Foris Vineyards Winery is an American winery located near Cave Junction, Oregon in the Illinois Valley region of the Rogue Valley AVA of Southern Oregon. As one of Oregon's pioneering grape growers, Ted Gerber planted his first vineyard in 1974. For 15 years, Gerber provided quality fruit to other winemakers, until 1986 when the winery was founded by Ted and Meri Gerber and the Foris label was launched.[1][2]
In 2000, Ted and Meri Gerber received the Oregon Winery Association's Founders Award for their contribution to the industry. The award recognizes members whose pioneering efforts and longstanding accomplishments help to create the image of the Oregon wine industry while nurturing fellow members to grow and flourish. Over the years, the Gerber's have been partners in many projects conducted by Oregon State University and United States Department of Agriculture.[3]
Foris is one of Oregon's most consistent producers specializing in Pinot Noir, and Alsace varietal white wines- Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Muscat. The cool mountainous valley which is home to Foris contributes to crafting elegant Pinot Noir with subtle and deep flavors as well as steely, bracing white wines, reminiscent of Alsace.[4] Gerber was among the first to recognize that the Dijon clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir offered considerable opportunity for blending and complexity. His Dijon clone propagation program supplied several top California wineries with grafted wood.
History
While Foris turns out a variety of quality wines and has been known for years for producing excellent Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and other cool climate varietals,[5] Ted Gerber's journey is a textbook case in "do what you love and the rest will follow". His path started more than 40 years ago when he visited Oregon's Illinois Valley where he fell in love with the wilderness, the community and the peace.[6] He had a dream. Armed with meteorological data going back 30 years, Gerber and his late wife, Meri, purchased their first 15 acres near the old, abandoned mining town of Holland in the hills above Cave Junction in 1971. At the time, the Gerber's were as much pioneers down south as the Letts, Eraths, Adelsheims, and Ponzi's were up north.[7] Gerber recognized that he had purchased a vineyard site that had an ideal soil type and climate for Alsatian and Burgundy grape varieties. By 1974, the Gerber's planted their first vineyard and eventually the winery. It took nine years of selling grapes to other Oregon wineries before Gerber decided to segue from Foris Vineyards into Foris Winery, recognizing he had developed vineyards with intensely flavored berries. He knew which varieties did well and he knew he could produce good wine. In 1990, he hired Sarah Powell a French-trained winemaker who focused on low yields and quality fruit. Foris began producing award-winning Pinot Noir and launched marketing their wines to states outside of Oregon. Powell's success was particularly noted when Foris 1994 Maple Ranch Pinot Noir was served at a White House dinner in 1997. Powell left Foris in 2001 to pursue a consulting career.[8] Eventually Gerber invited Bryan Wilson to join Foris and he became winemaker in 2007, bringing a new vibrancy to Foris wines. Wilson's working background included winemaking at Stags Leap Wine Cellars in Napa, Benziger Family Winery in Sonoma and Sylvan Ridge near Eugene Oregon. Foris is known for their Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot noir and Merlot and had its 2006 Pinot Blanc voted "Best of Show" at the World of Wine Festival near Gold Hill, Oregon. They also produce Foris Cave Bear Red, the sale of which is used to support the Oregon Caves Chateau renovation.[9]
Vineyards
[10] Foris has 145 estate planted acres of vineyards. The high elevation in the Illinois Valley, 1,200 to 1,800 feet, results in a short growing season. annual rainfall within the region is approximately 60 inches. Winters are cold and wet. Springs are warm and usually dry. Summers are dry and hot. The elevation and close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, defines a location well suited for cool climate varieties such as Pinot Noir and Alsace varietal white wines- Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Muscat. If any winery offers the quintessential Southern Oregon profile, it is surely Foris. Gerber hails the region's Siskiyou Mountains as dramatically different with a variety of aspects and soil types that produce the most intense fruit.[11] Ted Gerber has been nurturing the land since the early seventies and his commitment as a caretaker of the vineyards since the planting of the first vine to the last, is the hallmark of Foris. An expression of place, the winery's goal is to showcase grape quality and winemaking, while reflecting the soil and climate that is unique to the estate vineyards.[10] All estate vineyards are within three miles of each other and the winery. These include:
Gerber Vineyard-204 acres, 47 acres planted to grapes
Back of the valley at the base of a hill with 100 acres of trees blocking airflow
A hot day and cold night pocket giving extreme day to night fluctuations
Three feet of soil with clay underneath
An exceptional vineyard for Gewurztraminer
Maple Ranch Vineyard-112 acres, 43 acres planted to grapes
On the crest between two major stream drainages, on a bench at the back of the valley
Soil permeability is moderate to 5 feet and rapid below this depth. Red fractured rock, clay and gravelly loam surface layers with substratum gravelly, loamy sand. Great drainage that never puddles water.
