Hello friends, I have been known to talk about how collaborative and collegial the Oregon wine industry is and one of the great examples of that collaboration is in just a couple of weeks, the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC).  This is even more so because the wineries are international. Some of the greatest winemakers in the world will be in Oregon July 26 – 28 to host a weekend of events that include seminars, great tastings, winery visits, great lunches, dinners (including the world famous Salmon Bake), and other activities. I know it’s short notice but if you’ve never been or if you haven’t been in a while you should come. Struggling to come up with a great anniversary, birthday, or other gift for your significant other? This is it. So many of the people you’ve wanted to meet in the wine industry will be here so this may just be the year your dream of becoming best friends with a favorite winemaker, writer, Somm, or influencer could come true (I should say it will definitely come true). Looking for a way to use those airline miles?  I think we found your reason. And, as a Winderlea customer, use discount code Winderlea20 and you’ll save 20% on Day Passes and Passport To Pinot!

And, this year, you can experience IPNC a la carte! There are still a few whole weekend tickets available, or what we think of as “3 Days of Magic”; in addition, if you want to spend a single day at IPNC you can now purchase a Day Pass for Friday or Saturday (including the Grand Seminar, Lunch on the Lawn and University of Pinot seminar), or the Salmon Bake on Saturday evening, the Sparkling Brunch on Sunday morning, or Passport To Pinot on Sunday afternoon. We’ll probably see you at one or more of the events.
See you then.  More later…

Before I start I just want to assure all of you that Donna has not yet replaced me with AI (well, at least not these blurbs.). Some of the most gratifying work I am doing these days is as a Board member for the Willamette Valley Wine Foundation (the Foundation) a creation of the Willamette Valley Winegrowers Association. Not only is it another great example of collaboration in the wine industry, the work we are doing is also collaborative; bringing together organizations in affordable housing, daycare, early childhood education, professional development, and healthcare to create holistic residential communities. I do not have nearly enough space to cover the Foundation’s work in this paragraph but encourage you to visit our website to learn more.  Cheers.

I am writing this on July 2nd and if John Adams had his way this would be the day we Americans celebrate our independence. On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, formally voted to approve Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee’s June 7 motion calling for independence. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence largely written by Thomas Jefferson, also of Virginia. Adams, it is said, felt so strongly we should be celebrating July 2nd that he would turn down invitations to appear at 4th of July events. I can relate to the great man’s stubbornness. Adams and Jefferson would both pass away fifty years later on July 4, 1826. in 1781, Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday and In 1870, Congress made the date a Federal holiday. Over the centuries, July 4th has been not only a celebration of our Independence but also of our unity and I hope it will always be so. For more history of July 4th, look here.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our Dundee Hills Vineyards, Bill reflects on the history of farming the vineyard and how the vineyard has changed over the years. Watch as Bill shares with you about how the vineyard is laid out and why it is set up the way that it is.

This time of year much of our conversation revolves around the milestones of the growing season, what we often refer to as phenological dates. We’ve talked about one of them already; bud break. If you follow Oregon wineries on social media, you’ve no doubt already seen that we are now excitedly in the throes of bloom or flowering which typically occurs about 4 to 6 weeks later. The flower clusters, or inflorescence are hermaphroditic and do not require pollinators. About half these flowers will set and become fruit. It’s a vulnerable time in the life of a grape and several factors can determine how much fruit we have to work with. As you might imagine, frost is not our friend during this time and while it is not usually a big factor in the Willamette Valley, it is still a risk. Wind, rain, temperature, and lack of water or nutrients can also play a role. While it is a time of great optimism and anticipation in the valley, it is a cautious optimism. Once fruit is set we’ll have a better sense of how the vintage is shaping up. Until then we both celebrate and bite our nails a bit. More later…

A lot of mornings when I wake up at 6:00 am there is already a car in the parking area behind the house. Last night, that car was still there at 8:00 pm. It’s not that unusual when we are spraying the vineyard that the tractor operator tries to get the job done in one day if possible. This is just one of the many jobs that are performed by vineyard stewards throughout the Willamette Valley. It’s not unusual for them to be working in the cold rain or the sweltering sun. The grapes we grow to make the wine in your glass would be impossible without them. We are grateful for the work they do as we are for the organizations that support them. iSalud! provides healthcare to vineyard stewards and their families and AHIVOY offers them professional development so they can grow in their careers. We are happy to have the opportunity to support their work and the people we depend on. You’ll read more about them below.  More later…

