Kramer Vineyards

Your black canine escorts are named Cassie (short for the constellation Cassiopeia) and Cosmo. Cassie is the older dog, and Cosmo is the winery dog in training. Together they make sure that you’re greeted, led to the tasting room, and given ample opportunity to rub their bellies. Their job is to make you feel at ease, and to this end they succeed.

In a real sense the dogs are a symbol of what’s in store when you visit Kramer Vineyards. There’s no pretense here; owners/winemakers Keith and Trudy Kramer see to that. From the warmth of the tasting room staff to the comfy outdoor furniture, they invite you to relax and experience their wines. The Kramers have succeeded in winning converts for nearly 20 years, with retail sales from the tasting room accounting for 85 percent of their revenue. With estate pinot noir starting at $18 and pinot gris going for $15, everyone wins!

The most important thing I took away from Kramer Vineyards was the true meaning of the word “estate.” OK, we know “estate” means the juice in the bottle comes from the vineyards you own. However, when the tasting room staff talks about removing grape leaves and stink bugs from freshly harvested grapes, you appreciate their intimacy with the fruit. Or when Trudy Kramer takes time to train a few unruly grape vines during a hot June day, you really understand the devotion and attention that goes into each bottle. Year after year, the Kramers continue to tweak varietal plantings on their 23 acres. Being close to the terroir, they appreciate what varietals grows best in specific locations. It’s this attention to detail — call it passion or call it love — that characterizes Kramer Vineyards.

The Kramers now find time to visit other wine-growing regions of the world. Exhibit A is a 2008 trip to Australia, where they visited wineries in various locations. They learned of the Aussies’ extensive use of netting to protect the grapes from pesky birds, wallabies and kangaroos. Although Oregon doesn’t have too many kangaroos, the state does have its share of grape-devouring birds as well as other animals that treat a vineyard like a Sunday buffet. Now, if you source your fruit from other vineyards, all that is the supplier’s problem. But to the Kramers, their relationship to the land keeps their focus sharp, from bud break to bottling and ultimately, to you the customer.