Ashland Vineyards & Winery

For nearly two decades, Phil and Kathy Kodak have been growing grapes and producing wine under their Ashland and more upscale Shakespeare labels. A bottle of their Midsummer’s Night Dream Sauvignon Blanc even sports a picture of Will Shakespeare.

The Kodaks’ vineyard and tasting room are located on the outskirts of Ashland near Southern Oregon University. A drive to the tasting room takes you past organically maintained vineyards where weeds grow freely between and among the vines. The tasting room itself is diminutive. Clearly, you are here to taste wines, not to stroll among manicured lawns and landscaped waterfalls. And leave the bocce balls at home. It’s the wine that matters, and past accolades and awards speak to the winery’s proud heritage.

Phil’s professional background has contributed mightily to the winery’s development. He has a long family history of winemaking, with origins dating to the 1800s in South Africa. And, as pointed out on the Ashland Vineyards & Winery website, he has several degrees in chemistry, taught chemistry at the university level, and took graduate-level enology classes at the University of California–Davis.

A visit to this winery will educate both the casual and the savvy wine tourist about the history of winemaking in the Rogue Valley, as taught by one of the founders.