From today's Mail Tribune article:
Entrepreneur Steven de Jaray's first vintages were shipped to Hong Kong
The wine Canadian entrepreneur Steven de Jaray hoped to be the first of many Footstone Jive vintages in an ill-fated Rogue Valley venture has been shipped to Hong Kong.
Footstone Jive representatives removed the 2009 vintage wine from Pallet Wine Co. in Medford last month, trucking it to Seattle to be shipped to Hong Kong, where de Jaray has launched Portrait Wine Co.
PALLET WINE SIGNS PASCHAL TENUTA
Pallet Wine Co. has signed Paschal Tenuta Winery & Vineyard outside Talent as a custom crush client.
Paschal Tenuta this year plans to make up to 1,000 cases of merlot, syrah, pinot noir, viognier, chardonnay, pinot gris and blends.
Owner and winemaker Ron Tenuta will process grapes with Linda Donovan at Pallet this fall, then age the wine at Paschal Tenuta before returning it to Pallet for bottling.
Tenuta operated a winery at the Running Y Ranch briefly after selling a custom crush operation he ran in Livermore, Calif., between 2000 and 2005. Paschal Tenuta produced 1,200 to 1,500 cases during the industry's recent peak years between 2003 and 2005. Tenuta expects to produce 800 to 1,000 cases this year, building toward the 1,200 to 1,500 range in a couple of years.
Pallet announced its separation from Footstone Jive after signing a final production and shipping agreement. This agreement ends each company's contractual obligations and concludes their business relationship. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
"Footstone Jive's departure, while not unexpected, gives us added capacity to support current customers' growth plans," Pallet co-owner Dan Sullivan said.
De Jaray, a West Vancouver, British Columbia, businessman announced the arrival of Footstone Jive last spring along with plans for an accompanying downtown Jacksonville winery. Subsequently, a series of past securities and legal issues derailed de Jaray's bid to open the operation when the Jacksonville City Council declined to endorse his application for a liquor license.
He later opened an office on South Fir Street in downtown Medford, a few blocks away from Pallet Wine Co. He also expressed a desire to open a tasting room off South Stage Road outside Jacksonville on property owned by Ashland-based auto dealer Alan DeBoer.
A message on Footstone Jive winemaker Andrew Powley's cellphone said he couldn't accept calls. A call to Footstone Jive's Medford number triggered a message saying the number was temporarily disconnected.
Linda Donovan, one of Pallet's owners, said she signed off on export documents for the wine, indicating it was headed to Hong Kong. "Individual wine bottles don't have to be labeled, but each box does," she said.
Four temperature-controlled containers, packed with 20 barrels of reserve program wine, 311 cases of rosé, 1,000 cases of a white blend, 170 cases of pinot gris and 1,530 of a red blend, were sent to Seattle.
The door, however, is still open if de Jaray decides to pursue winery activity outside Jacksonville. DeBoer said he spoke to de Jaray a few weeks ago, but didn't get an indication of whether he planned to do business locally.
DeBoer has erected a 12,000-square-foot recycled metal gym building from Ashland High School outside Jacksonville.
"I've completed my part, but I would probably call him before I (leased to someone else)," DeBoer said. "I'm glad he shipped his 100,000 bottles of wine, that's pretty cool."
Reach Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or email business@mailtribune.com.
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