Just let the grapes do their thing

For winemaker Brian Denner – and his partner Clea Arthur – simplicity is a lifestyle and a winemaking technique. Since she sold her restaurant and he quit working as a winemaker-for-hire, they’ve focused all their energy on growing Simple Machine into a thriving brand and opening a tasting room in Talent, Oregon.

Brian’s winemaking is all about simplicity; letting the grapes do their thing. What’s that look like? After harvest, just put all the grapes into a fermenter – stems and all. 100% whole-cluster fermentation “gives the wines a lot more spice, more tannins, more structure and depth,” he says.

And then, they let the native yeast work its magic. They foot stomp every bin to get the juices flowing and they don’t filter or fine their wines. “It’s low technology, all hands-on, old-fashioned wine-making the way it’s been done for thousands of years.”

In this case simple is best – it lets the unique qualities of Southern Oregon fruit shine through. And because of Brian’s long experience in the valley he gets his grapes from the same few rows in the same high-quality vineyard year after year. Simplicity at its finest.