WELCOME to the World of Wine festival! The World of Wine (WOW) Festival, the Rogue Valley’s premier wine showcase. Some 40 wineries will participate. More than 750 people will attend the grand public tasting, which accompanies a professionally judged wine competition. The event, which always sells out, is co-sponsored by the Rogue Valley Winegrowers Association and the Southern Oregon Winery Association. Thanks to everyone who made the 2010 event a huge success. Please check back aound June of 2011 to find out the details of the 2011 event to be held near the end of August. |
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Bearing fruit for over 100 years: RoxyAnn Winery
RoxyAnn Winery was founded in 2002 at the historic Hillcrest Orchard in East Medford, which has been bearing fruit for over 100 years. The mission of RoxyAnn Winery is to produce world-class wines, while supporting the Parsons Family’s commitment to preserving the land for future generations in the Rogue Valley to enjoy.
RoxyAnn’s vineyard is located on the southwest slopes of Roxy Ann Peak where the property’s shallow, limestone-clay soils and southern solar exposure is ideally suited to producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Tempranillo, Viognier and Syrah. Under the direction of the vineyard manager, the soil is cultivated using sustainable practices. The winery is LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon Safe certified. They use cover crops and compost to produce a natural cycle of nutrition and organic matter in the vineyard. They take extra care to prevent soil erosion, limit their water use to protect the aquifers they share with neighbors, and respect wildlife habitat.
To honor their hertiage, RoxyAnn Winery produces a NV Hillcrest Orchard Pear Dessert Wine.
In last year’s wine competition, RoxyAnn Winery received a Gold Medal for their 2008 Night Harvest Viognier.
Rosella’s Vineyard: A lifestyle change for one couple
Rex and Sandi Garoutte purchased Rosella’s Vineyard in 1998 when they went looking for a lifestyle change. It was an opportunity to do something Rex had always dreamed of. Rex came from a farming background. When he was a boy he farmed his Grandparents farm in Yakima, Wa where they grew concord grapes for Welch’s grape juice. With the loss of his mother due to breast cancer, the couple dedicated the vineyard and winery in her name: Rosella. They grow 5 varietals-Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and new plantings of Zinfandel and Syrah.
All About Claret for Rock Knoll Vineyards
The Carpenters have been farming along Foothill Road in Medford for nearly a century. Enticed to come to the valley to plant pear orchards in 1909, they began experimenting with planting wine grapes in the mid 1970s on the slopes below their house.By 2006 the painstaking process of cultivating premium grapes was well established, and four generations had been recruited to take part in the family vineyard. The vineyard is approximately four acres of mature Bordeaux varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.
The family makes their Rocky Knoll wine, a Claret, at RoxyAnn Winery.
One Goal for Red Lily Vineyards
Red Lily Vineyards has a single goal- produce the finest tempranillo possible. The owner’s, Les and Rachael Martin, focus on the varietal was born out of their love of Spanish wine and the lure of tempranillo’s brooding, earthy character. Red Lily Vineyards is named after Bolander’s Lily, a rare species of red lily found in the neighboring Siskiyou Mountains.
Red Lily only releases one wine each year, so it is truly a treat to taste it at our festival. There are plans to open a winery and tasting room in the Applegate Valley where their estate vineyard is planted.
The 2006 Red Lily Tempranillo won a Silver Medal in last year’s World of Wine Festival wine competition.
From moto-cross track to vineyards to fine wine: Quady North
After working as Associate Winemaker at Bonny Doon Vineyard, Herb Quady had long been convinced that the truly compelling wines of his time were being made from grapes grown in the cooler margins.
In mid 2004, Herb began as winemaker at Troon Vineyard located in the Applegate Valley. The position he gained allowed him considerable experience with the quality fruit that was being grown in Southern Oregon. As his father Andrew and mother Laurel, began to visit, trying new wines at each occasion, they too became enamored with the unique varietal expressions offered by the region.
In 2005, the Quady Family started searching for a property that would be an exceptional vineyard and winery site. Although the site settled on was one of high quality, with 100 acres of south facing hillside, it also contained the remnants of an extensive moto-cross track and a plethora of rusting, non-functioning vehicles. 2005 and much of 2006 was spent removing trash, grading and preparing the site for our first estate vineyard.
By July of 2006, 15 acres of Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Viognier were planted in our Central Meadow, which is now called Mae’s Vineyard. In 2007, the family added two more acres, primarily composed of Viognier and Cabernet Franc.
Their Tasting Room is located on California Street in Jacksonville.
Quady North 2007 Steelhead Run Vineyard Viognier was awarded a Silver Medal in last year’s wine competition. They were alway featured in this year’s Portland Indie Wine Festival and Wine Spectator as a “winery to watch.”
“With great pleasure” : Plaisance Ranch
Plaisance Ranch has been a working ranch since 1858. It is 210 acres located in the Williams Valley. The Ginet family has a rich history in the ranching and vineyard business that spans over hundreds of years and across two continents. For many generations, their family has been growing grapes and cattle and producing grapevines amongst the mountains of Savoie in eastern France. Today, they continue the tradition in America raising Certified Organic grass-fed beef, grafted grape vines, and fine wines.
