Discovering Future Wines, on Can Wine Save the Planet?
Discovering the Wines of Beckham Estate Vineyard
Day 8 of our 12 Days of Wine Celebration!
These vineyards are farming the soil, creating healthy environments with biodynamic and regenerative methods. This generates biodiversity, sequesters carbon, and, in turn, makes delicious wine.Wines for the Future.
These are wineries and vineyards that are doing the work, in their own way, to be sure we have a long, healthy future on our planet in which to enjoy wine!
Grab a glass and celebrate with us!
Join us at Crushed Grape Chronicles for the Full Story!
The Chehalem Mountain AVA of Oregon’s Willamette Valley
As you drive into the Willamette Valley Wine region from Portland, the Chehalem Mountain AVA is the first AVA that you come to. If you can manage to take the left turn off of the busy 99W, you will be plunged into heavy forest with winding roads.
This is the southeastern end of the AVA on what is known as Parrot Mountain. The views from the vineyard are spectacular. Over the vineyard to the east, you have views of Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood in the distance. It’s beautiful; trust me, you won’t ever want to leave. (You don’t have to; they have a rental property on the vineyard.)
Why are Beckham Estate Vineyard wines for the future?
They settled here so that Andrew could have a ceramic studio and they could raise a family. He teaches at the High School in Beaverton. But across the street, the neighbors have a small vineyard. They would sell their Pinot Noir out of the garage on Saturdays. The Beckhams found themselves visiting quite often and fell in love with the idea of growing something.
After helping with the vines, Andrew decided it would be fun to grow some grapes. Of course, this was where they were raising their children, so it had to be safe. Pesticides and chemicals were never something they considered.
How is Beckham Estate Vineyard making the future better?
They began by reading, learning…The amphorae came from Annedria reading a story in a trade magazine, knowing that the moment she showed it to Andrew, he would want to make one. That turned into more research to find the suitable clay as close to where they were as possible. Working and developing techniques to make these beautiful pieces of pottery that are a blend of the practical and artistic is something that Andrew is uniquely qualified for.
They have a flock of sheep that graze in the vineyard and one lone chicken that the winery staff has named Gloria (as in Gloria Gaynor of “I Will Survive.”)
They are not certified biodynamic but use the principles and methods aiming for a holistic system. They also leave parts of the property uncultivated, maintaining biodiversity. The leftover grape skins are turned into compost and end up back in the vineyard to fertilize future vintages.
In 2012, they stopped tilling. No-till farming is one of the most essential facets of mitigating climate change. By not tilling the soil, all of the carbon remains sequestered in the soil and feeds the microbes, which help feed the plants. That is what regenerative farming is all about.
The wines are fermented with native yeasts and are unfined. These wines are not chemically manipulated in the vineyard or the winery.
The goal is to keep this little hilltop naturally thriving and create delicious wines that speak to the natural beauty of this place.
Beckham Estate Vineyard
Andrew Beckham and his wife, Annedria, came here to start a family. Andrew is a ceramics artist and teacher and is always curious and ready to create. Tying his expertise in ceramics with his winemaking, he is now a producer of Terra-cotta vessels for fermenting wine and beer.
Annedria manages the business side of things, including the tasting room, in addition to raising children.
Links
You can visit their website for more information
https://www.beckhamestatevineyard.com/
We’ve written about them before
- Beckham Estate Vineyard – The Story
- Amphorae, Riesling, Jura varieties and more with Beckham Estate Vineyard
- AD Beckham Amphora Pinot Gris – Day 2 of the 12 Days of Wine 2020
And a quick overview of our recent visit on “Can Wine Save the Planet?
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