We consider this our best vineyard, especially for Pinot Noir due to several factors: Excellent soil, micro location, mix of several good clones
Cedar Ranch Vineyard-74 acres, 47 planted to grapes
At the back, upper most part of the valley along Sucker Creek
Holland Vineyard-12 acres, 8 acres planted to grapes
Adjacent to the home vineyard yet is distinct from Gerber
Soil is very productive loam for 18-24 inches; below that is rock, boulders, and river wash that drains the top soil causing light vigor vines for high quality wine
Riesling has shown best here in the early years of grape harvest
What Foris shares in common with Alsace
Alsace is a French grape growing region on the German border outside Strasbourg. The grapes are mostly whites-Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris. The wines all tend to share roundness, unctuousness, and power emanation from the warm days and a crisp acidity locked in by the cold nights of the growing region. This diurnal shift between temperature highs and lows is what makes the wines of Alsace important and is what Foris Vineyards in the Illinois Valley share in common. An easy way to experience this phenomenon is to compare a Pinot Gris from Alsace or Oregon with a Pinot Grigio (same grape, Italian name) from Italy. Though there are exceptions, most Italian Pinot Grigio is grown in areas characterized by warm days and mild nights. Without the cold nights the acidity in the grapes gradually diminishes and one is left with a fairly light, soft textured wine. While pleasant, they do not share the exuberance of an Alsatian or Oregon wine made from the same grape. The bright acidity found in Oregon Pinot Gris emphasizes the fruit, brings it into focus, and carries it along throughout the finish.
In Oregon, few areas replicate the growing conditions in Alsace as well as the Illinois Valley does, the home of Foris estate vineyards. Unlike the rain prone Willamette Valley, the Illinois generally experiences a warm and very dry summer with surprisingly cold nights throughout the growing season. Coupled with low fertility sites, low yields and careful farming the winery is almost assured of crisp exuberant fruit.
Wines
In 2013, Foris produced 45,000 cases of wine and ranked #13 for Top Oregon Wineries by Total Production. Approximately 22,500 cases in 2013 were produced for the Foris label, positioning Foris #20 for Top Oregon Wineries by Brand/Label.[10] Varietals featured under the Foris label are estate grown Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Moscato as well as their multi award-winning, single vineyard Maple Ranch Pinot Noir. The wines are distributed in 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Japan.[12] Foris also produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot as well as the famous "Fly Over Red"- a blend of Bordeaux varietals with the fruit sourced from several vineyards in the Rogue Valley.
Founded by Ted and Meri Gerber, Foris Winery and Vineyards is family-owned and family managed. A graduate of California State Hayward in 1969, Ted studied political science and public administration. During his college years, he also developed a passion for making homemade wine. in 1971, Ted and Meri purchased hillside acreage in Southern Oregon's remote Illinois Valley with the specific intention of growing grapes. Starting from scratch, they built a house, bought the land that is now Gerber Vineyards, and begun planting grapes.
For a number of years they provided fruit to various vintners in Southern Oregon, and in 1986 started producing their own wines under the Foris label. Meri died in 2000 after a lengthy battle with breast cancer. In 2003 Ted married his present wife Teri, a health professional with thirty years of medical experience and an avid interest in photography and landscape painting. As co-owner, Teri is responsible for keeping the vineyards' books, employee safety, and helping out with the administrative needs of the winery.
Alicia Gerber, Ted's daughter, came of age in the family vineyard. She studied early childhood development in college and went out into the world on her own for a number of years. During her mother's illness, however, she returned home to help out and never looked back. She loves gardening and all things that grow so working alongside her father proved a natural fit. Over time, Alicia assumed a variety of important roles at the winery, and at present her responsibilities include, working in the business office, ht tasting room, and managing the gardens and grounds with Teri. Alicia, her so Skylar, and daughter Ava live on Maple Ranch in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains, a few short minutes east of Gerber Vineyards. Teri's daughter, Heidi and daughter Alex are also part of the Gerber family. They make their home at Cedar Ranch Vineyards, not too far from Maple Ranch. Heidi is learning the wine business from the ground up, devoting the majority of her time working in the Foris business office, managing the wine club, and assisting winemaker Bryan Wilson during harvest.
