Rogue Valley Wineries
The Rogue Valley is part of the Southern Oregon appellation that stretches from the bottom of the Willamette Valley down to the California state line. The Rogue appellation is effectively composed of three contiguous valleys: Illinois, Bear Creek, and Applegate. Southern Oregon has the oldest history of grape growing in the state. It dates back to 1852 with an early area settler named Peter Britt, who operated a winery in Jacksonville . Southern Oregon hosts a relaxed, blossoming wine country that lacks the high prices and congested tasting rooms one might find in similar locations like Napa Valley. With a combination of rich soil and warm climate mixed with a relatively new surge in wine business, Southern Oregon looks to become one of the most highly acclaimed wine regions in the world. The region boasts over 150 micro-climates south of Eugene, contributed by mountains, high desert and river valleys; this means Southern Oregon can provide a large variety of high quality grapes. Everything aforementioned displays why Southern Oregon, specifically Ashland, was named as one of the top ten wine destinations in the world by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
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Belle Fiore Winery |
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On a 31 acre vineyard they cultivate extraordinary wine grapes producing classic vintages which encapsulate their French, Italian, and Spanish heritage. From Burgundy, their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes produce wonderful, classic Oregon wines. From France’s Bordeaux region, they grow Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. From the Rhone, they grow Syrah.
Celebrating unique, flavorful varieties, they also grow distinctive, exotic Mediterranean grapes including an Italian varietal Caprettone, “beard of the goat.” Other remarkable Italian and Spanish estate grown grapes include Montepulciano, Barbera, Teroldego, and Verdejo. Muscat Canelli grapes produce sweet, delicious dessert wines. |
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| Del Rio Vineyards | ||
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In Gold Hill next to the Rogue River On 205 acres sloping south, Del Rio Vineyards is nestled in sunny Rogue Valley wine country. Established in 1997, the single vineyard has blossomed under the nurturing hands of 4th generation farmers. The vineyard’s unique terroir enables Del Rio to grow a diverse range of varietals, from Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and more. Del Rio Vineyards presently has planted to over 200,000 vines, twelve varietals, and 17 clones. Del Rio produces full-flavored Del Rio Vineyard Estate, Jolee and Rock Point wines. The also supply grapes to over 20 vintners in Oregon and California. | |
A few of Del Rio Vineyard’s awards:
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Grizzly Peak Winery
Grizzly peak is a family operated winery located on 40 acres. They produce 2,500 cases annually, 11 varietals and several blends, of award winning wines from our estate vineyard. The scenic grounds are a favorite location for concerts, weddings, family gatherings, and business meetings. They encourage visitors, events and can park up to 150 cars, as well as tour buses.
Weisinger Family Winery
Located in Ashland Oregon off of Siskiyou Blvd, started in 1988 by John Weisinger, Weisinger Family Winery was the first winery established in Ashland. Their first vines were planted in 1978, and their inaugural wine was produced a decade later, at a time in which there were only five other wineries in the whole of the Rogue. Eric Weisinger, winemaker, is the second generation at the family winery. They produce limited production craft wines exclusively from local vineyards. Sourcing from vineyards that are mostly within five miles of the winery, Weisinger Family Winery supports local growers and the localeconomy. The winery specializes in Tempranillo, Syrah, Malbec and Pinot Noir, as well as Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The winery is also well known for their proprietary Bordeaux blends. They host wine tasting, tours, private events, and lodging at their romantic Vineyard Cottage.
- Awarded best red wine at the 2017 Oregon Wine Competition.
Weisinger Family Winery
3150 Siskiyou Blvd.
541-488-5989
Dancin Winery
It was pioneer Peter Britt who planted the first vineyard in our region, located just two miles from DANCIN nearly 150 years ago. His vineyard included many different varieties including Franc Pinot, known today as Pinot noir. According to Dr. Willard Brown, a local wine historian, this may have been the first planting of Pinot noir in the state of Oregon. Pinot noir is the most harvested variety in our region by more than a 3:1 ratio.
DANCIN Vineyards is a collection of several distinctively unique vineyard blocks of Pinot noir and Chardonnay located above the forested foothills just outside the historic gold rush town of Jacksonville, Oregon and is considered one of the best sites in the Rogue Valley for growing cooler climate varieties such as Pinot noir and Chardonnay. Their vineyards are primarily located on northeast facing slopes that are situated at elevations between 1710 and 1960 feet. With the backdrop of tall pines, cedars and oaks, their vines are in the shadow of cooling shade at the hottest time of the day, which is like the effect of afternoon fog in other cool climate growing regions. As a result, they are able to delay their first seasonal irrigation set until late July or early August, typically needing to apply water to the vines for only 4-6 weeks of the growing season!
2Hawk Vineyard & Winery
2Hawk Vineyard & Winery is named after the two hawks who have soared over the estate and vineyard since its original planting. The 2Hawk 80 acre estate is located just outside Medford, OR. Just minutes off I-5 and the tasting room is nested right in front of our winery and surrounded by our vineyard. Established in 2009, 2Hawk’s vineyard has undergone intensive and continuous improvements by the current owners. Since its completion in 2012, the tasting room has become a gathering place for sharing the splendor of this distinctive estate. In March 2014, Ross and Jennifer Allen purchased the vineyard and winery from the original owners and moved to the estate.
