The Theology of Wine

Harvest Time

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 20:34:00 +0000

When I worked harvest in 2011 we didn't start bringing in the grapes until it was almost Halloween. This year as October begins, harvest is pretty well wrapped up. It was a hot spring, a long hot summer, and it continues to be a warmer than usual fall. You can see from the above photo that there is a LOT of fruit in the vineyard this year. The fruit set was excellent this spring, and the above normal temperatures helped to ensure that it would all ripen.

I was sorting grapes again this year at Coeur de Terre Vineyard. Scott and Lisa aren't too tired of my never ending questions, I guess. It is a rewarding process of helping to sort the harvest each year. It is a wonderful time of fellowship as well. Lisa provides meals for the crew, and we eat very well!

Hector, one if the members of the crew told me I'm I'm always facing the wrong way when I'm taking photographs. "You're always facing the grapes and never me." So I got him driving up the road on the tractor with a load of grapes. (He usually uses his hands when he drives!) Notice the pond in the background? It's low. Coeur de Terre has a new vineyard they just planted and the new vines must be watered until they have put down enough roots to survive such dry weather. But don't worry, the rainy season is about to begin. At leas I hope and pray it is.

Walla Walla--So Nice They Named It Twice

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 18:58:00 +0000

It seems to be a time of closure. We just returned from a trip to Montana to visit with Robin's family at their cabin located on Flathead Lake. Their family has just made the difficult decision to sell the cabin. They have been going to that place since the late 1960's. That's lot of memories. On the way we were blessed to be able to spend some time with our former partners in Wednesday Wines, Garry and Irma. They now live in Idaho (for grandchildren reasons) so Walla Walla was a central place to get together. And, as it just so happens, there are some wonderful wineries there. No, that's not the reason we met there, well, OK, maybe it was a major factor!

The first we visited was Woodward Canyon. They have a small restaurant in back, so after our tasting we strolled back to have lunch. Since we were in a strolling mood, we headed over to L'Ecole #41. It is a wonderful tasting room which has been converted from an old school building (thus the name). They have a cool library ladder that goes back and forth on the bookshelves behind the tasting room bar. (Someday, I want one of those in my house!)

We found a home to stay in called The Garden Cottage. The backyard was beautiful. We were able to sit for many hours and drink wine and share stories. Garry and Irma's grandsons were in the state finals for Little League, so they were excited to share all of the news.

The trip embodied some of the hardest goodbyes of my life. It was very difficult for me to close the wine shop. I loved that place. It didn't get any easier when Garry and Irma decided to move away. Now I've had to say goodbye to my church community, and Robin is saying goodbye to a family treasure. Hopefully all of these goodbyes will be filled with reunions like the one we were able to enjoy with our friends, Garry and Irma. What a beautiful time together.

Farewell and Godspeed

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 19:09:00 +0000

I said farewell to my congregation this past weekend. It was difficult. I would not have chosen to leave of my own devices. But the simple truth is that our Cooperative Ministries of Lutherans and Methodists in McMinnville, Oregon can no longer afford two pastors. It was a wonderful extravagance to have a full-time Methodist and a full-time Lutheran pastor on staff. It became obvious to everyone that we could no longer afford that extravagance. It was very clear to me that I did not desire to be the pastor of both congregations. So I resigned my call. I did not do so lightly.

To help ease the pain, some friends invited us to a wine-tasting in Carlton, Oregon. It is impressive to me how much this little town has changed in the 12 years that I have lived here. There are new shops, restaurants and wineries springing up all along the main street of town. We tasted several wines at our destination. Our hostess, DeeDee could not have been more hospitable. There was a beautiful spread of cheeses and meats for us to sample. We had just eaten a sumptuous lunch at the Horseradish restaurant, so we went light on the snacks and dove into the wines. I do not like to say bad things about Oregon wines, but these were not presenting well that day. There could be a lot of reasons for that. It's been very hot, and the air conditioner might have been turned off over night. Who knows. But we didn't purchase much.

While eating lunch we ran into Ken for K&M Winery. They have a tasting room just down the street, so we decided to visit. All I can say is that if K&M have made a less-than-great wine I have not yet tasted it. I've never left with less that 8-10 bottles. Ken is the public face of the operation. He has put together such a clean, beautiful tasting room area. I loved everything about it, including tasting wonderful wines with six good friends. It was a balm to my soul. Ken mentioned that he and his partner are getting married this summer. That fills me with so much joy and hope for the future. May they be happy and blessed as they enter a new phase of their relationship.

As I head out the door, I am filled with thanksgiving for my time at the Cooperative Ministries. I have served a wonderful group of people who have taken the charge to feed and house the poor seriously. Many people have asked me what I am going to do. The answer is, "nothing". I sometimes say that I am going fallow. I am going to do nothing . . . but with a purpose. I want to try and ascertain where the Holy Spirit might be leading me. I do know that I want to participate in creating beauty in some way. I'll be singing with the Occasional Quartet, tasting more wine, and relaxing a bit. God seems to have closed and locked this door, but another will open. With time and patience, I'm sure I will see it. If you have any ideas for my future, just let me know, I wide open to new ideas and new possibilities.

Bud Break 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 22:09:00 +0000

Bud break is such a miracle to me. You walk out into a field of what last week looked like a bunch of dead sticks and there is a riot of new life breaking out on the vines--so much energy released so quickly.

Where does all that energy come from? Funny you should ask. The roots! On this adventure we were at Roots Wine Company. (Check out their web site, it is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.) I had the pleasure of sitting next to Chris and Hilary Berg at a recent dinner. What a pleasure (for me at least) to be tasting wines with someone who actually makes them.

When I met Chris they were just getting ready to open their tasting room. It is amazing to me the time, effort and money involved in starting a winery. I wondered if Chris might be there for our visit, but alas, he is off shlepping his wine! Winter is a never ending season of travel to foreign states to try and convince a distributor that your wine is worth representing. Making wine is a lot pressing the flesh and pouring free product for those you hope to buy it.

