Harry and David deliver happiness with The Heritage Collection

If you have visited the Harry & David Country Village Wine Cellar recently you may have noticed a few new wines sitting front and center called The Heritage Collection. The Heritage Collection is Harry & David's latest effort of delivering happiness while promoting the Rogue Valley and Southern Oregon. I recently caught up with Jason Gregg, Wine Buyer for the department, to discuss the new program.

THE SCOOP

“The Heritage Collection idea had been in the works for a few years,” Jason begins, “we wanted to make a wine that we could offer to our guests, especially those traveling through the area, a product that they could take home and get an idea of what Southern Oregon wines are all about.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The name Heritage Collection was chosen by Jason and the team at Harry & David for a couple of reasons. They wanted to invoke a sense of connection to the rich history of the Rogue Valley and Southern Oregon. Harry and David has been such an integral part of the local business and agricultural history of the region that it was important for them to relay that feeling with the name. “The word “heritage” immediately jumped to mind,” Jason begins, “we also did not want the wines to be singular in nature, but to have a connection to each other. We partner with different wineries and winemakers with different styles and approaches, so the addition of the word “collection” tied the theme together.

THE WINES

“We want to be as diverse as possible with our offerings, representing the Rogue Valley and Southern Oregon is our number one goal, so varietals that show that diversity will be offered,” Jason explains. The Heritage Collection’s current releases consist of a Grenache ~ Syrah blend, Viognier, Pinot Gris and sweet rose´blended from Syrah, Grenache and Viognier. The next release will be a Sauvignon Blanc. Next up Jason anticipates adding Bordeaux varietals and Chardonnay to the offerings.

When selecting the vineyards and winemakers for the collection, Jason has one goal, to show the varietals that Southern Oregon grows especially well and separates us from the Willamette Valley. With the success and attention Rhone varietals are getting in the area, Jason chose to start with Grenache and Syrah. He sourced the fruit from the Quail Run Vineyards owned by Southern Oregon vineyard pioneers, Don and Traute Moore, and contracted Joe Dobbes to make the wine. He quickly added two whites and a rosé from Crater Lake Cellars to his offering. The most recent wine, from the 2010 vintage, was sourced from the Quail Run Vineyards once again and features Linda Donovan and Chanda Miller as the winemakers.

FINDING SOUTHERN OREGON’S DISTINCT STYLE

Since The Heritage Collection has launched, we’ve had numerous local wineries express interest in this project. We are focusing on a variety of different wines and style. This is important especially with well-known varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. These varietals definitely have characteristics that can be shown in different ways, such as amount and type of oak, malolactic fermentation versus stainless steel. Finding that distinctly Southern Oregon take on these varietals has proved challenging and thought provoking. The goal is to showcase these varietals but we also must have a wine that will appeal to wine consumers.

“There are so many people that come here who enjoy wine that don’t have the time to get to the local wineries, to have the local wines available and be able to offer something that is exclusive and special was what we wanted to create and showcase the character of the region.”