Alloro Vineyard

Alloro Vineyard
22075 SW Lebeau Road
Sherwood, Oregon
USA 97140
Phone: 503-625-1978
http://www.allorovineyard.com/

Contact: David Nemarnik
Email: [email protected]

The name of the vineyard and winery, Alloro, is the Latin and Italian word for laurel — the evergreen plant said to symbolize immortality in ancient times, and a symbol of peace and victory today. Alloro perfectly suits the vineyard for many reasons: the vineyard is sited on Laurel Ridge, in the Chehelem mountains just north of Newberg; its soil is the fertile Laurelwood soil; and laurel can be found growing on many parts of the property.

David Nemarnik, founder and vineyard manager, also chose the name to recognize his family's long tradition of making wine. As a child, he played on the wine press once owned by his great-grandfather, Salvatore Dindia. Family trips to Italy and Croatia nurtured an appreciation for the timeless way of life that his European relatives have embraced for generations, one that celebrates wine as part of the culture. Alloro is the fulfillment of a dream to create an artisan vineyard and winery dedicated to the production of hand crafted world class Pinot Noir.

Finding the land on which to found Alloro was the culmination of many scouting trips up and down the entire Willamette Valley. David eventually found the site while searching the countryside by bicycle. Les and Pearl Longway, who have lived just up the road from Alloro since the 1940s, recall how their farm equipment skipped over the hardened paths that crossed the land, paths used by native Americans as they traveled down the hillside to get water from Baker Creek. Longtime residents Ralf and Marlene Shaw farm their land just down the road from Alloro, and would gladly fill your bike bottle from their refreshing spring-fed water supply. You can be sure to find them any warm summer afternoon on their shady back porch built from hundred year-old timbers. If you're extra nice to Ralf, you might coax him out of a taste of his homemade blackberry wine.

Established in 1999, Alloro's location in the Chehelem mountains of Oregon's Willamette Valley is ideally situated in of one of Oregon's unique, temperate microclimates. Alloro's vineyard is managed for low yields, resulting in wonderfully intense flavors from Pommard and Dijon clone vines that reflect the terroir. Our goal is to produce wines that are well balanced, and possess character, complexity and elegance. At the crest of the hill can be found Alloro's Mediterranean-inspired winery and tasting room with underground cellars. The building was designed and engineered to last for generations, constructed almost entirely out of concrete and wood. The doors, windows and roof trusses are made of Oregon Douglas fir, well known for durability and strength. The underground barrel rooms are timeless in design and energy efficient, taking advantage of the cool earth to maintain ideal cellaring temperatures. The Alloro winery was designed by noted winery architect Larry Ferrar and completed in time for the 2003 harvest.

Winemaker: Don Kautzner

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