We are delighted to have them joining us at this year’s festival pouring their Papa Joe’s Private Stash Syrah (love this name) and Rouge Prestige at this year’s event. The Rouge Prestige is made primarily from the grape Mondeuse. This is one of the parents of Syrah and it is the primary red grape of Savoie, France. The Ginet family imports the selection from their family’s vineyard sites in Savoie.
Don’t miss trying these two wines at the World of Wine Festival, August 28th from 5-9 p.m. For tickets click here.
Northward bound to start Pebblestone Cellars
In the 1970’s, Dick and Pat Ellis and their infant son moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. A few months after they arrived, they were invited to help pick grapes in Woodside at a friend’s vineyard. With their baby in a backpack as they picked, they experienced the excitement of the wine process for the first time. Dick was bitten by the winemaking bug, and shortly thereafter, he began making wine from just about anything that would ferment, including the fruit from their backyard fruit trees. Together with a few friends, Dick and the family began picking, crushing, pressing, barrel-aging and bottling wine as home winemakers. From 1981 to 2002, they picked grapes and made Cabernet Sauvignon exclusively from their friends’ vineyard on Tubbs Lane in Calistoga, California.
Off and on through the 1980’s and 90’s, they searched for vineyard property throughout the Napa Valley, Sonoma and Santa Cruz but were never able to find a property that suited their needs. In 2002, however, Dick and Pat began looking for vineyard property once again, and they found a vineyard site in Southern Oregon. The beauty of the vineyard, the views of the mountains, and the warm sunshine were very appealing. By August of 2003, they became owners of the 26-acre parcel now known as Ellis Vineyards.
The vineyard is midway between Ashland and Medford. Thirteen and a half acres were already planted with Tempranillo, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Gris in 1997 and 2001. In 2004, they planted an additional two acres of Viognier, bringing the total planted acreage to 15.5 acres of premium grapes. After selling all of the grapes to local wineries in Oregon in 2003, they decided to begin making wine commercially in 2004 and that was the birth of Pebblestone Cellars.
Pebblestone Cellars won many awards including two from our wine competition- a Gold Medal for their 2005 Skipping Stone Mélange and a Silver Medal for their 2008 Ellis Vineyards Block 9 Viognier.
In new hands: Paschal Winery
Paschal Winery sits on a hilltop overlooking the Harry & David pear orchards in Talent. The founders, Roy and Jill Paschal, began growing grapes on the property in the mid-’90s. They sold their grapes to a local winemaker, and couldn’t resist buying the delicious wine back by the bottle. This sparked their interest to make their own wine with the help of notable winemaker, Joe Dobbs. Years later in 2009, Ron and Donna Tenuta discovered Paschal Winery and Vineyard, quickly falling in love with the property and views. Ron and Donna are excited at the opportunity to bring their own winemaking experience and produce high quality wines from estate grown varietals and grapes purchased from other vineyards in the area.
Currently they produce a variety of wines, which includes many Italian-style wines and warm-weather varietals known in the Rogue Valley.
The Paschal Winery 2005 Syrah and 2006 Civita Di Bagnoregio were awarded Silver Medals at last year’s World of Wine Festival wine competition.
Pallet Wine Company is Bringing the Crew
Pallet Wine Company is a custom crush wine processing facility created exclusively to serve Southern Oregon’s rapidly growing wine and wine grape industries. Located in the historic Cooley-Neff building in downtown Medford, the Pallet Wine Company can provide a wide range of services to growers and winemakers throughout the region. Within the 21,000 square foot structure, they offer full-service winemaking, storage, laboratory and wine education services to personalize the wine making experience for their clients.
Many Pallet produced wines will be featured at our festival this year including Donovan Wines (partner and head winemaker, Linda Donovan’s own label), Domaine Paradox (partners Dan and Olivia Sullivan’s label), Dana Campbell Vineyards, Daniel Joseph Wines, Ellie Wines, Irvine Vineyards, Ledger David Cellars, Slagle Creek Vineyard, Philanthropie Wines, Madrone Mountain Wines, and Velocity Cellars.
In last year’s wine competition, the 2007 Domaine Paradox Pinot Noir from Fortmiller Vineyards took home a Silver Medal along with the Madrone Mountain 2008 Viognier and Velocity Cellars 2008 Velo Malbec Rosé.
“Make good fruit, good wine and to enjoy life along the way”: Misty Oaks Vineyard
Steve and Christy Simmons first visited the Umpqua Valley from their home in Alaska in 1999. They were immediately attracted to the area and purchased vineyard property nestled in the Tyee foothills in 2000. First planting occurred in 2000 and first wine production was made from the 2003 harvest. Steve and Christy have experienced many remarkable events in the field during their short tenure as vineyard developers. From these events they have derived names for each wine produced from areas of the vineyard based on these events such as Gobbler’s Knob and Stuckagain Heights. As you will see; the mission at Misty Oaks is to “make good fruit, good wine and to enjoy life along the way”.
Currently six varietals are planted on fifteen acres of hillside. Until Fall of 2007, Misty Oaks wine was made via custom crush with other local wineries. In the Fall of 2007 an exciting expansion occurred with the addition of a new winery facility on-site.
In the Spring of 2007, the tasting room opened for business. Steve and Christy and their staff are excited to share the fruits of their labors at this year’s World of Wine Festival. Last year Misty Oaks 2007 Jones Road Cab Franc took home the top honor of “Best of Show Red” in our wine competition.
