Winery infuses Oregon with tastes of the islands
The views in front of Orchard Heights Winery, beyond the perfectly trellised grape vines, and the sweeping Willamette Valley, lays the picturesque Coastal Mountain Range. Inside, lies a little bit of tropical paradise.
The story of Orchard Heights Winery actually starts in Maui. It was 1983 when Michael and Gwen Purdy moved from Valsetz to Maui so that Mike could start a dentistry practice.
Gwen busied herself by opening a small retail store and quickly developed a following for her hand-dipped chocolates. Her business, Island Princess, grew rapidly, and it wasn't long before Michael quit his day-job to devote more time to their growing venture. They moved to Honolulu, shipping their chocolate confections to the United States and Japan. One of their Japanese costumers mentioned the idea of adding tropical fruit flavored wines to their repertoire, so the Purdys turned to Oregon and Gwen's sister, Carole Wyscaver for assistance.
The Purdys would ship fresh, tropical fruit to Oregon where Wyscaver would combine it with light, crisp white wine to infuse subtle, exotic, island flavors.
The wines were a big hit locally, as well as in Japan, so in 1994, the Purdys acquired Glen Creek Winery located in the Eola Hills. Thus, Orchard Heights Winery was born.
As Wyscavers knowledge and experience grew, the family decided to expand their line to include more traditional red and white wines. "Red wine and chocolate are a natural combination," said Wyscaver. They started sourcing their grapes locally, along with the established Gewürztraminer that was present on the original estate. "Using local products is essential to our goals of meeting our customer's needs," said Wyscaver.
As guests came to taste, enjoy and buy their wines, Wyscaver started serving small snacks. The snacks grew into heavier dishes, and customers started to come from far and wide to visit the winery and have brunch.
Soon they realized that the facility was too small, so with small interior decorating adjustments, they were able to move the dining area to a section of the warehouse that was not being used for production. Today, their Sunday brunch draws up to 250 people over a four-hour time span. They also have a daily lunch menu.
"Everyday production has evolved into something special; a combination of family, friends and loyal employees working together to produce a great product and to learn about wine," said Wyscaver.
Events have expanded to include a Valentine's Day dance, a New Years celebration, concerts and weddings. This year, they also are planning a big screen event for fans to watch the Beavers play in the Sun Bowl.
"Even though we have a large operation, we like to maintain a small, cozy, intimate family environment," said Wyscaver.
Her sister, daughter and daughter-in-law all go shopping in Seattle every year to discover new items for the gift shop. Family members are frequently found working alongside the employees.
Orchard Heights wines are only available on-site in their tasting room. There, you can also find an enticing selection of Island Princess Candies and macadamia nuts surrounded by fun and unusual gifts.