Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards

“Enter as strangers — leave as friends” is the motto visitors experience at Reustle–Prayer Rock Vineyards. Transplants from the New York City area since 2001, Stephen and Gloria Reustle found an ideal location in the Umpqua region to lay down a vineyard. Stephen had enjoyed a very successful business career in New York, which he parlayed into the creation of an extraordinary winery. However, he and Gloria also leveraged another asset — a strong Christian foundation. The fact that Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine was a nice endorsement from on high.

In 2004, they began making wine, producing fewer than 500 cases. Unfortunately, a Washington bureaucrat didn’t appreciate what the Reustles had etched on their corks. Failing to get approval from the Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the Reustles received the following statement from a federal reviewer: “Delete ‘Drink your wine with a happy heart God approves of this’ reference.” Evidently, alluding to wine as a heart-happy food is a no-no.

The top of Prayer Rock Vineyards affords a bird’s eye view of the property. Here, you can look down into the bowl of rolling vineyards, winery buildings, and the Reustles’ home. It’s also the site of the rock where Stephen visited and prayed for God’s blessing when they arrived. They live lives of abundance. But they don’t keep it to themselves — they pass it along.

At their new tasting room, which features the only cave-like barrel-room setting in southern Oregon, visitors receive a healthy dose of wine education, wonderful appetizers, and generous tastes of award-winning wines. I love the distinctive orange and black packaging that envelopes each bottle of pinot noir, tempranillo, viognier, riesling, syrah, merlot, rousanne, semillon, grüner veltliner, grenache, pinot gris, and sauvignon blanc. (WineTrail note: Notice the wide range of warm- and cool-weather varietals — a sure sign you’re in the Umpqua!) By the way, the grüner veltliner is a rarity of sorts not only in Oregon, but also in the United States. This surprisingly flavorful white wine from Austria pairs wonderfully with grilled chicken, fish, and summer salads.

Is Reustle–Prayer Rock Vineyards a spiritual experience? I think so. Can you call this plot of land a piece of “heaven on earth”? Yes, I believe you can. Will your visit transform you? Yes, it will. Enter as strangers — leave as believers.