Text Box: Since 2001

Text Box:   Forrest Klaffke Winemaker Willamette Valley Vineyards     Founder Oregon Wine Festival '06 Text Box: Forrest Klaffke - Winemaker - Willamette Valley Vineyards   The winemaker at Willamette Valley Vineyards is one determined soul. Forrest Klaffke is the first to arrive at the winery every day – a pattern he established as assistant winemaker 10 years ago. Forrest came to Oregon from winemaking in California at the request of then winemaker Dean Cox. They worked side-by-side until Dean’s untimely passing in October 1995; the tragic loss was a blow to the winery, but Dean’s legacy to produce the highest quality wines was carried on by his apprentice. Forrest was promoted to winemaker after Joe Dobbes, the winemaker who followed Dean, started his own Oregon winery in late 2001. Now 47 years old, Forrest has worked in wineries for over 25 years. His first job was screening winegrape deliveries for quality at Bonded Winery #7, owned by United Vintners near Sacramento, California. Lacking Oregon’s careful land use planning, this beautiful agricultural enterprise was squeezed out to make way for California’s suburban sprawl, forcing the winery’s closure in 1986. Now long gone, over one hundred giant redwood wine vessels created a lasting memory. Forrest moved on to work in Mondavi’s cellar and later at Sebastiani, rising to Cellar Foreman with a crew complement of forty. While gratifying, Forrest was interested in making small, hand crafted lots and perfected a style of port he now makes today “from scratch” in the cellar at Willamette Valley Vineyards (first making brandy and then the port). He takes the same approach to his cooking as a gourmet chef in his own right, never writing down a recipe but creating from his imagination meals from broths, stocks and sauces long in the making. His favorite entree is lamb, first browned and then to the oven with sauce made from his own Pinot noir. The key to great wine for Forrest is plant nutrition and attention given to every detail in the vineyard. He is narrowing the winery’s focus by increasing plantings at Tualatin Estate and concentrating his personal attention to those vines and soil. He continues to challenge himself and expand his awareness of new viticultural and enological practices through a commitment to continuing education at University of California at Davis. Forrest believes that a sharper focus on soil conditions and vine health will increase the aging potential of our wines. To that end, he continues the winery’s tradition of making fruit forward, viscous wines that express their origin – Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Text Box: Steve Girard Proprietor Benton Lane Winery Text Box: Steve Girard - Proprietor - Benton Lane Winery Steve was raised in the San Francisco area. His father traveled extensively and Steve learned to love wine before his age hit double digits. He graduated from the business school of The University of Washington in Seattle and then served in the Intelligence arm of the U.S. Navy during Viet Nam. Steve founded Girard Winery in Napa Valley in 1980. But he discovered that his real passion was Pinot Noir…. Oregon Pinot Noir. He founded Benton Lane Winery near Eugene, Oregon in 1988 when he found “the best dirt on the planet to grow killer Pinot”. Steve has served on numerous Boards including the Napa Valley Vintners Association and The Wine Institute. In 2003, he was appointed by the Governor of Oregon to serve as founding Director on The Oregon Wine Board, where he is currently Vice Chair. He also sits on The Board of The Oregon Winegrowers Association and The Trust for Oregon Wine, Education and Research. Text Box: Harry Peterson-Nedry - Proprietor - Chehalem Chehalem (Chuh-hay-lum) is an American Indian word meaning “gentle land” or “valley of flowers.” The winery traces its history back to vineyard operations started by Harry Peterson-Nedry in 1980 at Ridgecrest Vineyards, the pioneering wine operation in the newly recognized Ribbon Ridge AVA, northwest of Newberg in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Bill and Cathy Stoller joined Harry in 1993 and subsequently began Stoller Vineyards, a 125-acre vineyard in the Dundee Hills. Corral Creek Vineyards, adjacent to the winery in Newberg, is Chehalem’s third estate vineyard in a third distinct AVA—Chehalem Mountains. The winery’s first release was the 1990 Ridgecrest Pinot Noir. Today, Chehalem produces 13 different wines, including half Pinot Noir and half white wines, primarily Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling.

