Page 124 - Southern Oregon Magazine Spring 2019

chow | wine

KEEPING IT

SIMPLE & SMOOTH

Simple Machine

PAMELA GIBSON SIMPLE MACHINE WINERY & TASTING ROOM

imple Machine is the first urban tasting room and
winery located in Talent, offering a fundamen-
Stal wine experience since they opened in 2017.
The tasting room is a warm and welcoming space with
friendly service from owners Brian Denner and Clea
Arthur. The space is bright and modern with use of an
industrial minimalist décor. Some walls are lined with
stacked oak wine barrels where the 2017 reds are aging.
Specific aspects of wine production are currently being
done onsite. In addition to the indoor tasting room,
guests can also enjoy the intimate outdoor spaces pro-
vided at this family and dog-friendly location.

The tasting room offers its guests a small picnic style
menu, but also encourages guests to bring their own
foods to enjoy. Simple Machine is the perfect destination
for an afternoon of wine sampling for those aficionados
wanting to find a convenient escape with an authentic
wine tasting experience.

The winery was the brainchild of Denner, who with an
entrepreneurial spirit, enthusiasm and drive, followed
his vision to make wine uniquely simple. After earning
his Enology degree from California State University at
Fresno, Denner set out to gain a greater experience in
wine making. He worked internationally at wineries in
Chile and New Zealand as well as locally in California
and Oregon.

Denner and his partner, Clea, put plans into place to
create a winery and tasting room in the Rogue Valley.
According to Denner, the concept of Simple Machine
was to offer their “own wine style without the compro-
mise.” In other words, they sought to produce a wine
that reflected the true essence of the grapes through a
simpler wine making process. A low-tech and hands-on
approach to their winemaking was embraced, thereby
creating a simpler approach to the production of wine
without the intervention of the usual mechanical pro-
cessing. Simple Machine Winery was named to represent
that process and their vision.

122 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | spring 2019