What Makes Oregon Wine So Good?
Why does any winemaker find themselves in Oregon? Sure, having a spouse with a connection to the area is one reason, but why else would a winemaker choose Oregon over the rest of the left coast?
The truth is, the Oregon wine industry values integrity in winemaking, and it shows in the wines they produce. Oregon wines account for 1% of U.S. wine production, yet in recent years, they made up 20% of Wine Spectator’s domestic 90+ ratings.
What makes Oregon wine disproportionately good? We have our theories.
Oregon wine is almost universally grown at a sustainable scale. Organic and biodynamic viticultural practices prevail, even though many vineyards don’t bother seeking certification. Owners of small vineyards generally live amongst their vines, and they’re conscientious about the substances that they spray in their backyards and above their drinking water sources. They prune their vines by hand, and harvest by hand. We’re talking about many hands, of course!
Oregon wines are mostly made at a sustainable scale, too. You’d have to look pretty hard to find a 100,000-gallon tank that could contaminate a whole river ecosystem with one failed valve. Instead you’ll find traditional barrels and small fermenters punched down by hand. You generally won’t find trucks dumping gondolas of grapes into giant hoppers for crushing either. Instead, you find processing lines full of people sorting clusters and individual berries to keep inferior fruit out of the wine. Mega Purple? Ultra Red? Nope—these additives are illegal in Oregon.
And those are just a few of the Oregon-scale differences that Kirk and Kimberly noticed. We’d tell you more, but we don’t want to scare you away from your favorite $15 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon! Industrial wines serve a purpose and there’s a place for those wines in the market—but you won’t find them in the Resistance lineup.
Learning to make wine gives you a very different appreciation for what you’re drinking. Kirk and Kimberly set out to make good wine, with practices that they could be proud of. No industrial shortcuts.
Their wines would embody this resistance.
Hey, if you like reading about wine, you’ll definitely enjoy drinking it. Check out the Resistance Wine Company’s best bottles!