Text Box: Buzz Kawders Managing Director Domaine Meriwether   Founder Oregon Wine Festival '06 Text Box: Buzz Kawders - Managing Director - Domaine Meriwether   Domaine Meriwether is an Oregon winery best known for their delicious sparkling wines. The wines are named after aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, that famous early exploration of the Pacific Northwest sponsored by then President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. Domaine Meriwether's French winemaker, Jean-Louis Denois, has created five sparkling wines that are quite delicious and very reasonably priced, and the historical themes add interest and make great gifts, particularly to history buffs. The Domaine Meriwether Discovery Cuvee was served recently at the White House. Domaine Meriwether was founded in 1998 with its first vintage and the carefully aged sparkling wines are just being released in late 2003. Production is still onlya about 500 cases a year, but will grow as the winery releases more vintage sparkling wine, as well as still wines. Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot gris are planned. Text Box: Myron Redford Proprietor Amity Vineyards Text Box: Bryan Croft Winemaker Firesteed Cellars       Founder Oregon Wine Festival '06 Text Box: Myron Redford - Proprietor - Amity Vineyards   Myron Redford, president and winemaker of Amity Vineyards, has been consistently recognized in the regional and national press as one of Oregon’s top Pinot noir, Pinot blanc, Riesling and Gewurztraminer producers. Myron became the first US producer of true Gamay noir in 1988, and Amity Vineyards is still the leader with this varietal. Myron produced Oregon’s first sulfite free wine from organically grown grapes in 1990. In 1995, Myron was once again ahead of the curve, recognizing Oregon’s potential to produce excellent Pinot blanc. Never one to follow in the footsteps of others, Myron was the first to phase out Chardonnay production, believing the growing period didn’t make sense in Oregon. Myron has contributed to the development of the Oregon wine industry as a mentor to other winemakers, a member of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board for eight years and a past president of the Oregon Winegrowers Association. Text Box: Bryan Croft -Winemaker - Firesteed Cellars After graduating from the University of California, Davis with a degree in Economics, Bryan Croft worked in the Napa Valley for four years. Then, inspired by what some had already achieved, he and his wife Shellie left Cabernet country to pursue Pinot Noir far to the north in Oregon. Year after year, for ten vintages at Firesteed Cellars, Bryan has continued the winery’s tradition of defying what was thought possible for a value-priced Pinot Noir. Constant innovation in the cellar energizes traditional winemaking practices to create a dynamic environment with limitless potential. Every level of quality is elevated by building on this foundation, culminating with Citation, a label reserved for those rare wines that truly reach the pinnacle. Inspired by travels in Alsace, Bryan has set his sights on several exciting whites. Unlike Firesteed’s Oregon Pinot Gris, often a best-buy recommendation, these wines have only been available in the winery’s tasting room. Most evenings, Bryan can be found chasing his son and daughter, vintages 2004 and 2001, respectively, among the vines until the sun sets over Firesteed’s vineyard in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Text Box: Steve Harriman Winemaker Foris Vineyards Text Box: Steve Harriman - Winemaker - Foris Vineyards  Raised in Dearborn, Michigan, Foris winemaker Steve Harriman was introduced to the world of wine while attending Michigan State University earning a B.A. in Political Philosophy. At age 18 Steve accepted a chance offering to become a stock boy at a local wine shop. While mostly unfamiliar with wine he was quickly bitten by the wine bug thanks to the passion and willingness to teach of his co-workers. In 1994, Steve had the opportunity to go work a harvest in the cellar of a small Domaine in Beaune, France. A close relationship developed and Steve continued returning each year up through 1999 to help with the harvest. Being most fascinated with the great red wine of Burgundy, Pinot Noir, Oregon seemed the natural place to go. Steve contacted Ted Gerber at Foris and decided to make the trip down to the boonies to see what was going on so far from the Willamette Valley. After being part of the cellar crew for nearly a year and a half, Steve assumed duties as Foris winemaker in the summer of 2002. His years of experience brings a fresh and significant perspective to the quality and style of Foris wines. Text Box: John D'Anna Director of Sales & Marketing Cristom Vineyards     Founder Oregon Wine Festival '06 Text Box: John D'Anna - Director of Sales & Marketing - Cristom Vineyards Cristom's founder and owner, Paul Gerrie, used his skills as an engineer and avid researcher to pursue his passion for wine. On his travels to France, he was introduced to the traditional growing practices of the Burgundy region. He learned that soil ( terroir ) and site were key in