I love the Roots name and logo. Wine roots go down deep. Some say they can reach depths of 30 feet or more. These "Roots" roots are working their way down into the red Dundee Hills soil in which they have been planted.

In addition to Pinot Noir grown on his own estate, Chris is creating several other wines from selected wineries in the area. It is a beautiful location and with the improving weather this weekend might be the perfect time to head out and take a look at the new life in the vineyards.

"Stripped Bare, Like Vineyards at Harvest Time"

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sun, 05 Oct 2014 01:33:00 +0000

That's a quote from Eugene Peterson's translation of Psalm 37:20. And the photo above is the last, lonely cluster left in Abby's block at Coeur de Terre. The harvest hands are good, but every once in a while they miss one. I took a similar photo of these vines two days ago, and they were loaded with fruit. Now you are lucky to find one solitary cluster.

Harvest happens quickly. The other morning I showed up to help sort fruit and the Winery Block had already been picked clean by the time I got there. The light was amazing with the sun just peaking up behind the grapes sitting in the bins at the ends of the rows.

Last night I got to do one of my favorite things--sit at the vineyard and watch the sun set while drinking a fantastic bottle of wine. I was kind of sad about the vineyards being "stripped bare" but Scott said it makes him feel good. He's been sitting on an emotional roller coaster of sugar levels and weather reports, and it must be a terrific relief to have the fruit harvested and safely in the winery.

It's a time you can sit on a chair and relax and tell stories, and enjoy some gorgeous Pinot Noir, wine that your own hands have helped to create. There aren't many times in my daily work that I can do that, and it's one of the reasons I enjoy working at crush. It's sticky hard work, but it creates something so beautiful. There just aren't enough beautiful things in the world, and we are called to slow down and notice them, drink them in and enjoy.

Processing Pinot 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 19:47:00 +0000

Crush is on in full force in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Some wineries have already processed all of their fruit, but many are still in the midst of harvest. Coeur de Terre has half of their estate Pinot Noir processed and in fermentors. They are also processing grapes like Pinot Gris from other wineries.

I went up to the vineyard Sunday afternoon and stayed until about 10:30 that night. Scott had another three hours of work to go at that point. We have a few days off now because of the rains. We'll start in again in ernest on Thursday.

There is a huge difference between Pinot Noir processing and Pinot Gris. That's a bin of Gris in the photo above. With white wines like Gris (yes, believe it or not, those grapes will make a white wine!) With the whites we are processing you want to get them removed from the skins as quickly as possible, so the grape are processed, destemmed and put into the wine press. The press takes about two hours to complete it's cycle, so there is some free time in between batches.

I spent most of the day up on a ladder under the destemming machine pushing the grapes around in the press to ensure that the grapes fill the entire machine. I'm always amazed at how well the machine does it's work. The stems come out completely cleaned of grapes and the grapes come out unbroken and without stems. Not sure how a huge piece of industrial machinery is able to do all that. I'm don't usually do physical labor, so my body is a bit sore today! I'm glad I have a few days to relax and recover. I'm sure Thursday and Friday are going to be long days (and nights!)

Grand Hospitality at K & M

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 19:13:00 +0000

Some good friends of ours bid on a vineyard tour at a recent charity event. The tour was for eight people and Robin and I were lucky enough to be asked to be a part of the experience. K & M Winery sits high above Newberg about half way between highway 99 and the and the Woodburn-Newburg Road. It's a long, winding drive with large sections of gravel. Some might find that off-putting, but I love it. K & M has a tasting room in Carlton, but does some events and tastings at their vineyard. Ken was our host for the day, and he has a wonderful gift of hospitality. Veraison has come to the vineyard! That means the red varietals are starting to change color. According to some winemakers that means that (God willing and the creek don't rise) harvest is about 40 or so days away. This is the second vineyard in a row where they have trellised their vines from the top down.

Ken walked us through the vineyard and then set out a tray of beautiful, local cheeses as well. We started with their Estate Chardonay, (pictured below), then proceeded to a Pinot Noir Rose, an '11 Estate Pinot, an '09 Oregon Pinot, and some bigger red's which they source from Southern Oregon. It's a wonderful tasting of a rich variety of wines all at very reasonable prices.

We had a wonderful time hanging out with good friends and tasting through their flight of wines at K & M. The location is amazing. From a very small parking lot you head down a steep set of stairs to a small tasting area, which opens out onto a patio, which flows down to another patio. Everything just flows from one space to another. I had to ask where the vineyard was located because I couldn't see it past the rich green plantings surrounding the tasting areas. Ken said the the architecture of the buildings is called "Pattern Language Architecture." I've never heard of it, but the feeling is warm and inviting.

That's a photo a the barn above. I want to thank Doug and Linda for the generous invitation to join them in their tasting. Also thanks to Ken for his warm welcome and for giving us a chance to sit with some great friends and enjoy his beautiful wines. It is just the kind of afternoon I love in Oregon Wine country.

Tour of BeckenRidge with Ken

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 15:48:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of touring the BeckenRidge Vineyard with Ken Jacroux. He saw me photographing some of their older Pinot Noir vines and made the mistake of joining me! I immediately started asking questions about their unique trellising system. Most I've seen have the main vine growing about 18 inches tall with a cane growing off of that and the rest of the fruiting canes growing straight up. Ken explained to me that these 30 year old vines were originally done that way, but somewhere along the line they decided to have the main trunk of the vine go up to about five feet, with the smaller vines growing down from there. It gives these old vines a twisting, gnarled look that I love. They are just now in the process of training the vines down. Ken explained that if they do it any sooner the vine might break.

We also talk a bit about theology. Ken is a man of faith and has spent a lot of time considering how the vineyard and his faith influence one another. He tells me about the roots of the vines. They will only grow out until they meet the roots of another vine, but no further. Then they start to grow down. The main root can go very deep. Ken says his are down at least 18 feet in the ground. "We have no watering system in place" he pointed out. The roots are deep enough to find water. They do have to water any new, or replacement vines that they plant, until their roots are deep enough not to need it, which takes about three years.

