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JANUARY NEWS Oregon Wineries Embrace Branded Bottles Logo from Yamhill Carlton regional association included in Pinot Noir mold C arlton, Ore.—A long-term vision to bring appellation-specific bottles to Oregon has been fulfilled in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA with the purchase of 7,500 cases of Pinot Noir bottles. The bottles, manufactured at the Verallia plant in Seattle, Wash., are embossed with the name and logo of the Yamhill-Carlton Winegrowers Association, which represents growers in the YamhillCarlton AVA. Approximately 40 wineries could potentially use the bottles. The idea of branded bottles for Pinot Noir from the appellation was part of the vision for a new logo the winegrowers association developed in 2006. "We specifically designed it so it could be applied to…an appellation-specific bottle," said Brian O'Donnell, co-owner of Belle Pente Wine Cellars in Carlton, Ore. While such bottles are used in parts of Europe, appellation-specific bottles are uncommon in North America. Until recently, their production required large runs and a significant investment in custom molds that made them impractical for smaller buyers. "Normally, if people want a custom mold with their logo on it, they have to buy a complete second mold, which is exorbitant unless they're Chateau Ste. Michelle or Constellation (Brands), and they have to pay to have a minimum of 100,000 cases," explained Gillian Brennan, a packaging consultant with bottle distributor TricorBraun WinePak in Tualatin, Ore. A flexible production line installed at the Verallia plant in Seattle changed the economics of producing small runs of bottles for customers such as the Yamhill-Carlton Winegrowers. O'Donnell, who worked with Ken Wright of Ken Wright Cellars of Carlton on the initiative, said the best option the association found prior to Verallia was a minimum run of 30,000 cases worth of bottles. Verallia, however, produced an initial run of the new bottles totaling just 7,500 cases. Three molds for a neck ring with the association's logo were purchased for $8,500, and fit with the body and base of Verallia's existing Burgundy bottle. Wineries pay about 83 cents (or $10 per case) for the bottles. Ken Wright Cellars, the major producer of appellation-specific Pinot Noir in the AVA, purchased the initial stock to kick-start the initiative, and he is selling bottles to several wineries including Asilda Winery, Ghost Hill Cellars, Lazy River Vineyard, Roots Wine Co., Stag Hollow and WildAire Cellars. —Peter Mitham National Museum Celebrates Wine Families California's legacy wineries donate artifacts W ashington, D.C.—The strong bonds of immigrant families enabled their wineries to outlast Prohibition, grow and thrive after Repeal. These are the roots of a work in progress at the National Museum of American History on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. as the American Wine & Food Exhibit launched in 2012 continues to expand. Paula Johnson is project director and curator of the exhibition "FOOD: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000." Prior to the 80th anniversary of Repeal on Dec. 5, scions of some of California's pioneer wineries attended an invitation-only winemaker dinner at the museum to raise funds for the project. Johnson has been collecting artifacts for the food and wine exhibit since 1996, the 20th anniversary of the historic "Judgment of Paris" tasting that established California as a producer of world-class wines. "We 20 W in es & V i ne s January 20 14 are slowly building our collection," Johnson told Wines & Vines. "We are focusing on post-Prohibition history: how the wine industry rebuilt after Repeal." J. Pedroncelli Winery proffered donations in spring 2013. "Curators came to our winery, and one of our old photos is in the current exhibit," said Julie Pedroncelli St. John, VP/marketing for the 30,000-case winery founded in Geyserville, Calif., by her grandfather in 1927, while Prohibition was still in full force. "Our contributions talk about wine and food," St. John said. "We're donating the original John Pedroncelli Winery sign, a giant polenta pot, a barrel stencil and a ledger from the 1950s." Although these items had been displayed at the winery, the decision to donate was simple, St. John said. St. John attended the winemakers' dinner in Washington, D.C., along with representatives of Gundlach-Bundschu, E. & J. Gallo, Amy Hoopes (left) and Christine Wente of Wente Family Estates attend a reception at the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C. Louis M. Martini and the Wente families. Christine Wente, one of the fifth generation of winegrowers at Livermore's Wente Vineyards, is in charge of the family archives. She is anticipating a visit from Johnson next spring to determine which family treasures will be added to the museum's collection. Although artwork, awards and photos are displayed all over the winery and its restaurant, there is no formal display. "We're thinking about creating one," Wente said, noting that the winery is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, and a century of Chardonnay growing. "We were the first to label Chardonnay as a varietal and also first with varietal Sauvignon Blanc." —Jane Firstenfeld See us at Unified booth #4304