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{ SOMMjournal.com } 99 Pioneering New Grape Varieties Earl and Hilda Jones of Abacela, Stephen and Gloria Reustle of Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards and Terry and Sue Brandborg of Brandborg Vineyard & Winery share a simi- lar story of how they arrived in Umpqua Valley. "We did it backwards; we chose the varieties and then found the site," Earl Jones eplains. e wanted to ae fine wine fro Tepranillo in the .. and scoured west- ern America for the ideal climate and soils in which to plant. The Reustles started looking in Sonoma County before continuing to hunt for the most ideal location to plant their ineyards, aain findin pua to seed their dreas. Terry Brandbor, meanwhile, spent a great deal of time in the Anderson Valley in Mendocino County before also deciding Umpqua was best for his vision. All employed weather stations and geology professionals to guide their search, and the endorsements of the unique climate and soils of Umpqua called each couple to their new home—the resulting camaraderie is obvious and inspiring. The oneses planted Tepranillo in pua in and won ericas first ouble Gold/Best of Class award in an international competition with their 1998 Tempranillo. They have since expanded their portfolio to include Albariño, Viognier, Garnacha, raciano, Tinta arela, albec, Tannat, yrah and a ort usin fie rape arieties traditionally rown in the ouro alley of ortual. They are constantly eperient - ing with new varieties. The couple has also played a pivotal role in helping numerous winemakers new to the area by warmly lending their learned expertise. The eustles ebared upon their ineyard establishent in 200 with the first wines bein produced in 200. tephen eustle was the first person in the .. to commercially produce Austria's native grape variety of Grüner Veltliner, and the winery now produces Riesling, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Muscat, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, inot oir, Tepranillo, renache, albec, erlot and yrah. is yrah won first place in the 20 i ations ine Challene. They also ae a fortified wine fro Tempranillo and constantly adapt as they learn more about their vineyards and wine development. Reustle was named 2017 Northwest Winery of the Year. Terry Brandborg stopped by Abacela during a scouting trip in Umpqua, and Earl recommended the Elkton area upon hearing Terry's desired grape varieties: cool cli - ate wines of finesse and balance, naely inot oir and lsatian whites. Brandbor Vineyard & Winery currently produces Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir in the Elkton Oregon AVA, which was established in 2013. Our group thoroughly enjoyed discovering the fruits of the Umpqua Valley after spending three days with these three couples. Their intelligence, conscientiousness and commitment are immediately clear. Terry Brandborg introduces the Brandborg 2015 Pinot Gris as we begin our dinner in his charmingly-lit cellar. The north end of the Umpqua Valley lies approximately 150 miles south of Portland, OR. The "Big Three" wineries—Abacela, Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards and Brandborg Vineyard & Winery—recently hosted sommeliers and wine buyers for a three-day exploration of the area. Stephen Reustle was the first person in the U.S. to com- mercially produce Austria's native grape variety of Grüner Veltliner; here he is holding a bottle of the first vintage produced. PHOTO: ALLYSON GORSUCH PHOTO COURTESY OF REUSTLE-PRAYER ROCK VINEYARDS