Early Beginnings
In understanding the beginnings of winemaking in the Umpqua Valley, it is important to understand how it began throughout the state of Oregon. German immigrants brought rootstock to early Oregon winemakers. The Von Pessl brothers planted European vines in the 1800s and in 1890, a winebarrel cooper brought the Von Pessl brothers Californian cuttings from the Beringer Brothers in Napa. German immigrants produced wine in the Umpqua Valley as early as 1880, as well. Wine production in 1860 was estimated at 2,600 gallons, rising to almost 20,000 gallons just twenty years later.
Prohibition
From 1900 to 1920, a sharp decrease in production was felt by the anticipation of Prohibition. Oregon embraced Prohibition early in 1914, six years before Prohibition was declared nation-wide. Farmers producing wine grapes stayed in business as private vineyards and those continuing winemaking did so in private basements and bathrooms. Professor Frederic T. Bioletti, a Californian viticulture proponent, suggested Oregon as climatically suited for vinifera; however, Oregon agriculture authorities disagreed and encouraged individual farmers to maintain private vineyards without deeming them commercial. Production increased from 1421 tons in 1919, to 2668 tons in 1929. At Repeal in 1933, the Oregon legislature legalized grape growing by establishing a farmer’s winery license for production of light wine from privately owned fruit.
The New Pioneers
Richard Sommer was the first winemaking pioneer in the Umpqua Valley, establishing vineyards in 1959 and planting vines in 1961. Despite warnings from his U.C. Davis educators that grapes would not grow in Oregon, Sommer planted 36 acres of California vinifera. Perhaps because his mother, who was from Ashland, played a part in Sommer’s choice of regions. He decided on land in the Umpqua Valley based on his analysis of potential problems in the Rogue and Willamette valleys. He originally produced Riesling, but the mild climate allowed him to expand and grow additional varietals.
Next Generations
The next set of vineyards to be established in the Umpqua region had all worked for Richard Sommer at one time or another. Donna Souza Postles of La Garza Cellars and Dino DeNino of DeNino Vineyards as well as the owners of Callahan Ridge had all gotten their start from working with Richard at HillCrest. They even got their original cuttings from HillCrest vines to plant their original vineyards. Henry Estate was founded on the property that had been in the family for 75 years. Because of the rich soil on his land, Scott Henry developed the Scott Henry trellis system that is recognized throughout the world. As time progressed, it became clear that the Umpqua region had a warmer and drier climate than the Willamette Valley and could ripen varietals that required more heat. Soon the varietals being planted expanded beyond Riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir and gewurtztraminer to include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, zinfandel, and pinot gris.
The New Oregonians
Today new vineyard owners are expanding the Umpqua’s grape list to include other international favorites. These newcomers moved from other states with a vision to establish vineyards that specialize in Syrah, Tempranillo, and Grenache to a name a few.
