Page 86 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2022

feature | next generation wine

ABACELA

If you love a story about someone following their passion and
finding success, set your map app north for Abacela. Their quest
to be the first in the U.S. to produce world-class Tempranillo has earned
Abacela wide recognition, including Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s nomina-
tion for American Winery of the Year, Hot Brands in America
by Wine Business Monthly, and Oregon Winery of the Year by Wine
Press Northwest.

A pioneering winery in the Umpqua Valley, Abacela was founded
in 1995 by Earl and Hilda Jones, two medical professionals. Abacela
recently transitioned to next-generation leadership by Greg Jones, a
world-renown wine climatologist and educator. “Abacela was born
of passion but rooted in science that dictated what varieties to plant
where and how to best manage them to produce high-quality wines,”
said Greg. “I’m not a farmer or a winemaker but I bring a larger palate
to the table and look at things from all sides.”

Earl is quick to point out that even though Greg claims not to be a
farmer, he comes from a long line of farmers. Growing up in the
Midwest, Earl drove a tractor between rows of corn, wheat and soy-
beans on his parents’ farm in Kentucky. Earl recounts the visit that he,
his dad, and Greg made to the Roseburg property that became Abacela.
Riding around on a Gator together, reviewing the property, Earl’s dad
said, “Son, you’ve lost your mind. You can’t farm this!”

However, similarities between the climate of the Umpqua and the
famous growing regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero, Spain, are
what drew Earl and Hilda to Umpqua Valley. Earl’s research proved
correct; fortunately, his father lived to see Abacela’s second vintage
of Tempranillo win double gold and first place at the San Francisco
Chronicle International against all the Spanish wines.

Abacela’s accolades continue: the 2005 Tempranillo Reserve won
America’s 1st Gold Medal in Spain’s 2009 Tempranillo al Mundo
Competition. Recently, the 2018 Fiesta Tempranillo garnered a
gold medal in the 2021 Millennial Competition, and the 2019 Fiesta
Tempranillo received 95 Points and a Double Gold Medal in the 2022
Sunset International Wine Competition.

Co-founder Hilda Jones recalls that making Tempranillo was something
she and Earl had wanted to do in their retirement, having left the medi-
cal field and moved from Florida. “The worst that could happen was it
wouldn’t work,” she smiled. “I figured if that happened, we’d sell and
move on. And then it grew and grew!” she exclaimed. “This transition
from us to Greg fulfills a long-term objective of family succession,”
Earl explains. “Greg has distinguished himself regionally, nationally, and
internationally as a scientist and educator. He is a leader with energy,
who understands the local, regional and global wine industries, which
makes him uniquely suited to carry on our family business.”

He joins a top-notch team, including winemaker Andrew Wenzl, who
has been making Abacela’s wines since 2008. He plans to continue the

84 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | fall 2022