Spring is here on the vineyard, and as we await bud break, everyone is keeping busy, ready to welcome the 2019 vintage. Across Corral Creek, we’ve started a thorough cleaning of invasive species with our partners at Ashcreek Forestry. In accordance with our LIVE and B Corp certifications, we’re introducing indigenous plant species that enhance the relationship with the soil while bringing a bright revitalization to our landscape. Around our red barn, we’ve created a boulder basin garden that is overflowing with our beloved and honored native Camassia flower. Oregon rhododendrons, cypress, and heirloom roses bring a colorful fragrance to our estate while attracting honey bees to our new colony. As always, we are striving to create a river of biodiversity across our properties that will foster the best environment for producing world-class wines.

Back at the winery, we’ve bottled the majority of our 2018 white wines, with the remainder of our aromatic whites like our Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, and our first ever Chenin Blanc, finishing in the coming weeks. We’ve also blended our 2017 Reserve and Statement Pinot noirs, which will continue to marry in the tank before bottling at the end of April.  In the cellar, our 2018 red wines are going through malolactic fermentation, a winemaking process that happens when certain types of bacteria transform the tart malic acid into the softer, creamier lactic acid. This conversation creates a rich, velvety mouthfeel in the finished wine, but the process takes time.

At our Ridgecrest Vineyard, we’ve planted the final 4 acres with Dijon clones 777, 667 & 115. Each Pinot noir rootling was carefully planted by hand to ensure they will thrive for the next 40+ years. Our goal is to take good care of our vines in their infancy so they will be productive for years to come. In two short days, we planted 9,100 Pinot noir vines!

Spring showers bring the Valley of Flowers, and we have included an awesome spring-centric lineup for our April tasting flight at our downtown Newberg Tasting Room & Wine Bar.  Grüner Veltliner is BACK by popular demand for our club members along with our 2018 Chehalem Mountains Rosé of Pinot Noir, and our 2016 Reserve Chardonnay. An exciting feature on this month’s tasting flight is our 2007 Cerise, the French word for cherry. A blend of 80% Gamay Noir and 20% Pinot noir from our Ridgecrest Vineyard, Cerise is available on both club and non-club flights. If you love a light, acid driven and eclectic red wine, this is the wine for you! Enjoy sipping this wine in our lounge space over a conversation with a friend, or pair it with one of our beautiful Forager cheese and charcuterie boards, available in two sizes, or ala-carte.

Sustainability is one of our daily practices, not only in the vineyard but in our Tasting Room. Our keg program is one of our favorite things to highlight. Come in, purchase a 1-liter growler to take home and receive 33% more wine than a regular bottle, for the same price! We currently are featuring our Rosé of Pinot noir and Three Vineyard Pinot noir.

Around our patio and alley, we’ve begun plans on a vertical garden for a more delightful summer experience in these outdoor spaces. Honeysuckle and heirloom roses will be planted near the screens while green pillars of cypress reach up to the sky along the fence. Re-purposed galvanized grain tubes full of fragrant lilacs, bright ivy geraniums, and fabulous hops will cool the brick exterior of our tasting room as the summer heat washes in through the season.

Don’t miss out! 

• During April, shipping is included on all orders of a case or more! Need help customizing a case? Contact Dave Rice at our Tasting Room today 503-538-4700. He’ll help you pick your perfect spring sippers. Hurry! Our case shipping promotion ends on April 30.
• Our Live Music Series begins Friday, April 26th with the fantastic Aaron Meyer! The fun continues-every Friday through the end of summer. Featuring a variety of genres, grab your friends, and unwind into the weekend with some wine and live local music.  Check out our events page for dates and time. We have several new fresh faces here in the Tasting Room and look forward to your next visit!

Thank you to Chef Janet O’Connor of Bethany’s Table who catered our Spring Release Party. Aged Gouda cheese with our Rosé; crisp tortilla chips filled with mixtures of spice prawns and avocado with our Riesling; and, pork belly sliders with pickled red onion, arugula, and huckleberry preserve with our Chehalem Mountains Pinot noir to name a few of the tasty combinations. Do we have you drooling? It was all to die for, and our members could not stop raving about it! This was hands down one of the best parties we’ve had at Chehalem, and we owe our gratitude to our amazing members and incredible tasting room team.
If you missed out, we have more fun events slated for this summer. Imagine brunch in the vineyard, with a welcoming glass of our spritzy SEXT Riesling when you arrive, live music, games, and vineyard tours every hour. This event is specifically for our club members as a token of our appreciation. Member benefits include first access to all newly released wines, preferred pricing, complimentary tastings and tours, and invitations to fun and highly favored events like the ones described. For more information on joining our wine club, contact our Wine Club Manager, Erin Longmire.  With so much going on, there has never been a better time to visit.