Foris was founded by Ted and Meri Gerber, who fell in love with the Illinois Valley when visiting friends there in 1969. In 1971, they began studying Oregon's climate over the past 30 years and decided that the weather and soil in Oregon could grow quality grapes. They purchased 15 acres (61,000m2) near the former gold mining town of Holland and added 80 acres (320,000m2) more in 1975 in what is now the site of Gerber Ranch and Foris Winery. The early years saw failed crops and the wrong grapes planted in the wrong areas. Changes in the wine market also forced various adjustments over the years. By 2006, Foris' crops had proved that the Illinois Valley is a viable place to grow grapes.[13]
In 2007, Foris Winery produced 48,000 cases of wine, making it the 14th-largest bonded winery in Oregon.[14]
Related Research Articles
Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produces white fruit.
Pinot gris, pinot grigio or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the pinot noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grapes can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance. The word pinot could have been given to it because the grapes grow in small pine cone-shaped clusters. The wines produced from this grape also vary in color from a deep golden yellow to copper and even a light shade of pink, and it is one of the more popular grapes for skin-contact wine.
Alsace wine or Alsatian wine is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white wine. Because of its Germanic influence, it is the only Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée region in France to produce mostly varietal wines, typically from similar grape varieties to those used in German wine. Along with Austria and Germany, it produces some of the most noted dry Rieslings in the world as well as highly aromatic Gewürztraminer wines. Wines are produced under three different AOCs: Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand Cru AOC for white wines from certain classified vineyards and Crémant d'Alsace AOC for sparkling wines. Both dry and sweet white wines are produced.
Sylvaner or Silvaner is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace and Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. While the Alsatian versions have primarily been considered simpler wines, it was recently (2006) included among the varieties that can be used to produce Alsace Grand Cru wine together with the four 'noble grapes' of Alsace, although only in one vineyard, Zotzenberg.
New Zealand wine is produced in several winegrowing regions of New Zealand. The country's elongated island geography in the South Pacific Ocean results in maritime climates with considerable regional variation from north to south. Like many other New World wines, it is usually produced and labelled as single varietal wines, or if blended the varietal components are listed on the label. New Zealand is best known for its Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and more recently its dense, concentrated Pinot Noir from Marlborough, Martinborough and Central Otago.
Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard is a family-owned wine company based in Milawa, Victoria, Australia. Brown Brothers was founded in 1889 by John Francis Brown and continues to be owned and operated by his descendants on the original property. Brown Brothers makes wine from a wide range of grape varieties and into a range of styles.
Washington wine is wine produced from grape varieties grown in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine. By 2017, the state had over 55,000 acres (220 km2) of vineyards, a harvest of 229,000 short tons (208,000 t) of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 940+ wineries located in the state. While there are some viticultural activities in the cooler, wetter western half of the state, the majority (99.9%) of wine grape production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half. The rain shadow of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia River Basin with around 8 inches (200 mm) of annual rain fall, making irrigation and water rights of paramount interest to the Washington wine industry. Viticulture in the state is also influenced by long sunlight hours and consistent temperatures.
The state of Oregon in the United States has established an international reputation for its production of wine, ranking fourth in the country behind California, Washington, and New York. Oregon has several different growing regions within the state's borders that are well-suited to the cultivation of grapes; additional regions straddle the border between Oregon and the states of Washington and Idaho. Wine making dates back to pioneer times in the 1840s, with commercial production beginning in the 1960s.
The Walla Walla Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located within Washington State and extending partly into the northeastern corner of Oregon. The wine region is entirely included within the larger Columbia Valley AVA. In addition to grapes, the area produces sweet onions, wheat and strawberries. After the Yakima Valley AVA, the Walla Walla AVA has the second highest concentration of vineyards and wineries in Washington State. Walla Walla hosts about 140 wineries.
Auxerrois blanc or Auxerrois Blanc de Laquenexy is a white wine grape that is important in Alsace, and is also grown in Germany and Luxembourg. It is a full sibling of Chardonnay that is often blended with the similar Pinot blanc.
The Mendocino County wine is an appellation that designates wine made from grapes grown mostly in Mendocino County, California. The region is part of the larger North Coast AVA and one of California's largest and most climatically diverse wine growing regions. Mendocino County is one of the northernmost commercial wine grape regions in the state with two distinct climate zones separated by the Mendocino Range. Ten American Viticultural Areas have been designated within Mendocino County. Mendocino is one of the leading wine growing regions for organically produced wine grapes. Nearly 25% of the acreage in Mendocino County is grown organically. In 2004, the residents of the county voted to become the first GMO-free county in the United States in an initiative that was supported by many of the county's largest wineries. The county's widespread focus on organic viticulture has inspired journalists to describe it as "California's organic wine Mecca".
