"It takes a lot of beer to make wine," Chris Martin divulged to us last month when we went to visit Troon Vineyard in nearby Applegate Valley. Chris is the winery's proprietor--he manages the day to day activities of the vineyard and one of his legacies will be the recently built outdoor tasting room (the one indoors is airy and beautiful, but the one outside is even nicer...plus, you can play bocce!).
I love the randomness of people finding my blog and one day in early August, I received a lovely, sympathetic email from Chris who had read my post on The Wharf restaurant in Medford. A fellow displaced foodie, he invited me to his vineyard for VinoLab, a small culinary program they run during the summer focused on pairing Troon wines with small plates using locally sourced ingredients. 
The grounds are gorgeous. You really feel like you're in Europe. Even better is the wine which is estate grown, produced, and bottled. They make only small lots (under 300 cases) of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, and more. They finish their wines mostly in French oak barrels for twelve to twenty four months depending on the grape and the amount of oak needed to perfect the wine.
In the vineyard, they follow organic principles and aspire to a closed loop, sustainable farming environment. No herbicides or pesticides are used, and all tending of the vines is done by hand. Pretty cool. Can't even imagine how much work that all entails.
The winery was established in 1972 by founder and southern Oregon grape growing pioneer Dick Troon. Today it's run by the Martin family, but Dick Troon lives just up the road and recently planted some olive trees. The vineyard is in great hands and they really seem focused on providing a great customer experience--Phil would really like visiting them.
When we sat down at the table, Liz Wan who handles events and also created the different appetizers, talked with us about how she comes up with the menus. Sounds like a super fun job. (She might consider making that pomodori al forno I had such great success with--curious to know what kind of wine they would recommend to go with it!)
We each had a VinoLab flight. The delectable line-up:
* Crackling Shrimp Chip with Shrimp Guacamole paired with 2007 River Guide White
* Buffalo & Savory Stuffed Baby Porabello paired with 2007 Druids Fluid
* Three Berry Meatball paired with 2006 Spirit of the Rogue
* Housemade BBQ Chicken Pizza paired with 2005 Old Vine Meritage
* Blackened Ahi Candy paired with 2006 Reserve Zinfandel
* Truffles and 2004 Insomnia Port
Troon wine has received many awards. I went with my tastebuds though in selecting what I wanted to take home. I opted for a couple bottles of the 2007 River Guide White, a bottle of the 2005 Old Vine Meritage, a 2006 Reserve Zinfandel, and a 2004 Insomnia Port.
Visit Troon if you're in the area. It is easily the nicest vineyard I've been to in Southern Oregon! They're open 11-5 daily. For more about Troon Vineyard, visit their site, call 541-846-9900 or email [email protected].
If you're not, buy Troon's wine online. (Their shipping info is here.) You won't be disappointed. I'm enjoying a glass of the Meritage right now. :)
