Page 116 - FLIPBOOK ALL SOM WINTER 2022_Neat

chow | wine

The Valley View estate, with stunning views of the surrounding hills, is named after the estate
that photographer Peter Britt purchased in 1854 that was originally located in the gold rush
COME SEE WHY WE HAVE BEEN town of Jacksonville. Britt produced wines under the Valley View label until his death in
VOTED THE BEST 1906.The Britt music festival in Jacksonville, held on his former estate, takes its name from
7 YEARS RUNNING! him. Mark felt that there were a lot of synergies between Britt’s vision and his family’s own
as Oregon pioneers, so they took on the winery’s name.
FAMILY HISTORY

The Wisnovsky family was raised in New Jersey originally and Mark’s father Frank worked
around the world in the late 1960s in construction, including stints in Liberia and the Bay
Area. The whole family arrived in the Rogue Valley in the early 1970s, as Frank wanted to
take a year off and was interested in living the Rogue Valley. He convinced the previous own-
ers to sell the vineyard to his family.
It was a moment in time when vineyards dotted the landscape of the Rogue Valley and winer-
ies were few and far in between. ”There were no wineries here at the time,” he notes. The
1976 was the first vintage that Valley View produced. The winery now makes approximately
14 wines, priced from $8 to $25 a bottle, including the Anna Maria reserve label which is an
www.TheTwistedCorkGrantsPass.com homage to their mother’s Italian background.

OPEN 11 AM TUES-SAT The winery is now firmly entrenched in the landscape of established wineries in the Rogue
Valley. The terrace of the winery looks out at amazing views of local hills and mountains.
LUNCH & DINNER Tastings can be enjoyed outdoors or in at relaxed couches or around the island wine bar. The
(must be over 21 at all times)
winery currently produces from 7,000 to 15,000 cases a year, which makes them a mid-size
210 SW 6th Street producer for most wine regions and fairly large for Southern Oregon. Mark and Michael,
Downtown on 6th between G & H two of a total of four siblings, work alongside everyone at the winery. Mark jokes that “they
Grants Pass, OR 97526 | 541 295-3094 still call us the boys,” despite the fact that they are in their 50s.
NEW HIRES

The winery just took on two new winemakers in the past few months. One is Mike Brunson,
the director of winemaking, who came up from respected Sonoma producer Michel-
Schlumberger. While there, he produced wines from more than a dozen cool-climate grape
varieties as well as working on custom crush varieties for other winemakers such as Merry
Edwards. After a decade in Somona he decided to gravitate closer to where he has many fam-
ily members and took the leap to Southern Oregon.

The other major hire was Elias Bushen, who was raised in Ethiopia. He initially worked in his
home country doing research. When he discovered that he wanted to work in winemaking,
he pursued a degree in viticulture and enology from Montpellier SupAgro and Geisenheim,
one of the top winemaking schools in Germany. He subsequently spent two years working
as a lab technician at J. Lohr, which has offices in Paso Robles and San Jose. He is currently
co-winemaker at Valley View.
Outstanding Local
Wine Selection WINES AND VINES

The winery currently produces a wide range of wines, with a bit of focus on Viognier, which
is originally from the Rhône; and Tempranillo, which is best known in many parts of Spain.
The winery’s white Rhône blend, which goes by the clever name of Cotes du Rogue was
balanced, floral and affordable at $18. It is a blend of Viognier, Roussanne and Marsanne, a
classic white blend of the Southern Rhône Valley of France. The Wisnovsky family was smart
Award Winning Chef enough to have trademarked the Rogue moniker.

114 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | winter 2022