Bridgeview Vineyard and Winery is one of the largest wineries in Oregon. Located in Cave Junction, Oregon, Bridgeview is noted for their chardonnay, pinot gris and pinot noir. Its 85-acre (340,000 m2) estate in the Illinois Valley is planted in the European style of dense six-foot row and four-foot vine spacing. Bridgeview also has an 80-acre (320,000 m2) vineyard in the Applegate Valley.
California wine is wine made in the U.S. state of California, it supplies a vast majority of the American wine production, along with New Mexico wine these American wine regions are longtime examples of viticulture within New World wine. Almost three quarters the size of France, California accounts for nearly 90 percent of production, the production of wine in California is one third larger than that of Australia. If California were a separate country, it would be the world's fourth largest wine producer.
Victorian wine is wine made in the Australian state of Victoria. With over 600 wineries, Victoria has more wine producers than any other Australian wine-producing state but ranks third in overall wine production due to the lack of a mass bulk wine-producing area like South Australia's Riverland and New South Wales's Riverina. Viticulture has existed in Victoria since the 19th century and experienced a high point in the 1890s when the region produced more than half of all wine produced in Australia. The phylloxera epidemic that soon followed took a hard toll on the Victoria wine industry which did not fully recover till the 1950s.
The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Polk County and Yamhill County, Oregon. It is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, and stretches from the city of Amity in the north to Salem in the south. The Eola and Amity hills cover an area west of the Willamette River approximately 15 miles (24 km) long by 6 miles (10 km) wide. The Eola-Amity Hills area benefits from steady winds off the Pacific Ocean that reach the Willamette Valley through the Van Duzer Corridor, a gap in the Oregon Coast Range, moderating the summer temperatures. The Eola Hills were named after the community of Eola, whose name was derived from Aeolus, the Greek god of the winds.
The Old Mission Peninsula AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Grand Traverse County, Michigan known for well-regarded Michigan wine. The Old Mission Peninsula extends northward from Traverse City into the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan, ending at Old Mission Point. The peninsula is 19 miles (31 km) long by 3 miles (5 km) wide at its widest point. The climate on the peninsula is moderated by the surrounding waters, helping to prevent frost during the growing season. Grape varietals suitable to cool climates, such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot do best in the Old Mission Peninsula AVA.
British Columbia wine is Canadian wine produced in the province of British Columbia. Wines made from 100 percent British Columbia grapes can qualify for classification under one of British Columbia's two classification systems, depending on the variety, the wine-making techniques employed, and various other restrictions.
Nova Scotia wine is Canadian wine produced in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia's wineries are primarily organized under the Wine Association of Nova Scotia, though not all wineries are members. The industry began in the late 1970s with the original Grand Pré Winery in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
Cecil O. De Loach Jr. is a California grape-grower and winemaker in the Russian River Valley AVA who has contributed to the reputation and notoriety of Sonoma County viticulture.
Bethel Heights Vineyard is an Oregon winery in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley. Founded in 1977 by twin brothers Ted and Terry Casteel, their wives Pat Dudley and Marilyn Webb, and Pat's sister Barbara Dudley, the vineyard was one of the earliest plantings in the Eola-Amity Hills region. A winery soon followed, with the first estate wines produced in 1984. Bethel Heights specializes in Pinot noir, offering several individual block and vineyard designated bottlings, but also produces wines made from Chardonnay, Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, and Gewürztraminer.
References
↑ Goracke, Susan (January 24, 2008). "Ted and Terri Gerber finish Foris Vineyards buy out". Mail Tribune, Retrieved January 27, 2014
↑ Klooster, Carl (2008-12) "The Big Boys Down South". Oregon Wine Press (Not available to retrieve.)
↑ Howie, Millie 2000-September/October. Foris Winery, "Winegrowers' Association Honors Trailblazing Oregon Couple". Practical Winery Magazine (Not available to retrieve)
↑ Gregutt, Paul. (April 2, 2011) "Wines in spotlight euro-gon", Paul Gregutt blog
↑ Twitchell, Cleve (November 28, 2007). "Foris offers bargains for wine lovers". Medford Mail Tribune
↑ Fiering, Alice (September 18, 2000) "A love for the land" Wine Today from New York Times Digital
↑ Foris Vineyards Winery, "Great Awakenings: An Eclectic History of Foris Winery". Accessed January 27, 2014
↑ Kent, Roberta (January 15, 2014) "Homework has paid off for Foris wines." Mail Tribune
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
