| By Southern Oregon Artists Resource, 1974 contributed posts
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About the author: SOAR: The Southern Oregon Artist's Resource is a directory of Southern Oregon artists, artisans and those who serve them and calendar of their art events, and Art Matters!, our blog posting Southern Oregon art events and matters of interest to artists, enthusiasts and patrons of the arts near and far. SOAR was created and is maintained by art advocate and web designer Hannah West in Jacksonville, Oregon to promote our diverse and talented arts community to our visitors and the rest of the world.  Hello, Rogue Valley Friends! It’s official: the second annual Vignettes in the Vineyard writing workshop is coming up! Last year, we had a wonderful gathering in the scenic Red Lily barn. Glasses of wine in hand, we crafted vignettes—short, impressionistic passages of poetry or prose. It’s one of the best ways to write! The details: Time: Thursday, 27 September 2018, 3-5 pm Place: Red Lily Vineyards: 11777 Highway 238, Jacksonville, OR 97530 (We’ll be meeting in their event barn) Price: $35: Includes a little set of Take Heart greeting cards No…. ~No experience required ~No pressure to read ~No worries! Yes… ~Yes to bringing a journal/notebook & a favorite writing pen ~Yes to discovering your inner wordsmith in a casual & caring space ~Yes to getting yourself a glass of Red Lily’s award-winning wine Continue reading Vignettes in the Vineyard: Writing Workshop By Southern Oregon Artists Resource, 1974 contributed posts
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About the author: SOAR: The Southern Oregon Artist's Resource is a directory of Southern Oregon artists, artisans and those who serve them and calendar of their art events, and Art Matters!, our blog posting Southern Oregon art events and matters of interest to artists, enthusiasts and patrons of the arts near and far. SOAR was created and is maintained by art advocate and web designer Hannah West in Jacksonville, Oregon to promote our diverse and talented arts community to our visitors and the rest of the world.  Hello, Southern Oregon friends! This soggy January day seemed a good time to think of something sweet on the near horizon & so…Mindy Carpenter & I are happy to announce another Poets & Painters workshop at Pennington Farms …this time featuring their decadent cakes! At our last workshop at Pennington’s, we spied some swanky cakes beneath glass cloches & decided that we wanted to paint (& eat!) them, too. Here’s one of Mindy’s delightful cake paintings: In addition to your spacious painting time, I will give you an easy prompt for crafting a poem inspired by the confections. Zero pressure! And you do not have to read anything aloud. This workshop is more like a “playshop”; it’s all about having fun 🙂 So grab a friend (or a Valentine!) and come play with us: When: Saturday, February 10 from 11-3 pm Where: Pennington Farms | 11341 Williams Highway | Continue reading Poets & Painters & Cakes! By Carpe Diem Papers, 185 contributed posts
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About the author:  Hello creative friend! I hope this finds you very well on this cozy fall day. 🍁🍂 I’m writing today to let you know that the next Poets & Painters (& Pie) Workshop is coming up right around the corner. Last one of 2017…hope you can join us! This time it’s at the charming historic Pennington Farms Bakery in the Applegate. This is a fun inspiring day of writing & painting, pie indulging & coffee sipping. Anna Elkins leads you through a freestyle writing & poetry exercise (hint: it will involve pie) & I will guide us through a still life painting of…you guessed it, pie, seasonal flora & vintage props. If you haven’t been to Pennington Farms, the entire surrounding is a painting waiting to happen. Inspiration everywhere! And workshop promise: you will leave with a finished painting. ❤️🎨 Please email: [email protected] to hold your spot. Treat yourself to a Continue reading Reminder: Poets & Painters Workshop Nov 11 – Register Now!! By Southern Oregon Artists Resource, 1974 contributed posts
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About the author: SOAR: The Southern Oregon Artist's Resource is a directory of Southern Oregon artists, artisans and those who serve them and calendar of their art events, and Art Matters!, our blog posting Southern Oregon art events and matters of interest to artists, enthusiasts and patrons of the arts near and far. SOAR was created and is maintained by art advocate and web designer Hannah West in Jacksonville, Oregon to promote our diverse and talented arts community to our visitors and the rest of the world.  Artists – Check Out this Lavender Festival Artist Opportunity! “Lavender Fields Forever” Plein air oil painting by Silvia Trujillo, 2014 The 4th annual Southern Oregon Lavender Festival will be held in the Applegate Valley on June 24, 25 & 26, 2016. Four lavender farms and the OSU Lavender Demonstration Garden participate as sites on the Lavender Festival Tour. At Lavender Fields Forever, we are planning to add several new vendors to our festival experience this year to keep things fresh for our customers and hope that you might help us identify new vendors interested in selling their wares at the festival. We had about 2,000 customers over the festival weekend last year. Each year the number of visitors has increased 20 – 30%. Our customers are primarily women from 21 to 101 but we get a lot of male visitors too, especially for our distilling demonstrations. Continue reading Lavender Festival Artist Opportunity By Southern Oregon Artists Resource, 1974 contributed posts
