Volcano Vineyards

The attractive Volcano Vineyards “tasting lounge” is located in Bend’s Brooks Street pedestrian alley by the Pine Tavern. Upon entering, the child-sized furniture out front clearly communicated that this is a kid-friendly tasting room. That’s unusual in the winery world. Kathleen and I arrived under the impression that the proprietors of Volcano Vineyards, Scott and Liz Ratcliff, created a winery in name only. That is, they simply slapped their label on the bottle and relied on others for grapes and winemaking. Within a few minutes, however, that notion was dispelled.

We had hoped to visit with Scott and Liz in the friendly confines of the tasting room, but discovered that they were busy with the harvest in Rogue Valley. There went myth number one; they don’t just sit and wait for the grapes to roll in. They are out there harvesting and sorting grapes with their grape-growing partners. Beginning in September and through most of October, they are racking up the miles on the family vehicle making the three-hour trek from Bend to the Medford area where the grapes grow.

The second myth to go concerns the actual winemaking. While it’s true that they saved big bucks by not purchasing their own equipment, that doesn’t mean they aren’t intimately involved in the winemaking. Scott’s amateur winemaking forays have come in handy while collaborating with RoxyAnn’s chief winemaker, Gus Janeway. Don’t be surprised in a few years to find Scott making wine on his own. For right now, however, Scott appreciates the experience and mentoring that Gus brings.

With the virtual-winery misconception behind us, we could then focus on the real purpose of our visit — tasting Volcano Vineyard’s Rogue Valley Bordeaux Blend, a second red blend with the name Lava Blend, and their Fortmiller Vineyard Syrah. As I sipped these delicious wines, I recalled thinking earlier that the name Volcano for a winery sounded funny. Now, however, I see that the name is fitting: Volcanic mountains lie to the west of Bend, and red lava rock dominates the area’s landscape. It’s little wonder that the winery’s slogan is, “Inspired by the volcanic peaks of the Cascades.”

For Scott and Liz Ratcliff, transplants from the Bay Area, their relocation is proving to be the right move. Here they can exercise their entrepreneurial spirit, make award-winning wines, and imagine a future in which they exchange destemmers for Christmas!