No rest for the winemaker: Winter chores (Part 1)

By Janet Eastman

MANY boutique winemakers close their Tasting Rooms after the Thanksgiving weekend and don't open up to regular hours until as far into the new year as Mother's Day. What do the owners of these hands-on operations do for those months: sleep, vacation or party?

No, they're still working, perfecting what's in the barrel, caring for the vineyard and schlepping their cases to wine festivals to hunt for more customers.

It's exhausting what small winemakers must do in their "off" season. The husband-and-wife team that is Misty Oaks in Oakland, Oregon is a good example of what’s accomplished behind the scenes when a Tasting Room is in hibernation.

By all accounts, Steve and Christy Simmons should be taking it easy after the long haul of fall: harvesting, fermenting, wine club pick-up parties, tending to their cellar as well as taking care of the business side of running a winery and 15-acre vineyard. But the Simmons, long-time Alaskans who know well the land of the midnight sun and working 24/7 if necessary, understand that now’s the season for self-marketing.

Says Christy: "During the winter season we close our Tasting Room because traffic is way down but we're not resting. This is our chance to bring the wine to our customers instead of them coming to us. We participate in many festivals during the winter and early spring, so it's never hard to find us.”

To spread the word about their wine, big wineries and ma-and-pa boutiques take their wine on the road, attending vinofests such as the Portland Seafood and Wine Festival and the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival.

Misty Oaks has a lot to brag about on the circuit this year. It was awarded Best of Show at the 2009 World of Wine Festival for its 2007 Jones Road Cabernet Franc.

This and other accolades may move up the calendar on the Tasting Room unlocking its doors. “Usually we don't open again until Mother's Day, but we're excited that demand is up and we will likely open earlier in the spring, perhaps late March or early April,” says Christy. “This is a first for us."

For more info: Misty Oaks Vineyard, 1310 Misty Oaks Lane, Oakland, OR 97462, (541) 459-3558, www.mistyoaksvineyards.com

Pouring year round: Winter chores (Part 2)

By Janet Eastman

WE'RE in the winter doldrums, but some people don't get that it's a primal time to s-l-o-w down. Everyone in the wine world continues to be busy, but most wineries lock their Tasting Room doors this time of year to take care of other demanding chores. There are, however, some Tasting Rooms that remain open year round, shutting only for the occasional holiday such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

These year-rounders are generally operated by larger wineries that can afford Tasting Room employees. In between greeting guests and pushing wine club memberships, these hardworking staffers also help out with wine club parties, special events, social media postings and manning booths at wine tasting festivals across the state. Whew!

Their bosses aren't lollygagging either. For the most part, owners are onsite, too. After all, that's where their cluttered desks are located.

Here’s a quick tour of some of the wineries that keep their white wine chilled and the reds ready to be uncorked this time of year. (For other wineries, contact them directly. Even small ones can accommodate guests by appointment):

RoxyAnn Winery:  The Medford Tasting Room is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Roxyann is in a unique situation where we are a winery located within the city limits,” says wine club manager Joe Spagnualo. This translates into a high amount of walk-in and tourist traffic. There are also more than 1,000 wine club members, the vast majority of whom are locals who take full advantage of membership perks like free tastings and invitations to unpublicized events. On quiet nights, the Tasting Room’s demonstration kitchen is used for intimate cooking classes and chefs dinners.

“We do tend to stay busy throughout the year,” says Spagnualo. “Of course, during this time, the winemakers are all as busy as elves as they tend to their vines and wines and prepare for late winter/early spring bottling."

Girardet Wine Cellars: The Roseburg Tasting Room is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The lights rarely go out at Girardet because, as Cara Early explains, locals always want to entertain friends and family. “While winter months tend to be less busy than those of spring and summer, we have found that people do like to go wine tasting during the holidays.”

She says Tasting Rooms are a way for residents to show out-of-town visitors what Southern Oregon winemakers and grape growers have to offer. And, since Girardet is located off of Highway 42, it’s an easy stopping spot for people heading to the Oregon Coast.

Since everything is done onsite here, the winemaking theater continues during the winter months. Winemaker Marc Girardet is busy crafting the latest vintages and bottling new vintages. “There's never a dull moment,” promises Early, who just completed upgrading the website.

Valley View Winery: The Jacksonville Tasting Room is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“As with just about everything else at Valley View, we do things a bit differently here,” says Mark Wisnovsky. “We try to be open as much as possible so that, regardless of the time of year, people can still taste some Southern Oregon wines.”

While there may be fewer drop-in guests, however, there are still endless chores to do for the family-owned winery. Mike and Mark Wisnovsky have offices in the Tasting Room, so they work while they wait for visitors. And the Tasting Room servers are packing orders to ship, dipping bottles of Port and Late Harvest wines in the wax crockpot in the kitchen, handling requests from wine club members and performing their brand of social networking.

Paschal Winery & Vineyard: The Talent Tasting Room is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. (closed Mondays).

The Tasting Room with the vast vineyard views is open 12 months a year because Paschal's owners, Donna and Ron Tenuta, see the space as a gift to the community. There are live musical performances arranged by Ed Dunsavage and Phil Newton and on the third Friday of the month, Locals' Night events offer complimentary appetizers and selected wines for $6 a glass. Confesses Donna Tenuta, ”We have such a gorgeous setting, it's a shame to close.”