Sokol Blosser Winery

Sokol Blosser Winery is a vineyard, tasting room and winery facility located northeast of Dayton, Oregon. It was founded by Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser in 1971 in what is now known as the Dundee Hills AVA. Sokol Blosser Winery is family owned and operated by second generation co-Presidents, siblings Alex and Alison Sokol Blosser, and is the 6th largest wine producer in Oregon.[1] Sokol Blosser is considered to be “synonymous with sustainability,”[2] and produces Pinot noir, Pinot gris, proprietary blends Evolution White and Evolution Red, along with small quantities of single block Pinot noirs, Rosé of Pinot noir and White Riesling dessert wine.

Sokol Blosser Winery
LocationDayton, Oregon, USA
AppellationOregon
Other labelsEvolution, Meditrina
Founded1971
First vintage1977
Key peopleSusan Sokol Blosser, Bill Blosser
Known forPinot noir, Pinot gris
VarietalsPinot noir, Pinot gris, White Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Muscat (grape)
DistributionWorldwide
Websitewww.sokolblosser.com

History

As one of the pioneering wineries of Oregon, Sokol Blosser Winery has played a key role in developing and shaping the now prominent Oregon wine industry. The first Pinot noir vines were planted on a 5-acre plot on a dilapidated prune orchard in 1971, and the first vintage was produced in 1977. That year, the first tasting room was built, designed by John Storrs.[3]

Additional vineyard land was purchased in 1980, bringing the estate total to 72 acres, and 20 acres of neighboring land was purchased in 2007 and planted to Pinot noir in 2008. In 2006, founder Susan Sokol Blosser wrote At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life, a memoir published by University of California Press about the experience of founding the winery.[4] The winery started construction on a new tasting room in 2013, designed by architect Brad Cloepfil.[3]

Sustainability

Sokol Blosser Winery has been Certified Organic by the Oregon Department of Agriculture since 2005. In 1996, Sokol Blosser’s vineyards were the first to be certified Salmon-Safe, a program launched by the Pacific Rivers Council to publicize products produced without using pesticides and causing runoff that would harm salmon. Sokol Blosser’s underground barrel cellar became the first US winery to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification.[5] At the north end of a main Pinot noir vineyard block is a 24kW photovoltaic solar panel array, which was installed in 2006 and provides for approximately 25% of the Winery’s energy needs.

In 2007, Sunset magazine honored both founder Susan Sokol Blosser and Sokol Blosser Winery with their prestigious "Green Winery of the Year" award.[6] Also in 2007, Sokol Blosser Winery was recognized by the City of Portland, Oregon’s Office of Sustainable Development for its commitment to green practices with the “BEST (Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow) Practices for Sustainability—Small Company” award.[7] In 2008, Sokol Blosser Winery was recognized by Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury with a prestigious Oregon Sustainability Award, honoring the winery as an organization that had taken dramatic and comprehensive steps to incorporate sustainability into operations.[8] TreeHugger awarded Sokol Blosser Winery with their Best Green Winery award in their inaugural Best of Green Awards in 2009.[9]

Sokol Blosser Winery is a participant in the Carbon Reduction Challenge, an initiative begun by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski in 2009 as the Carbon Neutral Challenge, with the goal of inspiring businesses to measure and progressively reduce greenhouse gases. The Winery has been ranked multiple times as one of Oregon Business magazine’s Top 100 Best Green Companies to Work For.[10]

References
  1. Klooster, K. ‘Finalizing 2011 Numbers’ Oregon Wine Press, February 1, 2012.
  2. Cole, K. ‘‘Virtual Wines’ an economic reality for local vintners’ The Oregonian, January 16, 2012.
  3. Culverwell, Wendy (February 13, 2013). "Sokol Blosser Winery breaks ground on tasting room designed by Brad Cloepfil". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  4. Sokol Blosser, Susan (2006). At Home in the Vineyard: Cultivating a Winery, an Industry, and a Life. University of California Press. ISBN 0520248651
  5. Mitham, P. 'Going for Gold' Wines & Vines, January 2010.
  6. ‘Sokol Blosser Wins Sunset Magazine ‘Green Award’’, September 10, 2007.
  7. ‘OSD News: City of Portland Recognizes Sustainable Companies with 10 BEST Awards’, April 19, 2007.
  8. 'Oregon Sustainability Awards: 2008 Awards'
  9. Dunn, C. ‘Best of Green: Food + Health’, April 8, 2009.
  10. ‘The Green List 2010’ Archived 2012-05-16 at the Wayback Machine, June 2010.

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