|
Forrest Klaffke
Winemaker
The Winemaker at Willamette Valley Vineyards and Tualatin Estate Vineyards is one determined soul.
Forrest Klaffke is the first to arrive at the winery every day – a pattern he established as Assistant Winemaker 10 years ago. Forrest came to Oregon from winemaking in California at the request of then winemaker Dean Cox. They worked side-by-side until Dean’s untimely passing in October 1995; the tragic loss was a blow to the winery, but Dean’s legacy to produce the highest quality wines was carried on by his apprentice.
Forrest was promoted to Winemaker after Joe Dobbes, the Winemaker who followed Dean, started his own Oregon winery in late 2001. Now 52 years old, Forrest has worked in wineries for over 30 years. His first job was screening winegrape deliveries for quality at Bonded Winery #7, owned by United Vintners near Sacramento, California. Lacking Oregon’s careful land use planning, this beautiful agricultural enterprise was squeezed out to make way for California’s suburban sprawl, forcing the winery’s closure in 1986. Now long gone, over one hundred giant redwood wine vessels create a lasting memory.
Forrest moved on to work in Mondavi’s cellar and later at Sebastiani, rising to Cellar Foreman with a crew complement of forty. While gratifying, Forrest was interested in making small, hand crafted lots and perfected a style of port he now makes today “from scratch” in the cellar at Willamette Valley Vineyards (first making brandy and then the port). He takes the same approach to his cooking as a gourmet chef in his own right, never writing down a recipe but creating from his imagination meals from broths, stocks and sauces long in the making. His favorite entree is lamb, first browned and then to the oven with sauce made from his own Pinot Noir.
Despite Oregon’s differences in weather from Forrest’s native Sacramento, he continues to barbecue outside all winter long. Forrest and his wife Maria along with their son Daniel, and daughter Georgiana, spend their free time at the Oregon coast or camping and skiing in the Cascades, an hour from the winery.
The key to great wine for Forrest is plant nutrition and attention given to every detail in the vineyard. He is narrowing the winery’s focus by increasing plantings at Tualatin Estate and concentrating his personal attention to those vines and soil. He continues to challenge himself and expand his awareness of new viticultural and enological practices through a commitment to continuing education at University of California at Davis.
Forrest believes that a sharper focus on soil conditions and vine health will increase the aging potential of our wines. To that end, he continues the winery’s tradition of making fruit forward, viscous wines that express their origin – Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Tualatin Estate Vineyards
Forest Grove, Oregon
Visit: www.tualatinestate.com/index2.html home page of Tualatin Estate Vineyards |
