Trium
Part of the magic of visiting wineries for the first time is that you never know what you’ll find. I’ve been to hundreds of tasting rooms throughout the Pacific Northwest and I have learned one thing: Expect the unexpected. Such was the case with my visit to Trium.
The woman behind the tasting-room bar greeted us with “Welcome to Trium winery.” but that’s where the small talk stopped. Turns out, the woman was not some neighbor tending the tasting room while the owners are in the cellar blending wines. Rather, our guide to Trium was Laura Lotspeich, one of its co-owners and the manager of Pheasant Hill Vineyard, along with her husband, Kurt Lotspeich.
Laura talked about their vineyard and their guiding philosophy: “Wine is made in the vineyard.” In this case, wine is made in Pheasant Hill Vineyard, as well as two other vineyards — Gold Vineyard (owned by Rebecca and Randy Gold) and Evans Creek Vineyard (owned by Nancy Tappan and Vernon Hixson). The name Trium is Latin for “of the three,” and all three vineyards are certified as LIVE (Low Input Viticulture & Enology) and Salmon Safe.
Starting with white wine, Laura introduced us to Trium’s luscious pinot gris, followed by a silky viognier. She then moved on to a full-bodied cabernet sauvignon and finally to their signature Trium Growers’ Cuvée (which I happily sprung for). All the wines’ labels feature a distinctive woodblock image of a 16th-century vineyard worker. While pouring, Laura noted that they use one-third new oak, one-third 1-year-old oak, and one-third neutral oak for barrel aging. She also spoke of vineyard management and the cycle of seasons, from early-spring bud break to the fall harvest.
For winemaking, Trium relies on veteran winemaker Peter Rosback of Sineann Cellars fame. With more than 20 years of experience making wine in the United States and New Zealand, Peter enjoys a stellar reputation in Oregon winemaking circles. He’s also the winemaker for The Pines 1852 in Hood River and Medici Vineyards outside Newberg. You name the varietal, he’s turned it into wine.
Outside Trium’s ivy-covered English-cottage-style tasting room, visitors have an amazing view of the Bear Creek Valley below. As I watched a hawk circling in the summer sky, I knew I was deep in the heart of rich agricultural land. The quiet of the moment gave me the opportunity to reflect on the incredible knowledge that people like Laura bring to the Oregon wine industry.
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Trium was featured in WineTrails of Oregon as part of the Bear Creek Valley WineTrail on page !