Ken and his wife, Becky, will be going through the Pinot Noir section of the vineyard in the next few weeks to hand prune the fruit. In the photo above, Ken is holding the smaller cluster that must be removed. Imagine doing that for every vine on every plant of the vineyard! In the Bible, when Jesus wants to tell a story about work, he often begins with the words, "There was a man who owned a vineyard . . . " Ken also points out the the clusters have some grapes that are larger and some that are smaller. They will all mature to the same size before harvest. Ken was silly enough to give me his phone number and tell me to call if I have any questions. He may regret that decision!

The Wedding at BeckenRidge

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 19:33:00 +0000

This past weekend I had the privilege of presiding at a wedding. Mike and Cara had selected BeckenRidge Vineyard for their ceremony, and it was glorious. Vineyards are always signs of blessing. When the Bible wants to talk about people who have been truly blessed it often uses the metaphor of a vineyard, so it's a great place to celebrate the promises of two people to one another. The photo above was taken by guitarist, Mike Fite. He was providing music for the ceremony, so I asked him if he'd take a few of the wedding service.

BeckenRidge is a unique vineyard. The do not make their own wine, they grow grapes and have another vineyard create the wine. They have no tasting room, but do have a beautiful event center. The vineyard is just outside of Dallas, Oregon. That is where my brother, Dave, also serves a Lutheran church. Dave had told me about this place. He'd once attended a class they had offered on vineyards and the Bible, so I was eager to meet them.

I got to talk to Becky first. She is an amazingly gracious host to those who takes care of all of the front of the house details. We talked about vineyards and pruning for a bit and then she had to see to her guests. I was eager to meet her husband, Ken, who runs the actual vineyard and takes care of all of the behind the scenes activity. Among the many duties I witnessed him taking care of were: filling the decorative water feature with more water; setting out the personalized sign at the bottom of the road directing the guests to the vineyard; cleaning up after a puppy on the grass; refilling the trough with more beer; setting up chairs and tables; and taking out the garbage. And that's only what I saw him do! Ken and Becky have a rich array of gifts which they bring to their operation. I think Becky might write a blog for every wedding, but I'm not sure of that. Ken is also in charge of all of the work in the vineyard itself. I got a chance to walk through the vineyard with him, and I'll write more about that tomorrow.

Wine in the Wilderness

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 22:06:00 +0000

I've just returned from a quick trip to Montana. I attended the Montana Synod Pastor's Gathering at Chico Hot Springs. While there we did a Theology of Wine reception. One of the speakers at the event was Marty Haugen. Dan Erlander was also in attendance. It was a great event and fun to reconnect with some of the folks I served with when I was a pastor in Montana.

When the conference was finished a spent a few days in a cabin near Pray, Montana. What a great place to do a spiritual retreat! The photo above was taken on the road from the cabin back to Livingston.

The photo above is the view I had right outside my little cabin. The night after I took this photo it snowed and the entire mountain was covered with white when I awoke.

I took a day trip out to Pine Creek and did some hiking around in the snow and mud. After that I was ready for some food so I headed into Livingston. I was surprised by what I found. Livingston is known as a railroad town. I have a good friend who grew up there and I've heard many stories about how rough the town was. But I found a wine shop, and it had an excellent selection of wines (especially Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs!)

That's a photo of the shop. It's in the old railway terminal building. Right across the street is a funky restaurant called Gils Foods. I almost missed the place because the sign out front looks a lot like the sign for The Blue Moon Tavern in my home town. And I just don't associate signs like that with good food.

But then my eye went down and I saw the line about a wood fired oven. Then I made a bee line for the place. I ordered a sandwich made from some of their home made bread. It was wonderful. They also feature wines including "Writer's Block" Syrah which I love. Later in the week on my way home I had lunch with a good friend and found out that his significant other works at this place.

I've always loved Chico Hot Springs (that's a photo above provided by my godson, John Christensen). It is so healing to sit in hot water and talk with good friends. I'm glad that good food and good wine are finding their way to this part of Montana. Lord knows I'm out there doing my part!

Oregon Back Roads

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sun, 16 Mar 2014 02:27:00 +0000

There are parts of Oregon Wine Country that I just haven't experienced. One of those is Chehalem Mountain AVA just north of Dundee. I had an appointment in Newberg and decided to take the back roads home. I saw some blue signs on the road and decided to let them guide me. Somehow I ended up a couple of miles down a gravel road at Colene Clemens Vineyard. That's the old barn that sits at the base of the vineyard in the photo above. I didn't taste any wine while I was there. The tasting room was open at 11:00 in the morning, but with Daylight Savings Time just having kicked it it felt more like 10:00 AM, and to quote a friend of mine, "There just isn't a wine that pairs well with toothpaste!"

I also ended up driving past Adelsheim Vineyard where they were cleaning up after pruning. In Europe there are certain meals that are prepared at this time of year using the cuttings from the vineyards as the cooking source. I've got to try that sometime. I love how clean a vineyard looks after the pruning is complete and the vines are trained again to the trellising wires. In the photo above you can see the young, green branches coming off the older trunk of the grapevine. The vineyard crews are out in full force because bud break isn't too far away and the vines all have to be pruned back before that happens.

I end up stopping my car along these back roads so I can get out and capture a photo. It's dangerous work. I have no doubt that someday I'll be done in by someone in an SUV going 75 miles per hour down a back country gravel road while texting! But it will be worth it. This part of Oregon has spectacular country roads with the vineyards along with way just adding to the experience. The fact that there are some wonderful wines to be enjoyed there just makes the drives that much better. I'll have to make another trip this direction some afternoon and stop for wine this time. It's worth the trip even without it, and that's saying something for me.

