One Man's Vision

It was a true honor to attend the memorial for Richard Sommer yesterday afternoon at the winery that he created back in 1961. Several hundred people came to pay homage to this remarkable man. He seemed to have touched so many in all his interests which appeared to be anything outdoors. From hiking the mountains to snapshots of native plants, to planting the very first Pinot Noir in the State of Oregon.

Let me repeat that: He planted the very first Pinot Noir vines right here in the Umpqua Valley. And we all know that today just a short 48 years later, Pinot Noir is Oregon's calling card. Begs the question of what will the Umpqua Valley look like in another 50 years??

Well, let's see. There will be a huge split between "Corporate Wine" and "Artisan Wine". This already exists to a large part in areas like Napa Valley, compared to our own wine region which is still exclusively family-owned. Wine is a world-wide commodity and will continue to grow in a division between "grocery store wine" which is controlled by massive distribution corporations that control 90% of what you find on the shelf, and the small case lot winery producing local wines.

Our region is truly the last of the premium wine growing areas in the U.S. This is not by accident. The corporate model demands large tracks of acreage to produce as many tons of grapes as possible. Quality takes a back seat to quantity. The corporate winery produces a "cocktail wine" made up of 100 or more adjuncts (stuff you throw in the wine)to give you the same wine year after year. Thankfully our terrain works against this model. Therefore, the small grower/winemaker will continue to survive here.

I feel our destiny is to become a mecca for wine enthusiasts that are regecting the formula wines of the corporation. And more importantly we will be able to offer a complete array of wine varietals that most current regions can not. We will become more and more unique in the fine wine world. Lucky you if you're just starting your wine journey!!