Let the grapes work their magic

With all the attention paid to the west side of the Willamette Valley, it can be easy to overlook what’s happening on the east side of the Valley. If you did, you’d miss one of the gems.

Winemaker Jason Hanson’s family has been farming the same plot of land in Woodburn for close to a hundred years. Their first official foray into winemaking began in this century, but their history with grapes is much longer. During Prohibition, Jason’s great-grandfather had a substantial planting of concord and Niagara grapes which he sold throughout the area for “less than legal purposes”.

His father, Clark Hanson had been a hobbyist winemaker for years, but it was Jason’s return from the political scene in Washington DC that turned the hobby into a fully functioning winery. Jason’s winemaking philosophy is simple – grow good quality grapes, pick them by hand, put them in a barrel, and the grapes will do the rest.

Stay tuned for a new experiment: The Hansons have planted grapes indigenous to Russia in hopes of making wine for their friends and neighbors in the Russian community in Woodburn. We can’t wait to try it. Exciting!