From Pizzeria DOP to Step Afrika at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, there are many reasons to hop in the car and drive to Eugene. If you detour into Junction City just before you hit the Emerald City, be sure to load up on the beautifully priced new releases from High Pass Winery and Brigadoon Wine Co.
Before we get to those wines, I’m taking a Eugene-related detour of my own.
Earlier this year, I profiled Eugene Wine Cellars (EWC) for The Oregonian’s sister publication, “Here is Oregon.” After conversations with the founder and current winemaker, I wrote in the article, “EWC was the first bonded winery located inside Eugene’s city limits.” That claim is incorrect.
I learned of my error thanks to an email from a longtime local wine history buff named Craig Kuhns. He politely told me I had forgotten to check the years immediately after Prohibition ended in 1933.
The year was 1936. Howard Hobson was the new University of Oregon basketball coach, and the school finished the construction of historic Howe Field for their baseball team. Two miles away at 436 Charnelton St., R.W. Bell’s new Oregon Wine Industries (OWI) venture was making fruit wine, having received federal bonding the previous year.
OWI produced cherry wine made with fortified cherry brandy and a small amount of blackberry wine. In 1936 they sold 6,000 gallons of wine in 12- and 25-ounce bottles labeled “Pride of the McKenzie.”
The Charnelton Street facility housed numerous 1,000-gallon redwood fermentation tanks, a laboratory and a bottling machine. According to a Nov. 22, 1936, article in the Eugene Register-Guard, Bell planned to increase OWI’s production to 100,000 gallons in 1937.
Unfortunately, Bell’s plans failed to blossom, with bankruptcy and licensing issues coming to a head in 1937.
The short-lived OWI was federally bonded winery number 16, right behind the Henry Endres Winery in Oregon City, famed for its “Lowball” loganberry wine. OWI is Eugene’s first federally bonded post-prohibition winery, urban or otherwise. Many thanks to Craig Kuhns for setting the record straight.
Now for the modern era. I just tried the following Junction City wines and thought they represented high quality for a reasonable asking price.
2021 High Pass Winery Bellpine Pinot Noir ($18 – 12.5% ABV) and Sauvignon Blanc ($20 – 12.5% ABV)
Dieter Boehm of High Pass Winery in the Lower Long Tom American Viticultural Area (AVA) has come up with a pair of gems in the 2021 vintage.
Boehm’s 2021 Bellpine Pinot Noir is named in honor of the region’s predominant soil type. If you love light-bodied pinots that pack a lot of flavor, check out the acid-driven Bellpine. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of dark raspberries, black cherries, thyme and a hint of spice, all backed by firm tannins.
The sauvignon blanc is made with fruit from Boehm’s Union School Vineyard, and it is a reminder of how well the grape does in the Lower Long Tom AVA. From guava and spicy plumeria flowers to pineapple and Macadamia nuts, this refreshing white wine offers aromas and flavors that will transport you straight to Hawaii.
As a bonus, the bracing acidity of this sauvignon blanc will awaken even the most jaded palate.
2021 Brigadoon Wine Co. Lylee Pinot Noir ($26 – 13.5% ABV)
Whenever I need a quality pinot that doesn’t break the bank, the Lylee over-delivers every time. The wonderful 2021 vintage smells like a red raspberry perfume accented by jasmine. The medium-bodied wine has juicy acidity and flavors like red cherry, tangerine and basil.
I recommend visiting High Pass and Brigadoon in person to pick up your wines. Both are located at the end of beautiful drives through the forested hills, with panoramic views to accompany your wine tasting.
If you make it to Eugene, you can visit numerous businesses at 436 Charnelton Street, which once housed OWI’s winery. When finished, walk two blocks to enjoy the hospitality of the Capitello Wines tasting room. Be sure to ask if they have any of their rare and outstanding sauvignon gris ($22) left for sale.
-- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.
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