Discovering Future Wines, on Can Wine Save the Planet?

Discovering the Wines of Troon Vineyard

Day 12 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!

Troon Vineyard & Craig Camp

I learned about Troon through Craig Camp, their General Manager.  Craig came to work at Troon when the property changed hands from Dick Troon to Dr. Bryan White and his wife, Denise.  They brought Craig in.  Before that, Craig had spent 3 decades working in many aspects of the wine industry.

Craig has a radio voice.  He is thoughtful, educated, and passionate about this beautiful vineyard.  Craig stays active not only at Troon but also with the Applegate Valley Vintners Association, Oregon Winegrowers Association, and the Rhône Rangers.  He also hosts the Troon Talk Podcast Series on Wine Camp, where they discuss all the details of being a regenerative farm.

Of course, Craig doesn’t work in a vacuum.  He has a team of people working with him to make this place and the wines so special.

The Kubli Bench in Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley AVA

Troon lies in Southern Oregon in the Applegate Valley AVA, nested inside the Rogue Valley AVA.  This area is just north of the California state border and is defined by the Applegate River.

Within this AVA, Troon sits at the center on the Kubli Bench above the Applegate River, with views of the Siskiyou Mountains.

Craig speaks of this as a transitional zone between the California and Willamette Valley climates.  The area is recognized as a biologically diverse region, with over 3,500 plant species.  Part of this comes from being a transitional zone.  It is the northernmost region for many California species and the southernmost for many Cascade species, so you have an overlap.

(you can find more details here  https://soda.sou.edu/bioregion/index.html)

Why are the wines of Troon Vineyard wines of the future?

When Craig came to Troon, the vineyard had been farmed conventionally and was dealing with red blotch disease.

They chose biodynamic agriculture as a way of replenishing the life in the soil.  They have been on this path since 2017, that’s just 5 years, and the difference is extraordinary.  The property is thriving.

The soil life is increasing as they add biodiversity to the property and farm the soil!  They are feeding a natural system.  The sheep graze as they fertilize and aerate the soil.  The chickens come behind them to finish off any pests.  The cover crops thrive, putting nitrogen into the soil.  The tilling is minimal as the property moves to no-till, so the carbon is sequestered in the soil.

They move closer and closer to a vibrant closed system.

The wines of Troon Vineyard

Where to begin?  At Troon Vineyard they primarily focus on Rhône varieties, but some Italian varieties and others are thrown in.  I am fond of their Vermentino, Druid Blends in Red and White, and orange wines.  Really, I enjoy everything here.  But what really makes me swoon are their Piquettes.  Yes, it is not really a wine per se, but one of those reduce/reuse/recycle projects that happens to be light and tasty.  If you enjoy something fizzy and lighter in alcohol, this carefree beverage might be right up your alley.  While growing in popularity, this “frugal farmer fizz” is still rare.

Piquette is made by adding water to the skins and any juice left over after pressing grapes for wine.  It’s kind of a second pressing.  It is bottled before the fermentation is complete, so it is finished inside the bottle, which gives it its fizz.

They also sometimes make a “fizzante,” their name for an ancestral method sparkling wine.  The grapes are dependet on the vintage, and they don’t alwasy make it, but I loved their Troon Fizzante Metodo Ancestral 2020! (so much that it was included as one of the wines in our first “Tempting Spoonfuls” book!

Links

Here is a link to the Troon Vineyard website

https://www.troonvineyard.com/

Here is a link to the Troon Talk Podcasts

https://craigcamp.com/wine-camp-podcast

Here are a couple of the articles we have written about Troon

• Biodynamics and Troon Vineyard on Discovering Wine Country Season 1
• Oregon Wine & Biodynamics with Troon and Winderlea

Our recent trip highlights can be found in

Harvest with Troon Vineyard – Can Wine Save the Planet – The Diaries