Whistling Dog Cellars
Whistling Dog Cellars, owned by Celeste and Tom Symonette, hopes to have its own facility within the next couple of years.

"There really was a whistling dog," Celeste said of their name. "He was our boy, Fleck. Whether plunging into frigid waters to retrieve his Frisbee, pointing birds in the field, or standing in the backseat willing us to drive to one of his favorite spots, his passion for the things he loved could not be contained -- so he whistled."
The Symonettes share the same passion (that inspired Fleck to whistle) for making their pinot noir.

"We work the entire process from pruning the vines to bottling the wines," Celeste said. "No halfway measures or cutting corners."

The couple believes their handcrafted wines represent "quality, authenticity and dedication to the dream of making the best pinot noir wines from the ground up."

"Growing and making world-class pinot is not just our passion, it is our livelihood, the only thing we do," Celeste said. "We don't just stake our reputation on it, we stake our family's welfare on it."

The Symonettes have a separate business that owns Nuestro Sueño Vineyard, 16 acres adjacent to the Carter Vineyard in the Eola Hills. Whistling Dog Cellars purchases 25 percent of Nuestro Sueño's grapes, and the remainder goes to Solena Cellars, Grand Cru Estates, and Dobbes Family Estate.

Whistling Dog Cellars also purchases grapes from other top-quality vineyards, such as Anden Vineyard in the Eola Hills and Momtazi Vineyard, a biodynamic vineyard south of McMinnville.

Each year, the couple produces 400 to 600 cases of "affordable, world-class" pinot that reflects "where and when the grapes were grown," they agree.

"Our wines don't cater to pre-determined, market-driven aroma and taste profiles," Celeste said.

"They emphasize the characteristics of the growing season and vineyard."

Their focus on small batches currently limits distribution to Oregon, Washington and California, but they are working with a sales partner to broaden distribution in the near future.

"As you share our family's wine with your family, we hope you, too, will feel the passion of the whistling dog."

Whistling Dog wines can be tasted for free at its host winery's tasting room, 5657 Zena Road NW, Salem or visit whistlingdogcellars.com. 

Atticus Wine

Four friends from two families, all with a passion for wine, teamed up to form this tiny winemaking operation.

Guy Insley, Ximena Orrego and Niall and Lefteria (Freda) Porter bought 47 acres in Yamhill, but only Guy and Ximena and their two children live at the vineyard.

"They researched the idea of starting a vineyard, and after realizing the scale of the venture, joined forces with us to make it a reality," Freda Porter said. "Guy and Ximena moved there from Florida in 2007, building their home at the vineyard site. My husband and I remain in Florida, focused on developing the local market while still being active in the vineyard's major events like crush, blending and bottling."
To date, 4 acres have been planted, and this year marks the vineyard's third leaf and first limited harvest.

"Our goal at Atticus Wine is to create an approachable, elegant wine, which is true to the vintage each year," Porter said. "We found in winemaker Scott Shull of Raptor Ridge a perfect fit for our philosophy in that he believes in a gentle, restrained approach to winemaking."
Shull yields to the will of the grapes, according to Porter.

"And he maintains a firm hand in the vineyard management, ensuring the potential of the fruit is reached," she said. "We are striving to produce an authentic, high quality pinot noir, which encapsulates the uniqueness of Oregon and the difference from vintage to vintage."
Currently, Atticus produces two distinct labels that Porter said "appeal to a broad cross section of the market."

"Our Willamette Valley blend is a lighter, elegant pinot noir, whereas the Select Blend is more concentrated with a firmer oak structure," she said.

Atticus Wine plans to remain a small-production winery, with 295 cases of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir produced in 2005 and 224 cases of the same in 2006 along with 120 cases of Pinot Noir Select in 2006. Case production grew to 510 in 2007 with the addition of 50 cases of Rosé.

"We expect to reach about 1,000 cases by 2010, with an eventual target of approximately 8,000 cases," Porter said.

"Our long-term objective is that this would be a business for both families," she said. "In the short- to medium-term, we would like to plant out more acreage, thereby having more control over our fruit sources. We have a beautiful property, and we're confident that it will produce great fruit."

The foursome wants to do their own winemaking in the future, training under Shull and his wife, Annie. Currently, they use the winemaking facility in Carlton to produce their wines, but their goal is to grow the business so as to justify building their own winery at their vineyard.

"We recognize that we have a high-end product, and therefore are not targeting a mass market," Porter said.  "We are trying to identify individual markets with an interest in boutique, handcrafted-style wines."