Wines for Gloria

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 22 Feb 2014 01:45:00 +0000

I was out on this glorious day looking for some wine. Not just any wine would do. These are wines to celebrate the life of my mother, Gloria Pederson who died Monday afternoon. She lived to be 93 years old, and died peacefully surrounded by four of her five sons. I'm headed up for a family celebration, and there is no way we could celebrate my mother's life without some wine! But where to go, which wines would be appropriate?
The first stop was easy. My mother loved the wines of Coeur de Terre Vineyard. She was always interested to hear about my experiences of participating in harvest there. I'd brought her up to the vineyard on several occasions. Today, Jacques, the tasting room manager, had a few 2007 Oregon Pinot Noirs on hand so I got a few of those, and a few of their Late Harvest Rieslings. (I also grabbed a couple of the 2011 Estate Pinot Noirs, but those are for the cellar to be enjoyed later.)

My next stop was pretty easy as well. My mom loved Maysara Winery, and I think took her up there more often than any other winery. My got to meet and talk with the three sisters who run the place. I had the pleasure of talking with Hanna today. I had heard a rumor that they had a few bottles of their 2007 3 Degrees Pinot Noir still available. The 2011 sold out, so they found a few cases of the 2007 to sell in the tasting room. 2007 was a vintage which was panned by the critics, but I am loving these wines more than almost any other. They are doing magical things in the bottle. 3 Degrees is the wine that these three young women are making under their own label. It features wine made from Momtazi Vineyard estate Pinot Noir grapes at a very attractive price. I felt a bit bad because I followed the two same young women from Coeur de Terre to Maysara. It was as though I was stalking them, but they were great sports about it.

I actually made one stop before these two vineyards. The first winery I thought of when I thought of my mom was Remy Wines right here in town. There are several reasons for that. First of all my mom liked larger red wines. I think Remy's Sangiovese is one of my favorite non-Pinot reds which is created locally. You can tell by the photo below that Remy's tasting room is located in an actual wine production facility. The tasting room sometimes has to be the wine storage area. Remy is a great wine maker, and a good small business owner. In that way she reminds me of my mom. For years my mom owned and operated a small gift shop in Parkland, Washington called, Gloria's Scandinavian Gifts. She knew what it was to run a small business--all the many hats that you must wear to keep things going. She also harbored plans to take of the gift shop of the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community, but was never quite able to pull off the coup.

Our church held a worship service at Remy's for a period of time. I also held my book release party there. I'm sure it wouldn't be appropriate to hold my mom's memorial service there, but it's a thought. It would be appropriate to stand around and eat some wonderful food, drink some beautiful wines and share some stories. Laughter would be included. There is no way to remember my mom without wine and laughter. I am my mother's son.

The Sixth Day of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 22:52:00 +0000

We have a tradition of celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas. Department stores would have you believe that Christmas is over, but they actually START on Christmas Day and continue through the day of Epiphany (January 6th). For our sixth day of Christmas we decided to go wine tasting. We began our journey with lunch at the Red Hills Market in Dundee (pictured below).

They have done a wonderful job of creating a great place to hang out. It is as though the Dundee Bistro has started to spread up the hill to other locations. They have great food served on small baking pans. Robin and I split a generous turkey sandwich, and I had a bowl of creamy crab bisque soup. The place was packed for lunch. Apparently, there are a lot of people celebrating the days of Christmas!

Next we took the back roads out of Dundee to get to Vidon Vineyard. It's no easy task to find the vineyard, and that's no mistake. Only one small sign directs the way. I met the owners, Don and Vicki Hagge, at a retirement party for my wine professor at the Northwest Viticulture Center in Salem. I fortuitously happened to sit at the same table as Don and Vicki, and we had a wonderful conversation covering a wide swath of subjects.

Don (pictured above talking to Robin) wanted to know if I worked in the wine industry. I thought about telling him that "I work for a winemaker", because according the Gospel of John, that's was Jesus was, but instead confess that I'm an ordained Lutheran minister who at one time owned a wine shop, and who has written a book called, "The Theology of Wine". (By the way, our website is up and you can view it by clicking on this link!)

Don grew up a farm boy in rural North Dakota, so it's no surprise that he was raised a Lutheran. He was intrigued by the book, and offered to buy one. I gave him a copy and told him I'd trade for a bottle of his wine. It is one of the best deals I have ever made! He served us three estate Pinots from three different vintages ('10, '11 & '12). It is fun to taste how different each year presents itself. Then we taste three Pinots from a single year, but a different part of the vineyard each with it's own clones of the Pinot Noir. It is really a fun way to taste what a difference a different clone, and even a different row in the vineyard can make in the taste of the wine.

Back to the signs (or lack thereof), Vidon does not have a public tasting room with defined visiting hours. They are able to sell almost all of their wine to club members, or rather, just members. Don has a unique marketing approach where people join as members of the winery, and commit to purchasing a minimum amount of wine each year. The type and quantity are up to them. In most clubs the winery decides what you are going to receive without much input from you. Contrary to what you may think, that tasting fee you pay at a winery doesn't come close to covering the cost of serving you that wine.

And Don's wines are wonderful. I'm not in the habit of joining a bunch of wine clubs, but we may have to consider this one. These are some of Robin's favorite Pinot Noirs, and they are reasonably priced for premium estate wines.

Vidon is a Salmon Safe winery, meaning they take great care not to send pollution, sediment, and fertilizer into local streams where they could harm native fish. He also has a bank of solar panels on the roof of his tasting room. They are planting some very interesting varietals for this part of the country including Syrah and Tempranillo. It would be worth it to track them down if you wanted a tasting. But make sure you e-mail ahead of time to make an appointment.

An Indelible Mark

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 17:53:00 +0000

I've been asked to speak to a group in Newberg and it will be a challenge for me. It is a group that does not drink wine! I'll try to maintain, but they don't want to hear my usual spiel about wine and the Bible, and what a blessing wine is thought to be. They asked me to alter my talk instead talk about the wine pioneers of Oregon.

