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The Wines of Jefferson
State
by John Weisinger, Owner & Winemaker
(Editors Note: While visiting the tasting room at Weisinger's, you may
hear John Weisinger say,
When the Japanese Zeroes broke out of the clouds and attacked Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7th, 1941, their bombs and torpedoes did more than destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet. They brought the Americans into World War II and... halted a process that would have created a state separating California from Oregon. In the 1930s, California and Oregon negotiated to divide part of each state to form a new state that ran roughly from Redding, California to Roseburg, Oregon. The residents of this area had never felt part of their respective states and were elated at the possibility of having their own state. By 1941, the process to become a new state was completed. A contest was sponsored in a local newspaper to name the new state. The residents chose "Jefferson as the name of the state and Yreka as its temporary capital. As history would have it, the congressional vote to form the state was slated for December the 8th of 1941. The repercussions of Japan's attack ended the promising future of the State of Jefferson when the vote was lost in the confusion of that fateful day. Had this historic vote passed, as was predicted by its wide support, Jefferson would have been our 49th state -- a state known today for having some of the most beautiful scenery, interesting wine history and unique wines of the West.
Wines of the past and the present
The wine history of Jefferson would include the fact that it would have a longer wine producing history than almost any other region west of the Rockies. Jackson Country, where Weisinger's is located, proudly boasts a wine history which began in the 1840s with the immigrant Italians and Swiss, and predates most of California's wine industry. Today, the wines of Jefferson (the Rogue Valley Appellation) are becoming known throughout the world, and are in demand for their uniqueness of flavor and style. Uniqueness is not common in the wine world. Many wine producers like to compare themselves (their styles) to Burgundy, Bordeaux, or other European wine regions.
In this part of Oregon you find wine styles that accentuate this (region's) uniqueness found in the grape. The exceptional merger of the geology, altitude and climatic conditions creates the flavor difference. The geology of Jefferson is some of the most interesting in the Pacific Northwest. The altitude provides day and night temperatures that develop intense, fruit flavors in the grape. The arrangement of mountains and valleys provides shelter from fall storms, and allows the grapes to ripen slowly to maturity. "The next time you are in our area," John suggests, "do not be surprised when you hear public radio called JPR (Jefferson Public Radio), pick up a magazine entitled The Jefferson Monthly, or see a bank named Jefferson State Bank. Now you will know what it means!" The state of Jefferson never came about, but the spirit of Jefferson lives on in the independent, courageous nature found in its people. # # # |
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