After a successful career running a television production company in New York (working with Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Central Park Concerts, including Barbra Streisand), and serving as the business manager for KISS!, Jim Witte moved to Willamette Valley in 2000 and started planting his vineyard. It was the fulfillment of a long-held dream.
“Jim had a grandfather who was a fruit farmer in the Midwest. He made wine just for himself,” says Holly Witte, Jim’s wife. “Jim really loved that grandfather, and it led to him loving the land. Jim knew when he retired from TV production that he wanted to do this.”
Soon after Jim moved to Oregon, a lunch date with Holly sparked romance. “We’ve known each other for over 40 years,” says Holly. “I was a not-very-good secretary to Jim way back in New York.” Not too long after reconnecting, they married under a beautiful teahouse that Jim built. “We like to joke that he checked off ‘wife’ and ‘marketing’ at the same time.” Now, their tiny mom-and-pop winery in the Chehalem Mountains AVA serves up delicious, award-winning wines that are all estate grown, produced and bottled.
Horses and Hounds
When they opened their tasting room, they realized that it wasn’t enough to just sell wine. “You have to have a dog-and-pony show,” notes Holly with a smile. “Lucky for us, we have dogs and horses! We have thoroughbred horses that we race and quarter horses that we show. The one that is racing, Vinestone, is the son of the 1996 Kentucky Derby Winner, Grindstone. Vinestone was born here. We raised him until he was 2 years old. We are part of the syndicate that owns him now.”
Their beloved pups, Trouble and Gemini, are honored with namesake Pinot Noirs. “We did lose Gemini in October, but he had such a presence around here that people told us not to take his name off the label,” says Holly. Visitors to the friendly tasting room can expect to be greeted by Trouble in the parking lot, and are welcome to stroll to the stables while enjoying the beautiful view of Mount Hood and the many Rhododendron and Azaleas.
Cool Vineyards for Cool Wines
“Our vineyard is on a southeast-facing slope in the last hills of the Chehalem Mountains range,” notes Jim. “The 480-foot elevation is protected by higher hills on three sides. Vines are nestled in windblown, volcanic soil. I tend vines by hand from first pruning in January. We train the vines into two canopies, using the Scott Henry Trellis method. This spreads the leaves out as much as possible, to get maximum sunshine onto every leaf and each of the stems. Each grape cluster is scrutinized and selected in the vineyard. Only the best are destined for the fermenting tanks.”
Assuming Jim gets to the fruit first, of course. Their white blend, Mingle, came about when birds helped themselves to most of the Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Riesling grapes in 2009. “Jim said, ‘well, I wanted to try a blend, maybe not this soon, but I guess that is what we are going to have to do,'” explains Holly. “So he started fooling around with the percentages, then he brought in one that we both liked, and the name just kind of dropped into my head. Frankly, we thought we would only make it that one year. But people liked it, so we have made it just about every year since.”
Customer-pleasing wines handcrafted with care are yours to sip and savor, with A Blooming Hill Vineyard and Winery.
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