There is a phenomenon I think about just about every time I drive to Portland. As you leave Yamhill County there are vineyards on every side of the road. These vineyards are places of beauty (whether you like wine or not!) I'm always captivated by the rolling hills and the pattern of vines and trellises working their way up and down those hills. Then comes the terrible sign.

It's not that the sign is terrible, but what it foretells. Step into Washington County and the vineyards almost disappear. I was looking at the vineyard map put out by the Willamette Valley Wine Association in the Oregonian. I looked up the Yamhill County line, sketched it out on the map, and was amazed at how closely the wineries follow that line. Many on the Yamhill side, almost none on the Washington side. Why is that?

Why are the hillsides now filled with housing developments and, worst of all McMansions--huge 5000 + square foot monstrosities with at least three car garages. Why aren't there any vineyards? Perhaps the better question is to ask why are there so many on the Yahmhill County side.

The answer is the early wine pioneers. In 1973 David Adelsheim and David Lett (two of the original wine makers of the northern Willamette Valley) saw a great opportunity. The state had just instituted the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. Lett and Adelsheim decided to map out the potential hillsides that might one day be developed as vineyards and had them designating as prime vineyard or agricultural zones. That meant that these lands could not be subdivided and developed, but were reserved for agricultural use.

Thanks to Dr. Jeff D. Peterson at Linfield College, I was blessed to hear David Adelsheim talk about that process a few years back. (That's him in the photo above.) He and Lett were not paid to do the work, they simply felt it was critical to the future of the industry to preserve these sights. What a blessing that has become for those of us who live in this area. Blessing those who live around us is one of the primary purposes of the church, I think. People may not even realize that we have done it. Many are not aware of the huge mark these early wine pioneers made, but I say a little blessing to them every time I drive up out of the hills of Newberg and head towards Portland.

Meeting My Brother in Wine at Archery Summit

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 21:09:00 +0000

Believe it or not, there is another Lutheran Pastor who is as enthusiastic as I am about wine and faith. His name is Barry Rogge. When he retired from the church Barry looked around for a new challenge. He taught snow skiing for a while, and then discovered his new calling to pour wine at Archery Summit Winery.

That's Barry in the photo above talking to Robin. He had some family visiting from the Seattle area, so we got the tour of the whole facility, and what a facility it is. It is the wine making facility you would make if money were no object. Everything is gravity fed, meaning they load the fruit outside from a higher platform. It goes down into the fermentation area, and then gently flows down into the caves to be aged in oak barrels. This gravity feed means a minimum of pumping the wine from place to place. And these are real caves.

That's the new winemaker, Chris Mazepink walking down one of the many wine cave corridors in the photo above. It was such a joy touring the facility with Barry, because he knows everybody. Chris and his crew have been working without much of a break since early September. They looked tired, and it makes me thankful for two things. First that I don't make wine for a living, and second that there are so many people who are willing to work so hard to make it available to us.

After tasting some of the wines Robin and I walked around the estate. Up above the winery building there are some funny vents that stick up in the middle of the vineyard. It occurred to me that those were the vents for the wine caves. These vines are growing right over the tops of those caves.
We tasted some wines and Barry and I compared our wine and theology presentations. We both agree that wine is used in the Bible as a metaphor for blessing. It was fun to be out in a vineyard one more time before the color is all gone and the rainy season settles in for good. There was even a brave rose still blooming and putting out new buds. What an amazing fall this has been.

On The Road (With A New Look)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:00:00 +0000

My son, Paul, works with web design for a living. Yesterday we went up to the Rooftop Bar to talk. I looked at his blog and realized how clean it was compared to my own. He gave me some simple suggestions and this is the new format. Thanks, Paul! (It is fun to now be learning so much from my children.) The photos in this post are from my continuing book delivery tour. Above is the road that leads to Cristom and Witness Tree Vineyards.

This is a shot of the fall colors at Witness Tree. When I was on sabbatical I interviewed Steven Westby, and also wanted to thank the Devines who own the vineyard. I mentioned the folks at Bethel Heights, and their green, sustainable practices, so I delivered one there as well.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my wine professor, Bob Sogge, so I drove up to the Chemeketa Community College Northwest Wine Studies Center and left a book for him. If you haven't visited the campus, it is a beautiful setting. There is a nice little walking path out the back of the center with some well placed benches that are just perfect for mild fall days like these.

A number of the original winemakers from the Northern Willamette Valley have shared with me that this area looks almost identical to Napa Valley in 1966. If that is true, then the Chemeketa Wine Studies Center is the UC Davis of this burgeoning wine industry. To make good wine you need knowledgeable work force, and this center is fulfilling that need. It showed great foresight on the part of Chemeketa to have created this campus.

In my book I also incorporated a conversation I had with Mark Vlossak at St. Innocent Winery, so I stop by their bucolic campus and leave a book for him. I have three favorite areas to visit, and you could identify them by their AVA (American Viticulture Area). The wineries in this post are all in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. These AVA's are how wine areas are organized. The AVA closest to my heart is the McMinnville AVA, of course, and I love the Dundee Hills, but so does everybody.

Taking photographs on country roads is dangerous business. The roads are slim, and the cars are zooming past with a force that hits you as they go past. That's a shot of my little truck by the side of the road being passed by a truck and trailer. I was parked just west of St. Innocent so I could capture the image above. I figure it's worth the risk to find a beautiful shot of a vineyard! But a nice quiet bench sure sounds nice. Let me know what you think about the new layout.

Book Release Party At Remy Wines

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 23:31:00 +0000

We are officially releasing my book, The Theology of Wine, this Saturday evening. We are holding the party at Remy Wines which is located at 905 NE 10th St (just down the street from the old Cook Elementary School) from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM..

I'm so happy to hold the party at Remy's. She is a force of nature, making some outstanding wines in an industrial building right next to the train tracks. Remy has such a wonderful gift of hospitality. She also wields a mean fork lift! (That's her behind the wheel in the photo below.) This tasting room serves double and triple duty. It's used as a holding area to keep fruit out of the sun while it is waiting to be processed. It holds unsold cases of wine which are stacked up on one end of the building. It's also an art gallery which right now features some of my friends, Luke Zimmerman's work which is a wonderful piece of serendipity.

