Author tells her story of the Oregon wine industry

"What a treat to be able to sit here and tell you a little bit about my story and the story of the Oregon wine industry," said Susan Sokol-Blosser as she set the stage to read selected vignettes from her recently published book, "At Home in the Vineyard."

Sokol-Blosser, one of Oregon's wine making pioneers, shared her insights Friday evening, January 19, at Sisters Art Works.

The book reading and signing was held in conjunction with a reception honoring six area artists who currently are exhibiting creations inspired when the group worked in residency last September at three Willamette Valley vineyards (see related article, page 18). The exhibition, "Celebrating the Oregon Wine Country," can be seen at Sisters Art Works, 204 W. Adams Ave.

Sokol-Blosser and her husband, Bill, started their business 36 years ago when times were different.

"Did anyone talk about heirloom tomatoes or arugula?" she asked. "Biodiversity was not a word. Sustainability was not a word that was in our vocabulary. There were no cell phones. There was no Internet. There were no personal computers. There was no Sisters Quilt Show, and there was no Oregon wine industry."

Sokol-Blosser jested that her book documents how the Oregon wine industry "became an overnight success in 36 years." With Master's Degrees from Stanford University and no farming or business training, the couple on a whim decided to grow grapes. Even more ironic, they decided to grow a grape, Pinot Noir, that had never done well in United States, and they located in Oregon which had no wine industry whatsoever.

"The fact that we survived and that today the second generation is taking the reins ...that we are now marketed and sold nationally in every state (with the exception of Utah), across Canada - we're in the U.K. - we're in Japan. It's a miracle," Sokol-Blosser exclaimed.

For Sokol-Blosser the passion is in the vineyards, not in wine making.

"It is the expression of the grapes that grow on our hillsides," she said.

A native of Wisconsin, Sokol-Blosser and her husband chose to locate in Oregon because of what they thought was its similarity to the Burgundy region of France where the Pinot Noir grapes grow. They originally purchased 18 acres.

"We were young, and we thought we could do anything," she said.

They purchased cuttings from California and rooted them themselves. It took the couple four years to get a crop. After selling grapes to other wineries for two years, Sokol-Blosser's first production year was 1977 when they established themselves as one of Oregon's first wineries.

Located on the hillsides of Dundee about 30 miles southwest of Portland and now encompassing 80 contiguous acres, Sokol-Blosser today produces about 50,000 cases per year. The winery is noted for two proprietary blends: Evolution, a mingling of nine different white grapes; and Meditrina, named for the Roman goddess of wine and health. The winery also produces four estate wines: Pinot Gris, a dry, rich white wine; Pinot Noir, an elegant and complex red; Pinot Noir Rosé, created by pressing Pinot Noir grapes; and White Riesling Dessert Wine. For more information visit: http://www.sokolblosser.com.

One of the most thrilling aspects of the business for Sokol-Blosser today is that her two children have joined her in the business. Both are serving as vice presidents and are a big help to Sokol-Blosser who has run the business single-handedly since 1991.

Sokol-Blosser's daughter Alison spoke of the story behind their wines:

"There's real people. There's us, the family. There's our commitment to organic and sustainable farming in all of our wine making practices."

Sokol-Blosser started the three-year transition to farming organically in 2002 and gained certification as organic in 2005 by Oregon Tilth (see http://www.tilth.org). No synthetic pesticides or chemicals are used; through sustainable farming practices and incorporating biodiversity the soil at Sokol-Blosser's vineyards has become very healthy, making their vines thrive.

Sokol-Blosser decided to make the time to write her book after a friend told her, "'There's really only a handful of people who could tell this story, and you're one of them. You need to do it.'"

When Sokol-Blosser sat down to write, she realized that she was too close to tell a detached history of the Oregon wine industry, but as she says, "I could tell my story, and in so doing I really was telling the story of the Oregon industry, as well."