayer Rock Vineyards won the Double Gold for the best Pinot Noir in the state. Yet there are many here in Roseburg that still don't realize that there is a rapidly growing wine
industry right here in their own back yards.


Case in Point: The Downtown Roseburg Wine and Art Walk. With 21 Umpqua Valley wineries currently to choose from, many of the businesses taking part in the Walk where pouring wine other than our local labels. Not only "outsider" wine, but cheap grocery store brands from as far away as Australia! It was an insult to our local wine makers!

These businesses completely missed the point. They do not understand that wine making is an art form in itself. It would be like going to Wal-Mart to purchase cheap framed artwork and displaying it as their contribution to Art in Roseburg.

I couldn't help thinking of someone, say from Portland, attending the event and wondering why the wine was from anywhere but the Umpqua Valley.
Maybe they thought we just don't produce fine wine here.


How are we ever going to present ourselves as a world-class wine region if the locals are "promoting" cheap wine from Australia.