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About the author: SOAR: The Southern Oregon Artist's Resource is a directory of Southern Oregon artists, artisans and those who serve them and calendar of their art events, and Art Matters!, our blog posting Southern Oregon art events and matters of interest to artists, enthusiasts and patrons of the arts near and far. SOAR was created and is maintained by art advocate and web designer Hannah West in Jacksonville, Oregon to promote our diverse and talented arts community to our visitors and the rest of the world. [gview file="https://blogs.soartists.com/ArtMatters/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SO-Guild_ARt-Day-RedLil-Vineyard.pdf"] Continue reading Art Day at Red Lily Vineyard By Christine Collier, 211 contributed posts
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About the author: Christine Collier is the founder and editor of the Southern Oregon Wine Blog, founded in December 2009. The blog feeds to the Oregon Wine Press and WineBusiness.com and is linked on many other top wine websites and blogs. She is a true believer that her blog is promoting the region by enticing tourists to visit and educating trade about our advancing wine quality - and we agree! Elkton Oregon became the state’s newest American Viticultural Area after receiving approval from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau this week. The new Elkton Oregon AVA is entirely contained within the Umpqua Valley AVA, which is entirely within the Southern Oregon AVA. Oregon has a total of 17 AVAs.
By gaining AVA status, winegrowers and winemakers within the Elkton Oregon AVA can better describe the origin of their wines and consumers can better identify wines they may purchase. The TTB ruling is effective March 7, 2013. The AVA may be referred to as Elkton Oregon or Elkton OR.
The newest Oregon AVA is the fulfillment of wine pioneer Ken Thomason’s dream of growing world class cool climate Pinot noir and white grapes near the small town of Elkton, which has a population of 170. Thomason began planting grapes in 1972 on a west facing bench two miles east of Elkton at a site now owned by Mike and Vonnie Landt of Rivers Edge Winery.
The climate in Elkton is quite different from the prevailing perceptions of the surrounding areas. Southern Oregon is most often thought of as warmer and drier than winegrowing areas farther north in the Willamette Valley.
Due to its location on the Umpqua River and only 36 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the geography allows for a strong marine influence with daily sea breezes and fog penetrating into the Umpqua River Valley. This gives Elkton its unique climate – cool, maritime and temperate – which is ideal for the varieties that Thomason originally planted.
The local group which mounted the effort for the AVA’s approval called out Greg Jones of Southern Oregon University for his efforts in preparing and submitting the successful petition for AVA status to TTB. Continue reading Welcome Oregon’s Newest AVA, Elkton! By Christine Collier, 211 contributed posts
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About the author: Christine Collier is the founder and editor of the Southern Oregon Wine Blog, founded in December 2009. The blog feeds to the Oregon Wine Press and WineBusiness.com and is linked on many other top wine websites and blogs. She is a true believer that her blog is promoting the region by enticing tourists to visit and educating trade about our advancing wine quality - and we agree! Troon Vineyard has been named one of the “Top 10 Hot Brands” in America. The well respected industry publication Wine Business Monthly announced the list in its February 2013 issue. This prestigious award is perhaps the most impressive accolade this… Continue reading Troon Vineyard Named One of the Top 10 Hottest Wine Brands by Wine Business Monthly By Christine Collier, 211 contributed posts
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About the author: Christine Collier is the founder and editor of the Southern Oregon Wine Blog, founded in December 2009. The blog feeds to the Oregon Wine Press and WineBusiness.com and is linked on many other top wine websites and blogs. She is a true believer that her blog is promoting the region by enticing tourists to visit and educating trade about our advancing wine quality - and we agree! Harvey Steiman, the Oregon reviewer for the Wine Spectator recently wrote these highly encouraging words about the Southern Oregon wine region. From a regional standpoint, Southern Oregon’s rapidly advancing wine growing region also received recognition from Steiman. He said producers from the south are starting to push the traditional boundaries of Oregon’s primarily Pinot noir culture. He noted that the wines from Southern Oregon “hold true to the same style that Oregon Pinot noirs have established: relatively light, lively with acidity and focused on clarity of flavor. Someday these Rogue Valley releases might even challenge Pinot noir for prominence in the state.” Continue reading Wine Spectator Recognition By Christine Collier, 211 contributed posts
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About the author: Christine Collier is the founder and editor of the Southern Oregon Wine Blog, founded in December 2009. The blog feeds to the Oregon Wine Press and WineBusiness.com and is linked on many other top wine websites and blogs. She is a true believer that her blog is promoting the region by enticing tourists to visit and educating trade about our advancing wine quality - and we agree! From this morning’s Wine Business daily report:
Southern Oregon Wineries Producing Powerful Tempranillo and Malbec — Signature Grapes of the Future?