Jaxon Vineyards
Owned by Jamie and Katherine McCleary, Jaxon Vineyards is a small and relatively new Rogue Valley vineyard that has already made a name for itself by producing award-winning wines. Jaxon Vineyards holds a passion for crafting premium wines from carefully nurtured vines, with a focus on environmentally responsible farming practices to produce varietals that combine an influence from French and Spanish heritage with thriving vines that are uniquely Southern Oregon. The McClearys have both taken classes in viticulture at University of California, Davis, and were looking for a warm climate between Ashland and Medford. In 2008, the family purchased a 16-acre pear orchard deemed suitable for growing grapes of the southern Rhone region of France and the Rioja region of Spain. Both of these regions have similar climates to Southern Oregon and proved to be a perfect host for grape strands that produce tempranillo, syrah, grinch and viognier. Jaxon received fantastic reviews of their wines from the start; their 2011 Granache won a double gold at WOW and gold at the 2014 SavorNW Wine competition, the 2011 Estate Tempranillo won silver medals at WOW, the San Francisco International and the SavorNW competitions. Jaxon also received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast for their 2011 Syrah.
No public tasting room exists yet for Jaxon, although plans for one are on the drawing board. You can find their wines at local Ashland restaurants like Liquid Assets and the Peerless Restaurant. You can also arrange private tastings and events at their home that overlooks the vineyard.
“Our vision is for every sip of Jaxon to inspire, forge new memories, and add something special to time spent with family and friends.”
Pebblestone Cellars
Located in the center of the Ashland, Medford, and Jacksonville “triangle,” Pebblestone has made a name for itself as a small yet booming family-owned winery. Pebblestone”™s name pays tribute to the special, sandy soil that contributes to the intense varietal aromatics that make it”™s wine truly unique. The 2015 Block 8 Viognier won the award for best white at the Oregon Wine Competition. Gold medals have also been awarded to Pebblestone”™s 2012 Cabernet Franc and the 2012 Tempranillo. The cellar has been a huge work in progress, as the property had been planted six years before the current owners acquired the property. “We inherited a restoration project,” owner Dick Ellis said. “Part of the vines had failed, and it took me six years to redo the trellising and getting the vineyard back into a productive state.”
Pebblestone now boasts a beautiful tasting room for visitors, with exquisite views of Wagner Butte and Mount Ashland. You can experience a varietal of fantastic tasting wines in a quaint, peaceful setting. As one yelp reviewer put it “Pebblestone is a small winery near Phoenix Oregon. They do a fantastic job with all their wines, and have won numerous awards, including San Francisco Wine Chronicle tasting. The tasting room is small and intimate with a peaceful outdoor area. Their prices are reasonable and the wine club is one of the best values in the valley.”
Plaisance
Southern Oregon dairyman Joe Ginet was in the milking business for 30 years before he decided that Pleasance Ranch could produce much more. Joe”™s family had a history of both wine and farming, and being a third-generation farmer who first bought his ranch in 1979, he was accustomed to hard work and learning. When Joe decided he wanted to branch out into the wine business, he had cousins come in from France to help plant vineyards and teach the grafting business. Now on the ranch, instead of a dairy welding shop, you find a commercial kitchen. In place of a milk tank room you will find a tasting room. And what was once a milking parlor is now a barrel room.
Today Pleasance offers a huge number of wine styles and guarantees every visitor to try something that they have never tasted before. It has been a slow road to success but most recently Pleasance has been making a name for itself with award winning selections. The 2013 Carménère was selected as a Great Northwest Wine of the Week, the 2013 Syrah won a gold medal at the 2016 Cascade Wine Competition and best red honors at the Oregon Wine Competition, and the 15 year commitment of Mondeusé picked up a gold medal as well.
Joe Ginet is also one of the founding members of the Oregon Wine Experience, which now raises more than $500,000 a year for the Asante Children”™s Miracle Network.
Plaisance Ranch still provides fantastic organic beef, with no hormones or antibiotics, which can be found at Ruby”™s restaurant, Shop & Cart and Ashland Food Co-op. You can join their wine club for special discounts and benefits including special events, advanced notification of releases, and quarterly bottles.
Schultz Glory Oaks Vineyard
After several years of learning the “wine” part of the business, they then turned their attention, time, and energy to planning their own estate vineyard. Their 60-acre site on Slagle Creek Road, formerly a cattle ranch, is in the beautiful Applegate Valley AVA of southern Oregon. Roughly half of the property is available for agriculture, with the other half a beautiful forest. Slagle Creek meanders across the property providing water and habitat for an abundance of wildlife. They began layout, irrigation installation and trellis development on six acres in 2014, fencing out the deer and elk, but allowing them access to the creek. After consulting to determine which varietals are best suited to their site, planting began with the Spanish noble Tempranillo grape and continued with a planting of Malbec in 2015. The 6-acre vineyard has now been planted out with Viognier, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and is LIVE-certified. Currently under development is a cooler 2-acre vineyard designated for Pinot noir, Pinot blanc, and Chardonnay. Land stewardship is a high priority, so we are preserving the trees, restoring the riparian area and removing non-native invasive plant species. As part of their future plans to become biodynamic-certified, their seven free-range chickens provide pest control in the vineyard, and share the space with six sheep that mow and fertilize.
