Jun. 15--TERREBONNE -- Central Oregon farmers and winemakers are hoping that improved and smarter management practices can lead the region toward a viable wine-producing industry.
But challenges are many for grape growers, who must combat the region's extreme climate shifts and short growing seasons, not to mention intense labor challenges and crop-eating deer.
Roughly 15 different people are at different levels of experimenting with grape growing for wine production throughout the region, said Mylen Bohle, an agronomist with Oregon State University Extension, based in Prineville.
"Their interests range from putting in a large backyard planting operation up to commercial vineyards," Bohle said.
If Central Oregon does become a popular winemaking region, the seeds are likely being planted north of Terrebonne, where the more moderate climate and lower altitude (2,900 feet) work in grape growers' favor.
Kerry Damon saw the potential for growing grapes that would produce wine in the shadow of Smith Rock well before he got the opportunity to become head vintner at Ranch at the Canyons, an 1,800-acre preservation ranch that includes 300 acres of hay and 90 percent open space.
"I saw the lush hay fields, the heat-retaining cliffs and thought somebody's going to grow grapes there," said Damon, who worked for 13 years as a vintner in California before becoming vintner and head landscaper at Ranch of the Canyons in 2004. "I didn't realize it would be me."
He also didn't understand at the time the complications that would be involved with growing grapes with sporadic climate shifts and a relatively short growing season.
"We're out on the edge here of the normal wine-growing region," Damon said.
"It's not a slam dunk that you can plant grapes in Central Oregon and have immediate success."
The Ranch at the Canyons' 31/2-acre field of grapes includes six different French American hybrid varieties that have been tested in places with colder climates, including Canada and New York, Damon said.
The first acre of vines were planted in 2004, followed last summer by 21/2 additional acres, he said. Last year, he also built several 8-foot-high fences to keep the deer out, installed a drip irrigation system and overhead frost protection for cold nights.
The ranch is still three to four years away from producing grapes that would make wine, but the ranch will begin carrying bottles of wine with its company label next month. The wine will come from other wineries in Oregon and Washington, Damon said.
Despite the cold weather and short growing season, wine production is "definitely possible" in Central Oregon, said Patty Skinkis, the state viticulture extension specialist for OSU in Corvallis.
"We've seen it happen in the Midwest," Skinkis said. "Growers just have to be smart about it. They can't plant something that's not conducive for the location."
Last year, wine grape crops posted gross sales of $46.7 million statewide, an increase of 27 percent over the 2005 sales totals, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Harvested acreage and increased yields led to a 25.6 percent increase in estimated wine grape production for 2006 compared with the previous year, according to the ODA. All the grapes were grown outside Central Oregon, mostly in the Willamette Valley, the Columbia Valley and Southern Oregon.
Doug Maragas, owner of the region's first operating commercial winery, Maragas Winery, which opened in November, said he hopes to share his knowledge with others who follow him into the winemaking business in the region.
His winery and vineyard, located in Culver just about one mile north of the Ranch at the Canyons off U.S. Highway 97, is in a microclimate that gets more sun, is at a lower elevation and is protected from severe weather by the adjacent cliffs, he said.
The grape grower is still experimenting to see which grapes will work in the region, but his vineyard could become a model for others to follow, said Maragas, whose wine is currently made using grapes grown west of the Cascades and in Northern California.
"People tend to lose vines because of a few things," he said. "They didn't consult or take advice of (experts) in the field or they didn't consider their land and weather. We're doing a study that will determine which grapes will prosper and which ones will not work. From there, we'll plant the rest of our acreage. If others don't do those things, their chances for succeeding are very low."
The only other person, besides Maragas, making wine in Central Oregon is Chris Mills, owner of Old Mills Winery, who will be crushing his first grapes at the Maragas Winery this fall, according to Maragas.
Another Bend-based winemaker, Volcano Vineyards, produces its wine at a facility in Medford using grapes grown in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley.
A Bend grower, Gary Bishop, owner of Bishop Farms and Agri Development LLC, has learned from his first planting which varieties will work and which ones aren't hardy enough to handle the cold climates, he said.
He sold the old vitis varieties in potted plants as nursery stock after realizing that they couldn't handle the cold climate and put in an order for French American hybrids, he said.
His goal is to create a commercial grape operation that could be used to produce wine, juice or table grapes, he said.
"By no means am I giving up on grapes or wine," Bishop said. "I think it will be a very good crop for this area. A lot of money goes into plant stock that doesn't survive. I'm still experimenting a lot with that."
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