By targeting local markets in Oregon and Florida, Atticus owners are placing their wines in stores and restaurants. In the future, they want to find specific markets around the U.S., including such cities as New York, Boston, Raleigh, Atlanta and Dallas.

"We also plan on taking advantage of our links to England and Ireland, and are currently looking for a potential distributor," said Porter, who is Irish.

Atticus Wine, at 20501 Russell Creek Road, holds open house events during Memorial Day and Thanksgiving weekends in Carlton and by appointment at the vineyard in Yamhill. For more information, call (503) 662-3485 or visit atticuswine.com.

Airlie Winery

Located in its own little valley in the foothills of the Coastal Range, just 10 miles south of Monmouth,  Airlie Winery was started in 1986 by Larry and Alice Preedy. The couple grew Christmas trees on the property, and then switched to grapes in the early `80s. They sold Airlie to Mary Olson in 1997.

"We do about 7,000 cases a year, two-thirds white and the rest pinot noir and Maréchal Foch," Olson said. "Elizabeth, our winemaker, was very happy with the '07 vintage."

Elizabeth Clark echoed Olson's sentiments, saying, "I think the whites especially were even better than 2006. The Willamette Valley pinot noir is very classical, with a beautiful body, excellent flavors and balanced alcohol. Delicate, layered and inviting, I think it will complement food very well."

Clark is just one of the "family" at Airlie.

Barry Glassman is the third member, taking care of marketing and sales.

"If you drop in, you will get one of the three of us in the tasting room, and probably learn more about wine than you wanted to know," Olson said.

"We love sharing what we do and are glad to talk about it."

Airlie Winery now uses a mostly gravity flow process that differs from the time the winery was built.

"It's much more common now," Olson said.

"Otherwise we are much like other wineries, very hands-on with close attention to detail. We love what we do, and I think it shows in our wines."
Olson said her cult wine is Airlie's Maréchal Foch.

"People come to the winery specifically to try it," she said. "In the whites, our pinot gris is often highly reviewed. And our Müller Thurgau is a great introductory wine for the new wine drinker, though I still love drinking it on a hot day. It's very refreshing."

Airlie's newest blend, "7," is designed to appeal to everyone.

"We think it does a good job," Olson said.
Airlie wines can be found locally in Roth's Family Markets, Fred Meyer and Safeway.

"In Portland, we recommend QFC and Fred Meyer," Olson said. "We sell nationwide, too, though mostly in the southeast and then Washington and Trader Joe's in California."

Airlie, at 1503 Dunn Forest Road, has a tasting room beside a pond and covered picnic area.

Visitors can drop in between noon and 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, March through December.
Airlie also hosts an annual campout each August, with music, brats on the grill, and stars out at night. A breakfast potluck ends the weekend, which costs $10; children are free. More information can be found at airliewinery.com.

Redhawk Winery

Redhawk Winery, founded in 1988 by Tom Robinson and purchased by current owners John and Betty Pataccoli in 2005, is known for producing value-priced pinot noir.

"The first five acres of vines were planted in 1978, so we have some old vine pinot noir and riesling that we sell just out of our tasting room," said Betty Pataccoli.

Since the Pataccolis' takeover, Redhawk has undergone a major remodel, including a brand new tasting room and improved grounds, now available for parties, picnics and other functions. This year, the tasting room will be open for a five-day before- and after-Thanksgiving festival, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 22-23 and 28-30. The event includes wine tasting, food and live music for $10 a person, including special pricing on wines and a Redhawk wine glass to keep. The menu includes barbecued tri-tip, grilled Italian sausage, cheese/crackers/pates, and Betty's famous butternut squash soup.

"And lots more," she said. Tasters can enjoy "our new release, 2007 Dolcetto and 2006 Tempranillo, a dessert wine."

Musicians include Joni Harms, November 22; Mitch Lies duo, November 23 and November 29; and Marci Curtis, November 28.

The major remodel also included upgrades and improvements to the infrastructure and health of the vineyard.

"The results of these improvements are already evident in the improved quality of our wines," Betty said.

The Pataccolis no longer produce Robinson's "funny" labels, other than Grateful Red, because, Betty said, "We're trying to make winemaking a little more serious than that."

The winery is now family-run. John is the winemaker and handles some of the sales and marketing; Betty runs the business side of the winery.

"John and I have been wine geeks for a very long time," Betty said. "Our whole lives revolved around wine. We were avid collectors and travelers. We had a personal wine cellar, at one time, of 1,200 bottles. Also, we traveled to Bordeaux on our honeymoon!"