Though most people think “pinot noir” when asked to name an Oregon grape varietal, in the hotter and sunnier southern half of the state, wineries are producing powerful tempranillos, malbecs and other big reds. They are also grappling with the issue of whether or not they should proclaim a signature grape or two – much like their northern wine neighbors in the Willamette Valley have done with chardonnay and pinot noir.
The AVA’s of Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon (www.sorwa.org) is home to 70 – 80 wineries including virtual wine brands. Part of the issue is that the region includes 3 diverse AVA’s which produce 26 different grape varietals, ranging from gewürztraminer and riesling in the slightly cooler Umpqua Valley AVA near the town of Roseburg and massive syrahs and malbecs in the warmer Rogue and Applegate Valley AVA’s near Medford. There is also a possibility of a fourth AVA in the cooler Illinois Valley near Grant’s Pass.
The Pros and Cons of Identifying Regional Signature Grapes
When I visited Southern Oregon last week to participate in the judging of over 180 wines in their World of Wine Festival, I encountered much controversy over identifying a signature grape. “We enjoy being diverse,” said one winemaker. “We don’t want to be known for just producing one or two key varietals. We don’t want to be ‘fenced’ in.”
However, others disagreed. “I think we need some signature grapes to help differentiate ourselves as a region.” And “We make some massive red wines, and are getting some good press on our tempranillo. I think tempranillo should be one of our signature grapes.”
From a wine judging perspective, tempranillo does have a good shot at becoming a signature grape for this region. Not only did it win “Best of Show Red” this year, but in previous years as well. The tempranillos we tasted were massive with huge chalky tannins, dark fruit, complex spice notes, and a very long finish. Definitely not the medium-bodied fruity “crianzas” coming out of Spain, but a different wine altogether. And with summer temperatures hovering near 100 for up to three weeks at a time, it makes sense that Southern Oregon is able to ripen Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Petite Syrah, and Malbec to such impressive lengths.
In terms of white wines, Rhone varietals are doing well with some excellent blends of viognier, roussanne, and marsanne. At the same time, an albarino won the “Best of Show White” this year, causing some people to wonder out loud: “Perhaps we should focus on Spanish varietals as our signature grapes.” Interestingly, both of the Best of Show wines came from the same small producer, Schmidt Family Vineyards (http://sfvineyards.com/) located in the Applegate Valley.
From a wine marketing strategy, it is recommended that wine regions focus on what they do well, and therefore should select one to three signature grapes. This is usually heavily dictated by terroir and what Mother Nature will allow them to grow well. The benefits are the region becomes known for producing exceptional wines in a specific category, versus a wide variety of wines that may just be average or mediocre – the danger of following a muddled strategy. However, once wine critics, sommeliers, and tourists start flocking to a region to sample its famous signature varietals, there is no reason that a smart and creative winemaker can’t also pull out some unique varietals and wow them with something different.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Liz Thach, MW is the Korbel Scholar and a wine business professor at Sonoma State University in California. She can be reached at [email protected]. Continue reading Southern Oregon Wineries Producing Powerful Tempranillo and Malbec — Signature Grapes of the Future? By Christine Collier, 211 contributed posts
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About the author: Christine Collier is the founder and editor of the Southern Oregon Wine Blog, founded in December 2009. The blog feeds to the Oregon Wine Press and WineBusiness.com and is linked on many other top wine websites and blogs. She is a true believer that her blog is promoting the region by enticing tourists to visit and educating trade about our advancing wine quality - and we agree!  It was a weekend of tweeting, facebook-ing, blogging… and drinking as 370 participants flocked to Portland, Oregon this past weekend for the fifth annual Wine Bloggers’ Conference. While the attendees had packed daytime itineraries with vineyard… Continue reading Southern Oregon Hosts at Wine Bloggers’ Conference | |
