SOUTH STAGE CELLARS
We had a great time
popping into South Stage Cellars on a recently Saturday
afternoon/eve. Located in downtown Jacksonville, this historic
location has a rustic charm all its own. With brick and rough hewn
woodwork, a great fireplace and many hand-built pieces of locally
built furniture, the tasting room is warm, inviting and homey.
The owners, Don and Traute
Moore and their son Michael, own over 300 acres of grapes, many of
which are sold to top winemakers throughout Oregon. The tasting room
features many of these wines, as well as South Stage Cellars wines
which are all crafted from the original Quail Run Vineyard.
There is a mantle along one wall that
houses mason jars full of the various soils from each of the Moore's
vineyards, giving customers a visual reference as to why same
varietals grown at different sites taste different.
The Tasting Room is a
cultural hub of Jacksonville, with a rotating artwork display, Wine &
Dine Wednesday Nights (you must make reservations- it sells out),
Friday Happy Hour, music on Friday and Saturday nights and a host of
other, fun intriguing events that Manager Porscha Schiller dreams up.
On this day, there was a wine club release being held in the garden
out back. The deck and garden was full, but not crowded, and everyone
seemed perfectly content. A special for the wine club was an
offering of the new Carmenere, one of the original six red grapes of
Bordeaux, France; now mainly found in Chile. It was being offered
for a limited time and then being shipped back to the library for
further aging. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to sample.
Connie who was working the
Tasting Room was professional and very personable. She even gave some
great advice for our dinner that evening. Upon hearing a tasting
request, we decided a skosh is slightly more than a smidgen, just for
future reference.
I happened upon Michael
Moore who said the vineyards look great for so early in the spring.
He told me they had budbreak all on the same day throughout the
vineyards, regardless of elevation or location. He seemed quite
happy and was optimistic for the growing season.
We had a few tastes and
then a glass of South Stage Cellars Viognier, always one of my
favorites, while listening to a gentleman singing and playing guitar.
It was a perfect way to end the afternoon before dinner.
