• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Vindulge

BBQ and Grilling Recipes with Wine Pairings

  • Home
  • About
    • About Mary
    • Vindulge Portfolio
    • TV Appearances
  • Cookbook
  • Wine
    • Food and Wine Pairing
  • All Recipes
  • Travel
  • Contact
  • Fundamentals For Learning How to Grill
  • Guide to Pellet Grills – Common Q and A
  • Best Pellet Grill – MAK Two Star General – Versatile American Made Pellet Smoker
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop Products
  • Cookbook
  • All Recipes
  • Travel
  • Wine Guides
  • Connect with us!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home » Food and Drink

    Knudsen Vineyards — from vineyard to bottle

    Published: Sep 12, 2014 · Modified: Sep 16, 2020 by Mary · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Sharing is caring!

    0 shares
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    A brief history of Knudsen Vineyards (Dundee Hills, Oregon) and a preview of the inaugural release of their 2012 Pinot Noir.

    View from Knudsen Vineyards

    “When you begin any occasion, you start with sparkling wine. You just know good things are about to happen.”

    This was Cal Knudsen’s philosophy, as explained to me by his daughter Page Knudsen Cowles, Partner and Managing Director of Knudsen Vineyards, over lunch a few weeks ago at their stunning vineyard property nestled in the Dundee Hills region of the Willamette Valley.

    Page began by explaining the history of the vineyard over a glass of Argyle sparkling wine that was produced from their grapes.

    Lunch and bubbles at Knudsen VineyardsKnudsen Vineyards

    When Cal Knudsen and wife Julia Lee went to Europe in 1968 they became smitten by the wine bug. In particular Cal fell deeply in love with Champagne (who wouldn’t?!) and Burgundy, two regions that reminded him of Oregon. Upon returning from that trip, Cal began a search for land in Oregon to plant grapes.

    Little did they know back then that their name would become synonymous with some of the best wines (both sparkling and still) to come out of Oregon.

    Back then there was only a handful of people crazy enough to attempt planting grapes in Oregon, but Cal was determined. He found the perfect property in 1971 and began planting in ’72, with the help of Dick Erath (one of Oregon’s pioneer wine producers).   It was crazy enough that folks were planting grapes in the ‘70’s, but Cal was thinking big. “My father brought a sense of scale to the Oregon Wine Industry,” commented Page. “He bought a 200 acre vineyard and started planting 20-30 acres at a time.” This at a time when most others were planting 2-5 acres at a time, and few really knew what they were doing.

    “He was a visionary who brought the Oregon wine industry to a new scale.”

    Knudsen Erath 1987 Willamette Valley Pinot-NoirCal Knudsen and Dick Erath joined forces to create Knudsen Erath Winery and remained producing wines under that label until 1987. At that time the Argyle group came to town with a mission to produce sparkling wine.

    “Dad was a sparkling wine fanatic,” remarked Page, so they decided to focus their attention to making bubbles. Erath and Knudsen amicably parted ways, and Knudsen devoted nearly all of his fruit to Argyle Winery.

    “It was Dads dream to make sparkling wine,” and with Argyle his dream became a reality. “Dad was a visionary with a huge passion, but never took on the role of vineyard manager or winemaker.” Argyle has gone on to win more awards (both from still and sparkling wines) than any other Oregon winery, and Knudsen Vineyards has become synonymous with Argyle wines.

    Argyle Knudsen Vineyards Julia Lee's Block Sparkling Wine

    Cal Knudsen passed away in 2009 leaving the vineyard to his four adult children, all of whom live outside of Oregon.

    Honoring their father’s legacy

    Knudsen Vineyards 2012 Pinot Noir side by side with 1987 Knudsen Erath

    After inheriting the vineyard the siblings wanted a way to honor Cal and his passion for the Oregon wine industry. “We all love this place. We worked here as a family on the vineyard.” Though they never set up permanent residence in Oregon, Page explains, “We grew up here.”

    Page Knudsen Cowles of Knudsen Vineyards
    Page Knudsen Cowles of Knudsen Vineyards

    So Page and her brothers decided to start their own wine label bearing the family name and produce Pinot Noir, and soon a Chardonnay (to be released next spring).   Their first release is their 2012 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, with only 100 cases produced.

    The Pinot is in one word – elegant! It has gorgeous fruit, great structure, and black pepper with fantastic acidity and cranberries lingering on the tongue. A stunning first release.

    Though they decided to start small, hence just 100 cases, just to get their feet wet, I had to ask Page about bubbles and if the family had any intention of making their own sparkling wine. She mentioned that it would be a great idea, but there are no immediate plans to make a sparkling (though I could see a twinkle in her eyes indicating they’ve thought about it!).

    I personally think that would be the ultimate way to honor their dad and his passion for sparkling, don’t you?!

    “Dad taught me about passion. I want to keep that alive and spread that passion that he had.”

    If their inaugural wine was any indication of that passion I look forward to great things in the future from Knudsen Vineyards.

    Knudsen Vineyards

    Next time you find yourself driving through the Dundee Hills and you come across this sign, you’ll understand the remarkable people responsible for it.

    You can find out more about Knudsen Vineyards on their website. The Pinot Noir was just released this week.

    « A Chilean Winemaker in Argentina – Meet Aurelio Montes Jr. of Kaiken Winery
    Horse Heaven Hills Wine Region — a preview »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Mary-Cressler-Sept-2015-smI'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, and founder of Vindulge and author of Fire + Wine cookbook.  Thanks for stopping by!

    Learn More...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

    Just Released | Get Your 3-Pack

    Three bottles of Vindulge Red Wine BBQ Sauce

    Fire and Wine Cookbook Cover.

    What’s on our Grill

    Grilled prime rib slices with compound butter on platter.

    27 Christmas Roast Ideas For The Grill and Smoker

    Cedar plank salmon with grilled lemon.

    How to Grill With Cedar Planks – The Complete Guide

    Camp Chef Woodwind Pro grill

    Top Tips For Winterizing Your Grill or Smoker

    Grilled Wild Mushroom Stuffing in a cast iron skillet

    Grilled Wild Mushroom Stuffing

    More

    As Seen On

    Products we love

    taking the temperature of a porchetta roast on the grill
    We use Thermoworks Signals BBQ Alarm to monitor the internal temperature of the meat while it’s cooking, then double check with an instant read thermometer, like the Thermapen One.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Portfolio
    • TV Appearances
    • Work with Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Exclusive member of Mediavine Food

    Copyright © 2023 Vindulge

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    0 shares