Remy Wines, McMinnville, Oregon. Remy Drabkin grew up in a community where exciting new winemakers were helping to shape the nascent wine industry in Oregon. Her first job at age 13 was working the harvest for one of the Oregon pioneers, Ponzi Vineyards. Remy always knew that she wanted to become a winemaker herself, and at age 25, she started Remy Wines.
Her approach to natural winemaking fits within the David Lett philosophy of manipulating the wine as little as possible during the winemaking process. Instead, she closely manages the grapes as they grow in the vineyard, and chooses grape varieties that do well in the microclimate of the Dundee Hills area where her vineyards are located.
The “Remy” label is very focused on Italian varietals that come from a single vineyard, and are not blended with other varietals. As a winemaker that considers herself a traditionalist, she’s also open-minded and experimental. The later qualities, Remy indulges through her second label, 3 Wives that she characterizes as being more playful, and where she adds new varietals to her expanding wine catalogue.
Visit Yamhill Valley Wines for their “Wines of the Valley” series that features the history, quality and diversity of the Yamhill Valley’s flourishing wine industry. For the introductory video, along with the video series list, check out the first post on CUPS: The Yamhill Valley Wine Region of Oregon