John was taught hands-on for the first year by the previous winemaker Jill Oien, who learned her craft in her native New Zealand. When the Pataccollis need a little help, Oien drops by, as does neighbor Russ Raney of Evesham Wood, Betty said.

"This is not a hobby for us," she added. "This is our life. We have only two full-time employees and [John and I] that handle all activities. For example, every bottle that we bottle here on site with our six-spout bottler is done by John."

The Pataccolis grow pinot noir, pinot gris, chardonnay and small amounts of riesling and dolcetto on their 23 acres, with 15 under vine.
"We strive to produce small quantities of outstanding, yet reasonably priced wines," she said. "Our specialty wine is the Pataccoli Family Vineyard Pinot Noir. This is the pinot that comes from the 30-year-old vines."

Nine rows of Dolcetto are made into a "sort of cult wine" mainly sold to their wine club members, Betty said.

"There usually isn't much left after they take what they want," she said. "Also, there is our Grateful Red, our light, fruit-forward style of pinot noir.   It is a blend of many different vineyards from only the Willamette Valley, including a little of our own vineyard.  It is our biggest seller."

The Pataccolis distribute this year's wine production, 4200 cases, in Oregon, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, North and South Carolina, Utah and Canada.

"We have a very fun and informal tasting room with a beautiful view of the Willamette River, Mt. Hood and the Valley," Betty said. "We currently charge a $5 tasting fee that is refundable with purchase. And we are now tasting 11 wines."

Redhawk Winery is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Days, Easter and Super Bowl Sunday. The winery is only four miles from downtown Salem at 2996 Michigan City Ave. NW in Salem. For more information, call (503) 362-1596.

Witness Tree Winery
Witness Tree Winery on Spring Valley Road, nine miles northwest of Salem, was named after an ancient oak used as a surveyor's landmark in 1854, "bearing witness" to the northwest corner of Donation Land Claim No. 51.

"The Witness Tree towers over our 100-acre estate," said cellar master Mark Pape. "It's really worth seeing."

The land parcel was originally granted to Claiborne C. Walker and his wife, early pioneers who arrived in covered wagons via the Oregon Trail. Today, the grapes grown on the 51.5-acre vineyard are turned into the premium-quality pinot noir and chardonnay that Oregon's Willamette Valley is known for. Limited quantities of  Viognier, pinot blanc, "Sweet Signé" and dolcetto are also produced.

"Our site benefits from a southeasterly exposure, which allows the vineyard to warm early in the morning sun and stay warm all day," said Dennis Devine, who owns the winery with his wife, Carolyn. "This fact, combined with a protective ridgeline to our west, provides Witness Tree Vineyard with a tremendous microclimate for growing stellar fruit."

The vineyard is farmed using sustainable agricultural practices, with several picking dates used as the individual clones, varieties and sections of the vineyard reach peak ripeness, Devine said.

"We pick only fully ripened, healthy fruit and are very severe with our sorting, thus ensuring no second-crop or leaves make their way into our fermenters," he added. Once in the winery, the pinot noir grapes are de-stemmed into small, open-top tanks, cold-soaked and then fermented using native yeast."

Manual punch-downs are done twice daily, and once fermented, the new wine is racked and the skins lightly pressed, allowed to settle, and then transferred to French oak barrels for 11 to 14 months.

"Prior to bottling, the wine is gently removed from the barrel and bottled without fining or filtration," Devine explained.

White wines are gently whole-cluster pressed before being fermented and aged on lees.

"Low yields in the vineyard and minimal handling in the winery allow us to create wines of depth, elegance, concentration and character," Devine said. "They are the ultimate expression of the earth from which they were born."

Witness Tree Winery produces 6,000 cases yearly of 100-percent estate bottled wine, allowing as much control over the quality of the fruit as the Devines and their staff can obtain. Carolyn serves as business manager and president, Mark Pape is the cellar master/national sales director, and Steven Westby is the winemaker/vineyard manager.

Devine credits Westby's eleven vintages at Witness Tree for giving him the intimate knowledge and appreciation for the varied microclimates of their vineyard.

"His familiarity with the nuances of each separate lot of fruit grown here on the estate qualifies him as one of Oregon's most capable winemakers," Devine said.  "Add to this the historical element of our winery and vineyards, and you have a great place to visit."

Devine can be contacted at (503) 585-7874 or visit witnesstreevineyard.com.