Ten Oregon Wines to Know

Cowhorn is a Southern Oregon Rhone ranger—biodynamic and unafraid.

(Jim Fischer)

Cowhorn Wines

Cowhorn is a Southern Oregon Rhone ranger—biodynamic and unafraid. Its savory, funky Spiral 36, a viognier-roussanne-marsanne white blend, is a glorious changeup.

Holden Wine Company

Ambitious Oregon winemaker Sterling Whitted makes one of the state's best chardonnays from grapes grown at Johan Vineyards—and that's saying something.

Golden Cluster

Golden Cluster Wines

Golden Cluster makes glorious small-production syrah and truly distinctive sémillon, with just a whisper of skin contact. Winemaker Jeff Vejr is also one of Portland's best wine selectors at Holdfast Dining.

Cameron Winery

Cameron produces Burgundian indigenous-yeast wines, made to age and, for the most part, priced like it. But some bottlings, like the Friuli doppelgänger Giuliano and Radikon-tribute pinot gris, are in a more approachable price range. Winemaker John Paul is enormously influential and was mentioned by many of the featured winemakers in this issue.

Fausse Piste

In his Southeast Portland winery—home to Holdfast Dining—chef-turned-winemaker Jesse Skiles makes convincing and affordable Pacific Northwest syrah, drink-it-now grenache from Southern Oregon fermented in a concrete egg, and raw and vibrant Oregon muscat blanc à petits grains.

Fossil & Fawn

(Jim Fischer)

The motto of Fossil & Fawn winemakers Jim Fischer Jr. and Jenny Mosbacher is "get weird, suck less." Their standout wines include a skin-contact pinot gris and a weird and wild pinot noir-chardonnay blend called "Do Nothing."

Jasper Sisco Wines

JasperSiscoWines

This exciting young wine label is moving into its  own facility following a stint at Southeast Wine Collective. Jasper Sisco uses mostly Washington grapes, and makes an intriguing range of rosé wines.

Kelley Fox Wines

Kelley Fox (Photo by Paul Cunningham)

I've been hating on pinot noir a bit in this piece, but Kelley Fox makes lovely Oregon pinot in a soft, perfumed style evocative of Volnay. Early vintages are just starting to sing, and in five years this could be the best pinot noir in the state.

Statera Cellars

Just two vintages in, Statera winemakers Luke Mathews and Meredith Bell are making exceptional Oregon chardonnay, pinot noir and pet-nat, with distribution in New York and beyond.

Ovum Wines

Arguably more famous outside Oregon, this roaring new winemaker is pushing boundaries with an impressive range of rieslings grown from our state's soil.

Forget Mom's Pinot. We're Witnessing the Birth of a Wild and Wonderful New Oregon Wine.

Brianne Day's Big Break As a Winemaker Came Because of Her Grape Tattoo

Bow & Arrow's Scott Frank Came to Wine After Hitting Bottom

Art + Science Has Pinots and Ciders That Will Change What You Think About Both

Oregon's Most Avant-Garde Winemakers Looks Kind of Like a Linebacker

After Tasting Oregon Wine, Thomas Monroe and Kate Norris Packed Up Their Car With Their Dog and Drove Here

Ten Years and 15 Harvests Later, Joe Swick Knows No-Sulfite Bottles Are Wine-Geek Candy

Andy Young Made His First Wine Using a Chainsaw

Teutonic's Barnaby Tuttle Went From Black Sabbath Hesher to Punk Rock Wine

Ten Oregon Wines to Know

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