Making wine today benefits from modern technology. But, Illahe Vineyards is producing a wine that removes every element of modernity and technology. I found it to be a fascinating story wrote about it in my weekly column in the Napa Valley Register which I am sharing here.
Have you ever thought about how they used to make wine before all of the luxuries of modern technology? Before electricity? Before mechanization, whether with tractors or machines for harvesting and sorting? What about temperature control? Is wine simpler to make today because we have technology? Do we take for granted how so many innovations have made work easier?
Brooks Winery in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, is celebrating their 20th anniversary. I knew about the winery and had tasted their Pinot Noirs at World of Pinot Noir in the past. But I was able to visit Brooks on a recent visit to the Willamette Valley. On this visit, I was introduced to their delicious Rieslings and learned the story of how friendship kept the winery going. I shared the story in my column in the Napa Valley Register which you can read here.
In 1998, Jimi Brooks started Brooks Winery, focusing on Oregon’s potential for expressive, complex and balanced Riesling and Pinot Noir.
In 2004, at the age of 38, Brooks unexpectedly passed away two weeks before harvest. A group of his friends donated their skills and time to make the 2004 wines in Jimi’s style. Twenty years later, Brooks Winery continues to produce delicious wines under his name under the guidance of Jimi’s sister, Janie Brooks, and his friend and winemaker Chris Williams.
I traveled to the Willamette Valley in Oregon this past week for my first time. I have been to Portland but had never explored the neighboring wine region until now. But, my first trip there already has me planning my next trip. I tasted so many delicious wines, met so many winemakers and heard so many stories. And throughout it all, I felt welcomed and at home with the warm community and that is why the people and the wines of Willamette Valley are the Please The Palate pick of the week.
I am blessed to travel to wine regions around the world and meet winemakers. Every where I go, I meet friendly people who are driven by passion. But there was something palpable in the sense of community among the winemakers of Willamette Valley.
The Willamette Valley is more than 100 miles long and spans 60 miles at its widest point. It is located between Oregon's Cascade Mountains and the Coastal Range. There are approximately 3,438,000 acres of vines planted and more than 500 wineries.
As the Willamette Valley has grown, it has become difficult for winemakers to all know each other. Of course, they all feel that the source of their grapes is the ideal location but they share a general love and respect for the entire region. And despite not knowing each other, there is admiration and respect for each other and a sense of community and pride. Throughout the week, I was struck by some of the thoughts shared by the winemakers I met.
There is Stephen Hagen of Antiquum Farm who feels his wines are "intense expressions of who we are and where we are."