We don’t use a lot of advanced monitoring technology on our vineyards. We’re a bit analog when it comes to farming; really, is there anything more elementarily analog than cow poop?  We do have two bits of technology that, usually, give me a great deal of comfort. The first, our weather station (which I think we’ve discussed in the past) helps us to monitor temperature, rainfall, etc. It can be very comforting when the forecast is for freezing weather overnight during bud break and the monitor shows that on our vineyards the temperature stayed above freezing. Another tool we use is powdery mildew spore traps. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease and is one of the biggest problems winegrowers encounter. It is one of the most common reasons we spray our vineyards and pay so much attention to vine canopy management. I receive reports on the status of powdery mildew on the vineyard twice a week. Typically, we see a zero (0) next to the vineyard name but once in a while a red number pops up telling us we have trapped spores. It’s almost always a small enough number that it is not cause for concern, but it gets our attention nonetheless. It also reminds us what a fantastic job our vineyard stewards on the Results Partners team does for us and that gives us comfort too.  More later.

“If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute,” or something like it has been attributed to both Mark Twain and Will Rogers (somehow, I thought it was Ben Franklin), but it turns out the source of the saying is unknown.  And, that’s probably why so many regions claim it as their own. Donna and I have lived in more than a few places and in each one of them that quote has been shared with us as if it were homegrown. I will claim on behalf of those of us who live in the Willamette Valley, that it is true here as well. The weather app on our phones seems a kindly suggestion and we all know that, as a result, it’s best to wear layers. This time of year especially, as we transition from Spring to Summer and our vineyard work picks up momentum, we watch the skies even more than our phones to ascertain the weather, at least for the next few hours. We are fortunate to have a hillside view of the valley and can watch the weather come in. As I am out spraying our Biodynamic® preps, I find myself looking over my shoulder to the valley below. Will the weather hold? Sometimes a few hours is all we need. More later…

Commemorating Memorial Day has come to take on many forms and traditions over the past 156 years.  Americans began to recognize Memorial Day in 1868, and the country established it as a federal holiday in 1971.  Originally known as “Decoration Day,” the holiday started with communities coming together to decorate the graves and honor all of those who those who died during military service to America.

When our nieces and nephews (now in their 30’s) were young and our parents were all still living, Donna and I lived in a small town in a house across from one of the oldest cemeteries in Massachusetts.  It contains the resting places of people who died in almost every if not every war our country has seen.  Commemorating the day with our nieces and nephews at the parade and memorial service at the cemetery was a moving experience that tied us to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  Afterward, we would cross the street to our home and share a meal with our loved ones trying my best not to embarrass myself by incinerating the meat on the grill.

Memorial Day also heralds the coming season of summer and outdoor celebration.  There was a time when people held tight to the fashion rules about white shoes, pants, and belts but that is less true now.  It heralds the season of sunshine and warmth and a lighter feel to life.  As wine lovers it is the season of chilled white wine, Rosé, and lighter red wines.  As we look forward to these lighter days, we first toast the women and men who gave their lives in service to our country.  Here here…

When you think about a great place to live, what comes to mind? I think this is a moving target; at different times in our lives we desire different things. When we are raising kids schools are very important. When we are empty nesters, maybe not so much. I think about this more and in different ways since I moved in to a farming community. The desire to maintain agricultural land for agriculture has a very powerful draw. At the same time, I recognize that my tasting room is a legal exception to agricultural land use. The question, as with many things, is where do the lines get drawn. More and more I am drawn to the idea of vibrant cities and towns where people live, work, and play surrounded by farms with few if any commercial exceptions. I am also becoming more, “Mode of transportation agnostic.,” with regard to urban design. This is the idea that we plan cities and towns that are livable and which do not give preference to one form of transportation over another.  Currently we design for cars. That probably explains the half dozen strip malls that have sprung up in the dozen miles between our home and Route 5 since we moved here. I like both cities and the country. The combination of thriving towns with shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions close to the farms that connect us to our food (and wine) feels near perfect to me. How about for you? What attracts you to a place? Let me know your thoughts.  More later…