McMinnville Cooperative Ministries chef, Pete Rahier, is putting together a wonderful assortment of finger foods for you to enjoy. And it's all free! (Well, being a church function, we will be taking an offering!) Please plan on joining us, and bring any of your friends you think might be interested. All you have to do is listen to a five minute pitch from me about my book. Of course we'd be happy to sell you one (or two or three--they make great gifts!)

Guest Blog by Pastor Tim Christensen

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 15:52:00 +0000

A perfect Saturday afternoon in mid-October -- everyone assuring me "it's never like this at this time of year" (living in Butte, Montana we find this a little hard to believe) -- Mark first asked if we wanted to go for a walk at the Monks Gate Winery in Lafayette, Oregon, and then asked if I wanted to write a guest blog. Foolish, foolish man. It was an instantaneous 'YES!' on both counts. See, I grew up in Sonoma County, California in the 1960's, and Yamhill County brings tears to my eyes because its old barns, open fields, and oak hillsides remind me of my childhood in Cotati, but this county also reminds me that someplace so beautiful still exists when the stomping grounds of my youth seem gone forever. Bless you, Yamhill County.

Monks Abbey takes its name from the hillside it shares with a Trappist Monastery so after we walked up through the vines we made our way over to a closed gate with a beautiful sandstone statue. Since the gate was only locked with an old-style hasp, we opened it and walked over to examine the hundreds of dead trees that had once been a productive orchard. We took a guess that the trees had been plums, and only moments later we noticed a monk quickly making his way up the hill toward us with a prayer book under his arm. Mark had already made his way back to the gate (probably thinking about that whole "trespassing" part of the Lord's Prayer) so I figured I'd stand in the fire and get scolded for crossing over the line. But Bother Dick couldn't have been any more gracious as he described why the trees had died, what was planned for the orchard's grounds, and casually mentioning that he was only on his way up to his favorite reading spot at the top of this hill..

Sipping wine where you can both see and smell the vines just across the yard would have been enough, but to have Linda Moore, one of the vineyard's owners, doing the pouring added a lovely dimension to the experience. When Linda described workers fearing a new picking technique, she was speaking with the voice of experience because she seems to understand that genuine change comes slowly and there's just no rushing the process. Vintners always seem to have an insight into patience. She poured a "vertical tasting" of three Monks Gate pinots: first the 2011 that was just released last Memorial Day, then the 2010 that had already started to develop, and finally a 2007 that helped me remember why pinot noir is so essential to the winecraft in this region. And while the oldest wine had certainly aged in some wonderful ways, I could certainly see why a "younger" wine becomes so valuable: it's going to develop some of those same beautiful qualities, only it's going to take a little longer. Again with the patience thing.

Walking these hillsides with my wife and one of my best friends was another in a two-week long process of healing that I hope has only just begun. As we drive back to Montana and head back to work this week, I want to savor some of the slow-down I experienced here. Walking on the Oregon Coast beaches, spending time with great friends, sipping wine, reading a good book, hiking the Cape Lookout Trail, cooking fresh seafood, and generally being caught up in the wonder of this place I love so much makes me realize how much I need to slow down a bit... okay, quite a bit. Maybe I need to take a lot more walks with my wife in the hillside vineyards of Yamhill County for practice to make perfect. Thanks for the opportunity to hijack your blog, Mark!

Vineyard Walk One

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 03:24:00 +0000

My sister-in-law, Kelly arrived today (complete with her little U-Haul). She had requested a vineyard walk, and can only stay one night, so we headed out for a quick walk around Sokol-Blosser Winery. That's Kelly standing in the dirt that gives the Red Hills of Dundee their name. What a beautiful day for a walk. We got to the vineyard too late to do any wine tasting, so we walked around the lower parts of the estate.

At first I was excited that the vineyard was still filled with fruit. Soon, however, the horrible reality became clear to me. These grapes were not going to be harvested. When the huge rain storm came through in September, the grapes took in too much moisture which cracked the them open. Fruit flies followed soon thereafter making the fruit unusable for wine.

You can see some of the fruit damage in the grape cluster above. I just can't imagine being a farmer, having to trust that the weather won't destroy everything that you've worked so hard to create. I just don't have the faith to be a farmer!

One of the things I've come to enjoy is being in the same vineyard on different occasions and trying over and over to grab the perfect shot of a particular place. Today I took another shot at the ancient vines at Eyrie Vineyard. I just love these old vines. I've heard that phylloxera is now in the present in these old vines. They are planted directly in the ground so they are vulnerable to this parasite that eats away at the roots of the vines. That's my latest effort in the photo above.

The poppies are still blossoming, and the bees are still working! I love the way the late afternoon shadows are casting long shadows on the sides of this flower. This is the best time of year, when the fall days are filled with sunshine, and the bees are still active making honey. I'm saddened at the loss of beautiful fruit, but thankful for all the fruit that made it to the fermentor. What a blessed time of year. Get outside this weekend and enjoy it!

Over the Top at Coeur de Terre

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 18:30:00 +0000

I have totally missed harvest at Coeur de Terre. Of course I'm somewhat amazed that it could take place without me! I dropped by to leave a copy of The Theology of Wine for Scott and Lisa Neal. I'm excited for them to see the book, because it would not have been possible without them, and it features so many photos of their beautiful estate.

I wondered downstairs from the tasting room to see what what happening in the wine making area. Shane was working hard doing punch downs and cleaning (most of what you do as a winemaker as far as I can tell). His wife was visiting him. It is probably the only way they see each other during the harvest season. I'm sure he has been putting in some very long hours in the past few weeks. They are also doing a pump over of some new juice. You can see the end of the hose returning the juice to the fermentor in the photo above. You can tell it's still grape juice by the color. Once they start fermentation the juice will darken significantly.

