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🍇 Kramer Vineyards Blog: Discover Wine Tips, Stories, and More 🍷

Welcome to the Kramer Vineyards blog, your go-to resource for all things wine! From expert pairing tips and behind-the-scenes vineyard stories to seasonal inspiration, discover the artistry, history, and passion behind every bottle. Explore our latest articles and uncover new ways to enjoy exceptional wines.

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March 1, 2018 | Kramer Vineyards

Interview With Trudy Kramer

KV: How did you get in to wine?

Trudy: I bought a winemaking book in 1970. I thought it might be fun, and it looked really interesting, because you could make wine from lots of things, not just wine grapes. It was winter, and there were oranges in the grocery store for a very reasonable price, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try. One gallon!

KV: Was it any good?

Trudy: It was very good! I was kind of surprised.

KV: What was the moment you knew you wanted to be a winemaker?

Trudy: Fast forward ten years, it was 1980, and I was taking a Wines of the World appreciation class from Matt Kramer in Portland. And he had a Burgundy night. The wines actually came from his cellar, and the last one of the night was a fantastic red Burgundy that made me stop and think, wow, we should be able to make something this good in Oregon. I hadn’t tasted that many Burgundies before, and this one stopped me in my tracks. I was in total awe of that wine.

KV: Do you know what wine it was?

Trudy: I think it was a DRC, but I don’t remember the vintage.

KV: How did you come to find the property that would be the future Kramer Vineyards?

Trudy: We came into Forest Grove, and went into a small realtor and he knew of a property for sale on Olson Road that might work. We looked at other properties, and realized we wanted to start from scratch. The Gaston property made sense because there was so much open land, and we could basically mow and plant right away. Also, Elk Cove was right down the road, and we like their wines, and the aspect of the land was right. Plus all these things were happening that was very encouraging around the time we bought the property in 1983. The first Oregon Winegrape Growers guide came out, and then there was the Cool Climate Viticulture Seminar in Eugene in 1984. There was just a lot of great energy about the Oregon wine industry at that time.

KV: Did you have a mentor in the business, or were you on your own?

Trudy: I think we were pretty much on our own, but we definitely took advice from others in the industy. Jim Leyden of Courting Hill Vineyard was very encouraging on the vineyard side of things. Of course, Rich Cushman. I took a winemaking class from him at Clackamas Community College in 1984.

KV: What highlights or challenges during those first few years have had a lasting impact?

Trudy: Well, the first time we ever received grapes. We got our license to process grapes at 1pm and were sorting by 5pm. And then we realized we didn’t know how to operate the press. The directions said to use water, but our water pressure wasn’t high enough. So we eventually decided to use an air compressor, which was much more effective. And that was really the start of our problem-solving, which is essential for this business. It’s always an adventure trying to figure out how to make the equipment work right.

At that time, the standard was to buy land, plant grapes, and make wine there. There were a whole lot less wineries, of course. The growth we’ve seen in the number of wineries and in wine retail has been phenomenal. That model has changed a great deal. There’s a lot more options now for people who want to make wine.

KV: What advice would you give to women who want to pursue a career in wine?

Trudy: Go for it! There are a lot of women in the wine business in Oregon at all levels. There’s a lot of opportunity here. Don’t be intimidated.

KV: If you could drink any wine in the world, what would it be?

Trudy: Oh that’s a toughie. I guess I’d have to go back to Burgundy and drink more DRC.

Mar 1, 2018 at 12:01 AM

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February 19, 2018 | Kramer Vineyards

Why We’re Mad for Müller-Thurgau

History

Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety created by Dr. Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in the 1880s. The goal was to cross Riesling, capturing its rich, complex flavors with the earlier ripening Sylvaner. However, neither of these goals was achieved, nor was Sylvaner crossed with Riesling. DNA fingerprinting has revealed that Müller-Thurgau is a cross of Riesling and a grape called Madeleine Royale. As it turns out, the latter is a cross of Pinot and Trolliger. Most widely planted in Germany, Müller-Thurgau is also found in Austria, Northern Italy, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Japan, and of course, the United States.

How we discovered MT

In 1980, vineyard owner Keith Kramer took a viticulture class at Erath every other Saturday for three months. The instructor Al Holstein, had some Müller-Thurgau planted in his vineyard. This was very exciting to another student in the class, who peppered Holstein with questions about the grape. Keith was not very interested in Müller-Thurgau initially. Still, the guy “made such a stink about it” that when the Kramers had an opportunity to buy fruit from Courting Hill Vineyard a few years later, they decided to try it. That first wine was a very fruity, off-dry white with enough potential that they went ahead and procured some starts from Sokol Blosser in the mid-1980s.

Müller-Thurgau emerges as our flagship white.

Müller-Thurgau was among the first wines in our tasting room for our grand opening in 1990, and it quickly gained a following. We increased the acreage in our estate vineyard to three, which does not sound like much, but this variety routinely produces 4-6 tons to the acre, double or triple the yield compared to Pinot Noir. As our production grew, we experimented with assorted styles, including sparkling wine, a dessert wine, a dry barrel-fermented wine, and a late-harvest wine. The stainless, fruity Estate bottling is our most popular wine, followed by the Celebrate sparkling wine.

It is easy to see why Muller-Thurgau is a tasting room favorite. In a region full of Pinot Gris and, to a lesser extent, Chardonnay and Riesling, Müller-Thurgau stands out. Its unique flavor profile with starfruit, lychee, melon, hints of orange blossom and gardenia, and gentle acidity with a sweet and sour effect on the palate makes it easy to sip. Plus, Müller ripens at lower sugar levels, so the alcohols in the finished wines are lower than many table wines, usually around 11%.

Feb 19, 2018 at 2:55 PM

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December 28, 2017 | Kramer Vineyards

A Big One for Sparkling Wines

Kramer Vineyards harvest larger than ever before

Kramer Vineyards celebrates its largest harvest in 30 years with a record-breaking offering of sparkling wine. Winemaker Kim Kramer's passion for sparkling wines, known for their precision, brings delight to wine lovers. To further celebrate, the family-owned winery will offer 14 sparkling wine releases.

“We’ve always loved sparkling wines. They are extremely challenging to make because they’re wines of such precision,” said Winemaker Kim Kramer, who’s been producing sparkling wines since the early 2000s. “It’s rewarding to see the delight these wines bring to people’s faces and to see them return for more.”

Dedicated to sharing the delight of its fizzy wines while quenching the thirst of a growing sparkling wine demographic, Kramer started its own sparkling wine club.

Kramer Vineyards is releasing a new collection of traditional method sparkling wines from its estate vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA to celebrate the bounty of the harvest. These wines are all bottle fermented and composed of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and/or Pinot Meunier. This traditional sparkling collection includes vintage and nonvintage Brut, NV Brut Reserve, NV Brut Blanc de Blancs, NV Brut Blanc de Noirs, and NV Brut Rose. Kramer has been experimenting with extended tirage sparkling wines, so expect to see those releases.

If you want more information about this topic, please get in touch with Kim Kramer at (503) 662-4545 or email at kim@kramervineyards.com.

Dec 28, 2017 at 7:00 AM

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