USA – Hitting the Oregon Trail
WINE TRENDS 8
Another gap we have wanted to fill for many years has been Oregon, and particularly some of the Pinot Noir that they are so famous for. Pricing has been a stumbling block so we were elated when we found the Union Wine Co., a collective of passionate individuals focussed on making great wine at more affordable price points. Their Kings Ridge and Alchemist Pinot Noir are both stunning and very precise wines, while their Kings Ridge Dry Riesling must be tried. We also took the opportunity to list their neighbours too: Amity Vineyards, who make a delicious Pinot Blanc and a fantastic Pinot Noir.
UNION WINE CO.
Union Wine Co. was founded in 2005 by Ryan Harms, an entrepreneur with experience working for Oregon’s top winemakers. Ryan’s ambition was to make honest, delicious Oregon wines of high quality that he and friends could afford. The name was chosen to honour and bring together the diversity, spirit and character of Oregon.
Union operates as an “industrial château”, an urban winery located just outside Portland. By being efficient about everything, from how they set up the winery to how they make wine, they knew they could successfully create that marriage of craft and small-scale manufacturing. Removing the expense of an extravagant winery allows Union to focus on acquiring high-quality fruit from the state’s best growers and distributing wine at an accessible price point. Harms is the first to deliver Oregon wine of this calibre on such a great scale.
AMITY
Amity Vineyards was founded in 1974 by winemaker Myron Redford, who moved to Oregon with a dream to make world class Pinot Noir. A pioneer, he was the first to produce organically grown sulphite-free wine. The first vineyards were planted in 1971, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Pinot Blanc vines covering a total of 15 acres.
Inspired by the rich heritage of exploration that is a part of these hills, Ryan Harms from Union Wine Company and his brother, Eric Harms, have brought new energy to this pioneering craft winery, after purchasing it in 2014.