I think I know what Shane was doing, because I did it quite a bit when I was doing my internship there. The tank above contains hot water. The juice is circulated through the tank in the coils that come out at the top and go in at the bottom. As the juice goes through it is gently heated. The juice has spent a week or so in cold storage, and they have been keeping the fermentation process at bay during that time. Now they will warm up the juice, add some yeast food, and inoculate the juice with yeast. Some wineries do not add outside yeast, they simply let nature take it's course. At Coeur de Terre, they like to select the yeast to better control flavor. At Maysara they allow native yeasts to do the work. It's one of a million choices that a winemaker must make in the long process of creating a beautiful wine.

It was such a beautiful day that after I talked with Shane I headed up the hill to visit the new plantings. The photo at the top of the page is the view of the vineyard from up there. There is also this cool pattern of the new vines peaking up above all of the wires of the trellis system that I wanted to get. Not sure this is the one I was looking for, but I like the patterns, and the way the vine has tendrils curled around the wires to secure it as it grows. It's a beautiful time for a walk in a vineyard. Go out this weekend and find a place to experience the beauty of fall in the Willamette Valley. Who knows, we may run into one another.

Beautiful October Visit to Momtazi Vineyard

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 15:13:00 +0000

October is my favorite time to visit a vineyard. This beautiful stretch of weather is exactly what I have in mind. After a series of rain showers the gorgeous fall sunshine has returned to the valley. Now is the time to make a visit and taste some great wines. The vineyard above is Momtazi Vineyard where Maysara Wines are grown and made. I stopped by to bring a copy of my book, The Theology of Wine, as a thank you for all of the help the Momtazi family has been to me in learning about wine.. I was thinking I might meet up with Tahmiene, Maysara's talented wine maker, but was delighted to run into the patriarch of the family, Moe Momtazi. Moe opened the book to the page with the photograph of Maysara on it. The photo is looking out of the huge, arched doors of their new facility, and we are looking at the same exact frame as we look at the book.

Moe gives me a tour of the place. They are currently finishing the floor of the area just adjacent to the tasting room. They are using the tops and bottoms of the barrels that were left over from all of the staves which have been used to cover all of the interior walls. The caps of the barrels were cut to an octagon shape and small squares of oak harvested from the estate were added at the corners. That's a close up view above.

The over-all effect is stunning. The floor is huge, and you can begin to get a sense of it's scope in the photo above. Below this floor is the new barrel aging room. Moe shared that his daughter, Tahmiene, had asked him to build a barrel cave in the hillside just opposite the new facility. "I told her that wasn't going to happen." Moe said. The new barrel area required some tricky excavation, but will remain at the perfect temperature throughout the year without added air conditioning or heating. There is a natural spring just under the floor. The water that accumulates in the sump naturally adds moisture to the air so that less wine will be lost to evaporation. The evaporation is often called "the angles share."

The stringers for the stair way are a single piece of oak harvested from the estate. It's difficult to capture just how impressive these 5/4 inch by twelve inches tall by 20 feet long pieces of oak really are. The area where the new floor is being installed is going to be offices for Moe's daughters who, according to a recent newspaper article, are are taking over the wine production from their father. I'm not so sure. However, Moe's passion is definitely the vineyard. He talked about how costly it is for them to make their own composts and solutions for their bio-dynamic vineyard. "It would be ten times less costly to simply purchase the solutions already made." He said. But the goal of the vineyard is to grow grapes using only what is available on the land itself.

The scope of the building is monumental. The barrels pictured above use to fill the entire wine making facility, now they occupy a small corner of the complex. Moe is such an amazing person who has been able to take a vision of a beautiful winery and make it a reality. He also had a vision to build a facility using materials mostly harvested from the estate. Moe also appears healthy after a long recuperation from a surgery. I'm so thankful that he is doing well. It was such a blessing to be able to talk with him.

Here Comes the Sun

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 03:01:00 +0000

Noel and I went up to Coeur de Terre Vineyard today to look around. The sun has come out again, and it looks like the gamble to hold off on harvest may pay off. I walked through the Syrah block to see how it's progressing. Coeur de Terre makes a cold weather Syrah. On cooler years they create a Rose out of it. In hotter years (about every four years or so) they make an actual red wine. I can't tell you how it's going to go this year. You can see in the photo above that the leaves are starting to change colors. Syrah is a warm weather grape and the vines don't seem to tolerate this colder weather we've been having. Once they change colors the vines shut down and the grapes stop ripening.

Some of the Syrah clusters still have ruby colored grapes on them. They are not yet ripe. The Pinot Noir is looking really good, but a taste of one of the clusters shows that they need some additional time on the vine. It looks as though Scott's gamble is going to pay off. The weather forecast (at least right now) looks good. Partly sunny and temperatures in the 60's.

While we were up at the vineyard I wanted to look at the new plantings at the top of the hill. The photo above is as high as I have ever been at Coeur de Terre. I think the new block is planted in Riesling vines. That makes sense. The temperatures will be coolest at the top of the hill, and Rieslings tolerate cold temperatures very well. In future years we'll probably be able to see the vineyard ripen from the bottom up to the very top.

These vines were planted last year. They systematically removed all of the fruit from the vines this year. They'll do the same next year. They might harvest a small crop from them the third year. Vineyards are a long term investment. They are also a huge investment of time. Think about the time it took to stretch all of that wire to make the trellises for the new vineyard. Then think about bending over all day and placing those vines in the ground. It's no wonder Jesus uses vineyards just about every time he tells a story about workers.

After I climb up to the top of the vineyard I am totally worn out. They are steep. In a few weeks workers will arrive to pick the grapes. They'll be climbing up and down these slopes all day long. They get paid by the bucket so they move quickly. I hope they find the time to stop and look around. They will be standing in a place of amazing beauty.

