Eugene
Wine Cellars

--> Order Wine Here<--

Eugene Wine Cellars makes delicious and affordable wines from vineyards across Oregon.The winery is housed in a 10,800 square foot facility in downtown Eugene, Oregon.

EWC has recently released their 2000 vintage wines, including Syrah, Pinot noir, Viognier, Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The owners of EWC also own and operate A.R.E.A., Inc. (Agricultural and Resource Economic Associates). AREA has been involved in vineyard development, management and consulting since 1983. They have planted over 1,500 acres of vineyards in Oregon from Sutherlin to Hillsboro. They have purchased and assisted clients in purchasing over 3,000 acres of land designated for vineyard, farm, winery and home construction. They have worked successfully with planning commissions and government agencies in nine counties on vineyard and winery construction issues.

AREA currently manages 450 acres of vineyard operations in Lane, Benton, Linn, Polk, Yamhill, Marion, Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.They marketed over 450 tons of fruit on behalf of their clients in 2001.

From the Winemaker

The 2001 harvest is in! We are thrilled with the quality and the quantity of the fruit. A warm month of October is always key in Oregon to obtaining the desired sugar levels and acid balance to produce world class wines.

This growing season was Oregon's driest on record. We have had four years of below average precipitation in a row. As a winery and vineyard management company our main concerns are: how well did the vines hold up physiologically and how will that effect their production in the next year and in the long run. When plants do not receive adequate moisture they can suffer and incur more stress than is desired.

Eugene Wine Cellars is anticipating a very good vintage. With fermentations completed the red wines are showing great color and excellent flavor profiles. The white wines are showing incredible fruit characteristics and aromatics, along with good mouth feel.

EWC processed about 300 tons of fruit this season. Over half of this production was custom crushed for other interests. EWC's case output should be about 7,000 cases. Our cellar staff headed by New Zealander Matt Elrick and local guy Peter Van Duyn did a great job of handling the duties of processing and winemaking during this hectic season.

Our facility was running 24 hours a day from September 26th through October 29th. We keep fine tuning the processing area, making it more user friendly. Processing this amount of fruit in a mid-sized city has its challenges. Cheers to the processing staff!

Spotlight on: Dion Vineyards

One of the most established vineyards in Washington County is the Dion Vineyard, off Hwy. 219 south of Hillsboro. The vineyard was planted in 1971 by Ron and Joanne Johnson, and Ron's dad Al Johnson. With a beautiful southern exposure at 500 feet, the site is predominantly Laurelwood soils. The Johnsons started working with AREA in 1995, and we helped bring in 125 tons from the 60 acre site this year.

Their first planting was 420 vines of Pinot noir, accomplished with a garden cart and family members pitching in. The first harvest was in 1975, and the crop brought in $500 per ton. Al Johnson, who is now 90, drove tractor at the vineyard into his 80's. He would wear a Sou'wester hat to shade the sun, which made him look like 'Darth Vader' as he pulled the fruit loaded on his tractor trailer.

The Johnsons have grown Gewurztraminer, Muscat Ottonel, Mueller Thurgau and Sauvignon Blanc in the past. Currently the vineyard produces Pinot noir, Pinot gris and Chardonnay. Over the years, Ron has been interested in identifying the best clones and rootstocks for his site. Last year we planted an exciting new nine acre Pinot noir clone/rootstock field blend block, which will produce fruit next year.

Ron also has operated his own weather station at the vineyard, from which he downloads data daily and tracts heat units. He has also established a formal crop yield forecasting system.

The Johnsons have always had a vineyard dog over the years, with 'Muffy' ruling the roost these days. Her favorite job is chasing deer out of the vineyard, then cooling down in her water tub spa.

The Dion fruit was sold to Eugene Wine Cellars, Oak Knoll, WillaKenzie Estate, MayaSara, and Domaine Meriwether and this year.

Featured wine: Melon

This fresh, crisp white wine is intensely aromatic, with tropical fruit flavors. We have experienced excellent success with this wine at our in-store tastings. Once people try it, they love it! They fragrant bouquet and the clean cleansing finish is wonderful with food.

EWC is probably Oregon's largest producer of this varietal. We grow it in Clackamas and Yamhill counties. The grape is of Burgundian origin, and is now found in the Loire Valley where it is used in Muscadet.

Enjoy it with a fresh Oregon Dungeness crab, oysters Rockefeller or your holiday turkey.

Need Wine?

Call us at
541-752-7418
we love to talk
with our customers about
NW wines!

Store manager Ann Crowley-
10-6PM M-Sat

---

Cole Danehower on
Oregon Wine

This is the best guide, bar none, to Oregon's wines. Insightful articles, interesting reviews, in depth interviews- you'll find them all here. Worth every penny if you're interested in Oregon wine.

Andy Perdue
on
Northwest Wine

Andy is editor of
Wine Press NW

Check it out!