Page 117 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2021

opportunity to open the tasting bar this past March and the local com-
munity has welcomed the opportunity to taste one the largest lineups
of wines from different producers united under one tasting room thus
far seen in the area.

All three producers are small in-case production size. Ranging from
250 to 700 cases produced annually, which is limited even by Southern
Oregon standards where case production generally hovers around the
1,000-case mark, according to the Rogue Valley Vintners. All three are
seeing a substantial amount of their sales go through the collective tast-
ing room, with visitors ramping up to 60 a day on a good day.

Numbers have varied wildly in the pandemic. Most of the visitors are
local at this juncture and the space features a local cheese plate curated
by the Cheese Cave in Phoenix. The flights are priced at $15 for six
wines, two of each are from each winery and they rotate. The by-the-
glass prices are $8 to $12 dollars.

SHARED WINEMAKING PERSPECTIVES AND VALUES

All three winemakers seem happy with the partnership thus far. “While
we all focus on largely different grape varieties, a lot of our winemak-
ing philosophy is pretty similar: minimal intervention with a thread
of experimentation, all undercut with a sense of pragmatism,” shares
Andrew Myer, the winemaker at of Goldback Wines, speaking of the
three partners in the operation. “Our biggest differences are more in
the grapes we choose to pursue. Sound & Vison focuses on Italian varie-
ties and Riesling; Ryan Rose on Bordeaux, Burgundy and Tempranillo;
and Goldback on Rhône varieties with a little Chenin Blanc thrown in
the mix.”

“All three of us have a similar goal of not repeating what has been done
in the past because it’s easier. Choosing the town of Phoenix is a great Newly designed by the great, great
example. I can’t tell you how many people asked why we would choose grandson of Emile Henry himself. Made
to open a tasting room in a town that almost got destroyed by a fire in France from high-fired Burgundy clay.
months before,” says Rob Folin, winemaker for Ryan Rose wine. “Any Oven and stovetop safe.
collective will face different sales issues. If the brands are cohesive and
tell a unified story, then in the long term, sales will balance out across
the board.”

“Working as a collective has a lot of advantages and disadvantages,” adds
Myer. The former includes shared overhead, rent, marketing and staff-
ing, he notes. “The disadvantage is usually found in the partnership
itself, especially when we are all used to working solely for our own
brands. I had really wanted to use this model to open a tasting room
space, but was incredibly cautious about finding the right partners.
Wineries big enough to have real skin in the game, but small enough
that the model makes sense, and I couldn’t feel more fortunate to have
landed with this crew.”

Given all three winemakers’ day jobs, banding together made sense.
As a result, “a tasting room isn’t something any of us can dedicate
100 percent of our time to, and we all generally kind of enjoy each A full service, locally-owned 541.955.5311 Hours:
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able to split up rent and bills and labor was really the only way, at the downtown Grants Pass. Grants Pass Sun. 11:00 - 4:00
moment, we’d be able to get a tasting room open. It’s actually an idea thekitchencompanygp.com

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