The Monkey Wrench

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 22:38:00 +0000

I drove up to Coeur de Terre Vineyard yesterday thinking that I was going to be helping out with harvest. Turned out I was a week too early--maybe two weeks. This is wrapping up to be a strange vintage. We started with an unusually hot spring, followed by over a hundred days of summer without any measurable precipitation. Harvest was scheduled to begin early, and then, a dying typhoon came to town, and all bets are off.

I was talking to Shane, the assistant wine maker at Coeur de Terre. He said the grapes had enough sugars a week ago, but that they still tasted a bit green. Wine makers have different ways of measuring the maturity of their fruit. One is a simple calculation of sugars (measured in something called brix). Once you hit, say, 22 brix, you harvest. The other test is to taste the fruit. You can have the right amount of sugar and still not have ripe fruit. Scott Neal, the owner of Coeur de Terre decided to wait. It's a gamble.

You can see the rivulets of water coming off the slope of the new vineyard sight at Coeur de Terre in the photo above. I remember last year when I was up at the vineyard after harvest and noticed the deep, dry, cracked ruts running along the vineyard. Scott at one point wondered if perhaps his water well might have been getting low. He won't need to worry about that this year.

I love this time of year, even with the rain. It's the season when I set aside a few days to get up to the vineyard and just look around. It is so beautiful, and I wonder why I don't do it more often. I also love the rain. I missed it when I lived in central Montana. I can't imagine living in a place where it doesn't rain a great deal. Water brings life, it is life, and I'm glad we have it in abundance. The heat and dryness of last summer scared me a little bit. Is that the future of the Willamette Valley, dry summers with high heat? I hope not. Probably this year is more like it. More temperature extremes, larger more powerful storms, with longer and longer stretches of hot spring and summer temperatures. I think Scott is going to be glad he waited to harvest, but I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. I've just never enjoyed gambling that much.

The Wine Experience at Sokol Blosser

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 00:36:00 +0000

When we left the house we were headed to Newberg to pick up a few copies of the hot-off-the-press first printing of The Theology of Wine. We decided to stop in to Sokol Blosser on the way to taste some wine. This is a different kind of wine tasting. First of all you have to make some decisions. Do you want to belly up to the bar and do a usual tasting? Would you like to sit in a private room and taste some library wines? (Yes!) They also have a cheese and wine pairing options, but the kitchen was already closed down, so library wines it was!

It's a bit of a spendy option. The tasting costs $30 a person. We could have shared a tasting, but we had a gift card which was a thank you from Jenn and Ron, so we decided to to all out. I'm so glad we did. There are two couples in the room, and our host, Deven. It turns out the other couple are both university professors, and Jim is a sociologist of all things. I seem to be surrounded by sociologist. Deven is a wonderful host. He talks us through a tasting of the '10, '08, '06 and '04 Sokol Blosser Estate Cuvee Pinor Noirs. They are fairly warm vintages. I like the '10 the best, but the '06 had a noticeable smoky aroma that I tend to like.

Deven also explained the philosophy of how the winery was developed. "First we put our resources into the vineyard, then into the wine making facility, and (last of all) into a tasting room." I'm impressed how wineries are able to focus their resources as they develop and grow. Sokol Blosser's new tasting room is worth the wait. There is beautiful, natural wood used throughout. Every wall features large windows and every view is breath-taking.

Eyrie Vineyards is just next door, and I've been trying for several years to get a photo of their ancient vines. Above is my latest attempt. I'm amazed every time I see these old, gnarled creatures producing prodigious vines and abundant fruit. It kind of gives me hope for my own future.
As we head down the vineyard driveway, we call our printer, and the books are not quite ready. The press has been running a bit too hot, and the bindings aren't quite right. That's OK, we'll pick up a few on the way to an event tomorrow. We will be helping the Mission of the Atonement (A Roman-Catholic/Lutheran shared ministry) raise funds to hire an intern. If you are in the area, come join us.

Wine and Culture

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 17:17:00 +0000

There is something about wine, about the craft of people making beautiful wines, that changes a culture. I don't know why. Maybe it's as simple as economics--people who love wine typically have financial resources, and those resources attract artists, chefs, musicians and other crafts people. But I think it is more. When people concentrate on beauty that concentration causes more people to pay attention, and to value that beauty.

Yesterday we had two opportunities to experience that cultural concentration first hand. To start the evening we headed up to Youngberg Hill to hear some jazz. Robin's colleague, Dana Libonati, is playing music out on the deck of the wonderful inn that sits majestically atop the vineyard. He is joined by an ensemble made up of his son on drums, his brother on bass and a former student on sax. Jordan, whose parents are our hosts for the evening, also shares a couple of songs. It is a perfect night to sit outside, enjoy some wonderful music and relax.

The view is spectacular. I love the Muddy Valley which rolls out to the west of the vineyard. There just isn't a bad angle in any direction. We end up sitting behind the ensemble which was really fun because we could heckle Dana without anyone seeing us. I bring my typical picnic fare served on china plates with real silverware and clothe napkins. I'm strange, I just can't see drinking beautiful wine while eating food off of paper plates. It's just not right.

As the concert continues I stroll around the inn looking for photo opportunities. I notice that a small bird has arrived to enjoy the show. It is nestled on a shrub of rosemary. Is she enjoying the music? I think so, as she joins in singing the final refrains of "Paper Doll."

As the sun begins to set we head off to our second event of the evening. Our friend, Like Zimmerman, is hosting an art show at Remy Wines. Luke is organizing a personal crowd sourcing project so that he can concentrate on creating art for the next year. We will be enthusiastic investors. I feel privileged to know a number of artists, and always wonder what I can to do support them in their work. Luke has set up his program so that the money you invest will be applied to a piece of art he will produce this year.

Remy, who makes wonderful wines, is also a terrific host for the event. Their is a nice crowd filling the tasting room, talking with Luke and enjoying his initial works. I wish Luke success in his year of painting. May he create many beautiful works of art, and may that art find a place to live where it is enjoyed and appreciated.