That'll Be The Day

The Cynthiana wine grape may be one of several native
species that could lead to a Central Oregon wine industry.

I’m getting rather tired of the laughs.  I’m referring to the response I get from most of my friends when I suggest that we’ll have a successful wine industry in Central Oregon in the not-too-distant future.

The problem, of course, is obvious to anyone who lives here and knows anything about agriculture – our weather.  In the winter, our temperatures routinely dip below zero.  And in the summer, we’ve been known to get frost in July.  As one of my friends (a farmer, I might add) put it:  “We get 89 frost-free days.  Too bad they’re not consecutive.”  We have huge swings in temperatures – sometimes in the same 24-hour period. 

These conditions make it difficult to grow anything, let alone something as temperamental as fine grapes. 

Most well-known fine wine is made from the Vitis Vinifera species of grapes that are native to parts of Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean region.  These are the grapes that have been used to make wine for thousands of years, and they include all the household names, including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir, syrah, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and Riesling. 

They make wonderful wines,

but most of them are quite picky about whether they’ll grow and where they’ll grow well.  In general, they are not terribly cold-hardy and hard freezes in the winter will kill the plant.  They don’t tolerate extremes in temperature during the growing season, shutting down when it gets too cold or too hot.  And they like a relatively long growing season. 

Most of these grapes grow very well in parts of California where they bud out in March and are harvested in October.  But it’s pretty certain that anything that buds out in March in Central Oregon has a good chance of being dead by Memorial Day.

So why am I so certain we can have a successful wine industry in Oregon?  For several reasons.

First, there are some wonderful American grape varietals and hybrids that are likely to handle the Central Oregon climate better than those “hothouse” European varietals.  Many of these native American grapes (primarily Vitis Labrusca) or hybrids (a cross between two different Vitis species) have been cultivated and made into wine for years (in some cases, decades) in other parts of the United States, including New York, Maryland and Missouri.  Other American grapes are just being discovered for wine-making purposes, while many hybrids are just being created.  Many of these grapes will survive – perhaps even thrive – in our climate.  A number of them are fairly cold-hardy, can handle big temperature fluctuations and ripen earlier than many Vinifera grapes.

Unfortunately, many of these wines don’t have the same flavor profiles as their Vinifera cousins, which has led many a wine snob to declare them to be inferior.  That brings me to the second reason to be optimistic about Central Oregon’s wine future – we American wine drinkers are relatively new to the wine world, and we’re not afraid to experiment.  We tend not to like others telling us what’s “good”.  We want to decide for ourselves.  That means we have a large group of potential consumers willing to judge our wines on their own merits, rather than comparing them against a predetermined scale of what constitutes quality.  So maybe the Parisians won’t be rushing to try our hybrids (at least not at first!), but I’m willing to bet that a good number of other people will be!

The third reason to be optimistic is that we have a number of folks in Central Oregon who are already experimenting with some of these native American varietals and hybrids.  Ranch at the Canyons is growing a number of them.  The new winery near Lower Bridge, Faith, Hope and Charity, is also growing several of them.  Doug Maragas put several of the Central Oregon-grown grapes into his first “Beat Red” dessert wine that was released last Fall.  (Get it soon if you haven’t already; it’s quite nice and there isn’t a whole lot left.) 

These folks are not only learning what works here, they’re also learning what viticultural techniques improve the quality of the wines, and they’re sharing what they know through the Winegrowers Association of Central Oregon (WACO).  That means we’re all going to benefit from the work these wine pioneers are putting into their vines.

Because many of the WACO members are still in the early stages of building their vineyards – or they’re like me and have fewer than 10 vines in the ground – you can’t taste these experiments yet.  However, several of these grapes are already making fun, interesting and/or quality wines elsewhere in the states, so I thought it worth telling you about them.  Look for them when you travel and then look forward to trying their Central Oregon incarnations in the future.

-Marechal Foch.  This is a hybrid that was first developed in France.  A few Oregon wineries in the Valley and in Southern Oregon already make wine from these grapes.  At its best, Marechal Foch makes wines with a beautiful inky color, nice acidity and dark berry flavors.  

-Niagara.  This is a favorite of mine, a white grape that is grown widely in New York State.  It makes a good summer, picnic wine that is at its best when made in a slightly sweet style.  It has a little bit of the “foxiness” that some wine experts describe as the hallmark of many American varietals.  I would describe it as “musky” with some spice notes.

-Norton.  Also known as Cynthiana, this red varietal is the official wine grape of Missouri.  It’s believed to be a hybrid – likely a cross between a Vinifera species and one or more native American species.  Norton grapes make a beautifully dark wine with complex flavors, including dark fruits, coffee and mint.  I have a hunch that this grape has the potential to grow well in Central Oregon, and could change some wine snobs’ opinions about hybrids.

-Vidal Blanc.  Another hybrid that is grown on the East Coast and Canada, it is quite cold-hardy.  It makes delicious dessert wine because it produces high levels of sugar and acid, which balance each other nicely.  The most common fruit flavors include grapefruit, pineapple and pear.

-Vignoles.  This hybrid is also grown along the East Coast, where it can make very good dessert wines, with a similar flavor profile to Vidal Blanc.  In Missouri, it makes some nice dry wines with lots of flowery notes and good, crisp acidity.

A few others to keep your eyes out for include Seyval Blanc, St. Croix and Baco Noir.

Go ahead, skeptics.  Laugh all you want, but Central Oregon does have a future growing wine grapes.  I envision a day when our region gets it’s own version of the movie “Bottle Shock”—when a bunch of snobby judges conduct a blind tasting, award a gold medal and then reveal the label only to discover, to their shock and surprise that the wines and grapes they have so long dismissed were just little gems waiting to be discovered.  That will be the day, indeed!