Volcano Vineyards FAQ

What in the world is a "micro-winery"?

We are very small – hence the "micro" – it’s along the lines of a micro-brewery. A "small" winery is considered to be one that produced less than 50,000 cases per year. For our first commercial vintage release (2003), production was a mere 250 cases. And we are now up to a whopping 1000 cases annually!

Do you have your own production facility?

We currently don’t own a brick and mortar production facility of our own. Having long term contracts with grape growers has been a standard practice in wine production for eons. But being called a "winery" without a physical structure is a fairly new use of the term. We are a licensed Oregon winery because we – Volcano Vineyards - produce wine from grapes. Our business model is similar to the one used by Jim Koch (Sam Adams Brewery) when he first started – he made his beer at the Iron City Brewery in Pittsburg, PA for the first few years. We use the facilities at Agate Ridge Winery in Eagle Point for production of our top tier, Rogue Valley wines, located just minutes from the vineyards. We hope to have a bonded winery production facility open in Bend by summer 2010. We will produce our Magna Wines, Domaine Volcaneaux and Magmita Sangria from the Bend winery.

Does that make you a virtual winery?

No, it doesn’t. A "virtual winery" can be operated by someone living thousands of miles from the production site. They write the checks to a production facility which then handles the entire process – from sourcing grapes through the finished wine in the bottle. The owner can sometimes watch the progress of their wine via the web, and they can even visit on-site and participate in their wine production. Day to day involvement is absolutely unnecessary. In fact, any involvement beyond sending money is unnecessary. The virtual winery owner can be as involved or as detached as he or she wants to be.

Where do you make your wines?

To start up a physical winery facility, purchase and maintain all the equipment, would run in the millions of dollars. The "break-even" time line for the traditional route of the "estate winery" - one that grows its own grapes and produces its own wine - is fifteen years. We are moving our production to Agate Ridge Winery in Eagle Point. Using a host winery allows us production for for a fraction of what it would have cost to outfit our own facility. We can put what money we do have into finding and securing long term contracts with the best grape growers, get the best barrels – put the money into the product rather than equipment. And the results will be many great, individualized and high quality wines at great prices - plus, consumers can take a break from the cookie cutter wines the huge producers churn out. It allows us to introduce our wines to the consumer and build our brand before exploring ways to fund any expansion.

Who makes your wines?

We do! Albeit, with a lot of help. Most importantly, we start with the highest quality grapes, which helps a bunch (get it? Grapes? Bunch? haha). It may be a tired tag line but the truth is, great wines are made in the vineyard, Agate Ridge is a state-of-the-art facility. By using their facility, we not only get access to their top of the line equipment, but we have a fabulous consulting winemaker, Kiley Evans, guiding us. Scott is our executive winemaker – he makes all the wine-making decisions, he sources our grapes, he determines packaging, and the over–all styles of our brands. But when Scott says something crazy about trying out a new yeast with the syrah, Kiley will reel him back in. Kiley rules! The two of them are peas in a pod - by the end of harvest last year, they were finishing each others sentences. We know our limitations – we’re not going to risk everything we’ve put into this by thinking we can jump from home winemaking to doing this on such a large scale, professionally, without guidance. Have you ever tried to triple or quadruple a recipe? While you can simply triple or quadruple certain ingredients, others require adjustments. We found out pretty quickly that applies to winemaking as well. Scott has his formal winemaking training from Chemeketa, and his informal training through interning, home winemaking, and winery gruntwork.

Why the volcano?

The volcanic peaks of the Cascades dominate the horizon west of Bend - their dynamic past is evident throughout the landscape and is the backdrop of our lives. You can't pass by lava flows on a daily basis and not feel an effect. The landscape in Bend is volcanic, the climate dry. It is part of life in Bend. And life in Bend is what we wanted to celebrate and embrace.

The bonus is that most grapes - worldwide - are grown on soil with volcanic elements. Should we ever decide to produce a Malbec from Argentina or a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, the names still applies.

Why is your Tasting Room in Bend?

Bend is our home, and it has been since 2001. We settled in Bend before deciding to go “pro” with our home winemaking. Bend is only about three hours from the Rogue Valley, and while Scott is down there a lot, the commute is manageable. As the company moves forward, the majority of our production will be out of Bend. We just don't have the money for that yet. Please be patient!

What’s so great about Southern Oregon grapes?

The varied microclimates in southern Oregon are currently home to 25 white varietals and 35 red varietals, growing everything from Albarino to Zinfandel. The vines are maturing, and the resulting grapes are complex and flavorful. Still doubtful? The Wine Spectator choose Abacela’s Tempranillo as their 2007 Oregon wine of the year – a southern Oregon wine (which was made, by the way, by Kiley). The secret is out.

What’s next?

Our plan is to get a small production facility up and running here in Bend by summer 2010. That will be for the production of our second labels, Magna (value table wines), Domaine Volcaneaux, and Magmita Sangria. And, yes, we are planning on launching Volcano Vodka as well, but that is still in the planning stages. For the next few years, we will keep the production of our premium wines as close to the vineyards as possible. Grapes do not like to travel, and the precautions necessary to truck them all the way to Central Oregon would not be cost-effective at this time.

Do You Support Charitable Donations?

We are happy to support charity functions, but please read our donations policy first.

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