developing the complexity of the fruit. After a 1991 visit to the International Pinot Celebration in Oregon, Paul decided the time was right to leave the East Coast and bring his family and his passion for great Pinot Noir to Oregon's burgeoning wine country. But their journey wasn't complete without a winemaker who shared Paul's vision of "letting the land make the wines." Enter Steve Doerner who, after a quarter century of experience, still believes the winemaker's job is to "optimize what nature — the vineyard — provides." In addition to his reputation as a master winemaker with "keen intuition" (possibly from his French heritage), Steve is a biochemist who had been making wine in California. And so with a passion that only wine enthusiasts embrace and a precision that can only come from a chemist and an engineer, the two set out to cultivate their vision, which today, can be seen in the seven distinct vineyards on Cristom's 65 acres. As are most trained scientists, Paul and Steve are keen observers. While they are still advocates of tradition, they continually experiment both in the vineyards and in the cellar. A recent example is the introduction of Viognier to the Willamette Valley. Cristom was one of the first to plant it, even though conventional wisdom assumed the climate was too wet. "We planted it on our sunniest acre and got nice vintages right away," explained Steve. Text Box: Gary Horner Winemaker Erath Text Box: David Petterson Assistant Winemaker Panther Creek Winery Text Box: Gary Horner - Winemaker - Erath In 1988 Gary was offered a job on the bottling line at Bethel Heights Vineyard in Salem. Gary participated in U.C.-Davis’ famed wine education program through short courses and was soon promoted to Associate Winemaker at Bethel Heights. In 1989, Gary’s enthusiasm for his newfound career inspired him to start his own wine label, Destiny Vintners. Meantime, he worked as winemaker and vineyard manager for Witness Tree Vineyard. He also broadened his production experience with vineyard management at Washington Hills Cellars, a 1,400-ton facility in Sunnyside, Washington, Avatar Partners in Napa Valley, and Benton-Lane Winery in Monroe, Oregon. During his six-year stay at Benton-Lane, Gary was able to strike a balance between technology and intuition, with his passionate quest for making world class Pinot Noir. Gary has a Zen-like approach to his work in the winery. He usually arrives about an hour before his cellar crew shows up for work. “I like to let things come to me, when all is quiet and I can almost mediate in the winery.” He explains, “I taste and then walk to the same spot, not consciously, but I just walk and get in this zone.” He takes copious notes on his initial impressions and then considers what’s going to happen next. He especially loves this tasting process during harvest, which he calls freestyle. Gary feels this region is appropriate for many varietals. He loves experimenting with different wine grapes, smaller batch production, separating clones and vineyards to observe distinctions, conducting yeast experiments and cropping experiments. “I’ll always have my curiosity. That is the scientist in me.” Text Box: David Petterson - Assistant Winemaker - Panther Creek   Dave Petterson is Assistant Winemaker and Direct Sales Manager at McMinnville, Oregon-based Panther Creek Cellars. Dave has nine years of wine experience, officially joining the Panther Creek staff for harvest in 2000. Dave is responsible for a variety of Panther Creek wine programs including facility operations, direct sales, events, winemaking, marketing, forklift driving, and custodial duties. Prior to joining Panther Creek Cellars, Dave enjoyed a circuitous career through cartography, application development, welding, reprographics, and of course, food service. Today, Dave and the staff at Panther Creek remain focused on the Panther Creek's original winemaking philosophy of creating wines that reflect their vineyard and vintage origins and the unique qualities of Oregon 's Willamette Valley. Dave graduated from Vassar College in 1990 with a B.A. in Anthropology, and received his M.S. in Geography at Portland State University in 1997. Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Saudi Arabia, England, Kuwait, and Florida, Dave settled in Oregon in 1993 where he appears to be maturing nicely with his wife, two young sons, and genius dog.   Text Box: David Adelsheim - Proprietor - Adelsheim Vineyards   In 1972, David Adelsheim began planting the original 15-acre vineyard at Quarter Mile Lane with Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. The estate acreage has grown from its original 15 acres to 165 acres. A new, cutting-edge winemaking facility provides all the quality controls demanded by our 'hands-off' winemaking, utilizing a two-level, gravity-feed fermentation room for gentle grape handling, and underground barrel caves for slow, cool aging of our Pinot noir and Chardonnay. Adelsheim Vineyard, a leading Oregon wine producer, is known as an innovator in sustainable, cool climate viticulture. After 30 years and many successful vintages, the dreams of one of Oregon's wine pioneers have been realized.