Veni, Vidi, Viticulture

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Grapes use less water and chemical sprays making them a good neighbor.Bob Pennell

July 13, 2008

By Paul Fattig

Mail Tribune

Vineyards are popping up in Jackson and Josephine counties faster than corks at a wine-tasting convention.

Consider this: In 1996 there were 53 vineyards in the region covering 637 acres, according to the Southern Oregon Winery Association. By 2005, there were 102 vineyards on 1,831 acres. Grape production mushroomed from 868 tons to 3,490 tons.

And the number of local wineries has more than doubled from a little over two dozen in that short span.

But you ain't seen nothing yet, predicts Michael Donovan, managing director of RoxyAnn Winery in Medford.

"The 50 to 60 wineries we have now will probably become 100 wineries in less than five years," he said. "We will also probably see a 50 to 100-percent increase in vineyard land, as well.

"Growth has been exponential," he said. "Right here at RoxyAnn, we started with 22 acres of vineyards in 1997. By the end of this year we will have 85 acres planted in vineyards. At that point, we will then have more acres in vineyards than in orchards."

That would leave about 65 acres of fruit trees — mostly Comice pears — in the historic Hillcrest Orchards, started 100 years ago this year by Reginald Parsons, whose descendants still operate what was one of the region's first commercial orchards.

Jack Day, a grandson of the pear patriarch, figures wine grapes are today what pears were to his grandparents a century ago. Grapes are more profitable than pears for his firm in today's economic world, he said.

"The vineyards and the winery are one economic unit for us now," he said. "I can't foresee that ever changing in the future."

The association estimates the wine business in the two counties now accounts for about $139 million annually, including value-added components such as tourism. Statewide in 2005, it was $1.4 billion, the Oregon Wine Board reported.

Viticulture is growing faster in Southern Oregon — 19 percent annually — than anywhere else in the state, concluded a 2007 study by the College of Agriculture at Oregon State University.

From Ashland to the Illinois Valley south of Grants Pass, rows of green vineyards can be seen growing on hillsides, while cool storage sheds house wine barrels filled with everything from chardonnay to zinfandel. Local grape juice is being turned into wines that are attracting the attention of wine connoisseurs.

Two weeks ago, a representative of the Wine Advocate, a nationally known magazine, contacted local winemakers to check out regional wines, Donovan said.

"I think Southern Oregon wines across the board are going to show well," he said, noting the wineries work together to improve their product. "We're learning from each other. The tide is rising for everybody. We're growing together."

Wineries have plenty of room to expand, said Southern Oregon University environmental studies Professor Greg Jones, an internationally known expert in viticulture and orchards. Using a viticulture suitability assessment he developed, considering everything from climate and soil types to zoning, he estimates that up to 50,000 acres in Jackson, Josephine and Douglas counties are suited for growing grapes.

"For the Rogue and Umpqua valleys, there are about 15,000 acres ideally suited for viticulture," he said. "That includes a combination of a low-risk climate, and a good elevation, slope and soils."

Up to another 35,000 acres would be suitable, although some may have a greater frost risk or other issue, he said. There are currently a little more than 3,000 acres of vineyards in the three counties.

"We have a tremendous amount of acreage that could be used for vineyards," Jones said.

The challenge to local winemakers is that the region is a "flyover" area between metropolitan hubs, he said.

"All the big wine-producing areas are near major cities," he said. "We're a little farther away from the main market. We have a little harder time gaining recognition.

"But our wines hold their own against many markets," Jones added. "Wines in any region develop reputations over time. It takes good winemakers and good people to do that. Our quality levels are getting better and better all the time."

Over at the Valley View Winery in the Applegate Valley, Mike Wisnovsky, whose family has been growing wine grapes in the valley for 36 years, raises a glass to the future of local viticulture.

"There is a lot more wine consumed here than we produce locally," Wisnovsky said. "We haven't even scratched the surface of the local market yet."

Valley View, whose 30-year-old winery is the oldest in Jackson County, produces up to 10,000 cases of wine on its 26-acre vineyard. The late Frank Wisnovsky started the vineyard and winery in the Applegate Valley, which now boasts 13 wineries.

"There were people who thought we were planting stakes when we started our vineyard," Mike Wisnovsky said. "Our father was a true pioneer."

Back then, the majority of folks visiting the winery were from Northern California, he recalled.

"Now they are from all over the country," he said. "We are seeing people every week from the East Coast. A lot of people come to the area on business. They come over and do wine tasting."

But the preponderance of visitors are from California or are local residents, he said.

"Our greatest strength is that we can ripen a lot of different grapes here in Southern Oregon," he said. "But it's also one of our greatest weaknesses. It makes our story more difficult to tell because of all the varieties."

Thanks to its micro climates, Southern Oregon produces more than 50 types of wines, with cooler regions like the Illinois Valley known for its pinot noir, pinot gris, riesling and chardonnay. The hotter and drier areas, such as the Bear Creek Valley, are known for cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo, merlot, syrah and viognier.

"Right now, we're concentrating on establishing ourselves as top-notch viognier and tempranillo producers," Mike Wisnovsky said. "We are better growers than we were 20 years ago. We're excited about that."

There is no question that local grape growers are making their mark in the very competitive industry, said Phil Van Buskirk, who closely watches agricultural trends as head of Jackson County's OSU Extension Service.

"But we need to add more wineries," Van Buskirk said. "Right now, we're selling a lot of grapes to the northern part of the state."

Adding more wineries would help avoid a grape glut, he said.

Most of the local vineyards are relatively small because of the nature of the population, he said. The largest vineyard in the region is the Del Rio vineyard in Gold Hill at some 200 acres.

"You have a lot of retired people moving into the area who want a 'ranchette,' " he said. "The first thing they do is buy 20 or 40 acres. They often want to put in some sort of agriculture crop to get a reduced rate on the property tax. The first thing they think about is growing wine grapes."

But don't look for the region to become another Napa Valley, Donovan said, referring to the internationally known grape-growing area of Northern California.

"I don't think we will ever come close to that because we don't have that proximity to a major metropolitan area," he said. "But our climate is very well suited for growing premium wine grapes. Long, warm days with cool evenings is ideal. We also have a very diverse range of soil types and climates here that are excellent for grapes."

With the growth of the wine industry, Southern Oregonians are becoming more knowledgeable about viticulture and what it produces, he said.

"We're producing over 10,000 cases of RoxyAnn wine, as well as about 4,000 cases of custom-crushed wine, and all of that is being sold in Oregon," he said. The custom wine is from a half-dozen local vineyards that depend on RoxyAnn to process their wines.

"We don't ship one bottle to a distributor outside of Oregon, and 70 percent of that is sold in the Rogue Valley," Donovan said.

There is also a connection between buying local wines and preserving local agriculture, he added.

"People respect the farming practices and want to help preserve that," he said. "They want to see them continue."

Despite the growth of vineyards, Donovan doesn't see a day coming when grapes will replace all the orchards in the region.

"The 65 acres we still have in orchards will probably never be planted in grapes, because the land is not suitable for that," he said.

RoxyAnn has identified a total of 106 acres suitable for vineyards, he said. The winery also leases land in the Talent and Jacksonville areas to grow wine grapes.

In preparation for continued growth, RoxyAnn this year built a new 6,000-square-foot barrel room capable of holding 1,800 barrels of wine. The winery produced 15,000 cases last year.

The new vineyards being planted this year at RoxyAnn will double that wine production to at least 30,000 cases annually, Donovan said.

"I have every expectation that in 50 years these vines will still be here, producing grapes for RoxyAnn," he added.

Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at pfattig@mailtribune.com.

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