Oregon Winery Honored With Silver Medals

Fly High Vineyard 2009 Windsock White Viognier Wins Silver at 2011 Grand Harvest Awards held in Healdsburg, California by Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine

RUCH, Ore. - Fly High Vineyard is proud to announce that its 2009 Windsock White Viognier won a silver medal at the 2011 Grand Harvest Awards which was held March 1-2, 2011 at Villa Chanticleer in Healdsburg, California. Established in 1990, it is the only wine-judging event in North America that is based on terroir - a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine. At the Grand Harvest Competition judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen without the influences that sometimes eclipse even a wine of very high quality.

This is only the second year that Fly High Vineyard has been released; therefore, it was very pleased to win two medals. Fly High Vineyard merged with Longsword Vineyard in 2008. Winemaker and co-owner, Matt Sorenson, sources grapes from both vineyards to create the more than nine wine varietals on Fly High Vineyard/ Longsword Vineyard's wine list.

Fly High Vineyard's Windsock White Viognier crush of 2009 has yielded some of the best tasting Viognier this valley has ever seen. Sorensen finds that whole cluster pressed and fermented cool in stainless steel helps craft a more balanced, fruit-forward wine. The wine label on Fly High Vineyard's Viognier label shows the runway and vineyard with a red windsock flapping in the wind. All of Fly High Vineyard's wine labels feature images of flying as co-owner Sandra King and late husband, David King, an avid pilot, saw a private landing strip on this long, narrow 100 acre farm when they bought it in late 1993. First, David built a large barn for the airplane he was building, as well as the ones he flew on a regular basis. Vineyards in the Applegate Valley were rapidly expanding, so when they discussed what to do with the rest of the farm they decided to plant wine grapes. They planted two acres of Syrah and one acre of Viognier. www.fhlv.net