In the late 1990s and early 2000s, we produced a quarterly “zine” titled “Vintinarium”. Each edition featured a bit of industry news, updates from Foris vineyard, and of course, the latest wine releases and ratings.
We recently found an old hard drive that contained these PDF zines and we thought it’d be interesting to compare various aspects of the musings with our current thinking, now 25 years later.
Here is our latest re-examination: Planting Decisions.
Learning to Listen: How Three Decades Taught Foris Vineyards What Really Wants to Grow Here
When Ted Gerber first planted vines in southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley back in the 1970s and 80s, the wine world was still figuring out what belonged where. The received wisdom of the day often pointed toward Bordeaux varieties—Cabernet, Merlot, the classics that commanded attention and premium prices. But nearly fifty years of growing grapes in the same place teaches you something invaluable: sometimes the land tells you what it wants to become, if you’re willing to listen.
When the Climate Speaks, Smart Growers Listen
“Learning who we are has been one of the greatest discoveries,” Ted reflects, looking back on decades of winemaking at Foris Vineyards. That simple statement captures something profound about the relationship between place and plant, especially as climate patterns have shifted over the years.
The changes have been subtle but meaningful. Compared to the 1990s, ripening now happens about one to two weeks earlier at Foris. Spring frost, once a more frequent threat, has become less common. These aren’t dramatic shifts—this isn’t a story about Napa Valley suddenly appearing in Oregon—but they’re the kind of incremental changes that reshape decisions over time.
For winemaker Stephanie Pao, who works closely with Ted on vineyard management, these shifts influence everything from which Chardonnay clones to propagate to how much water newly planted vines might need during establishment. “With increased changes in the weather, there might be less frost days or more frost days for areas like Gerber or Holland,” she notes, referring to specific vineyard blocks. The unpredictability itself becomes something to plan for.
The Big Discovery: Aromatic Whites Are the Secret
Here’s where the story gets interesting. While consumers—understandably—gravitate toward big, bold red wines (they “pay more, buy more and are captivated by the Big Red flavors,” as Ted puts it), Foris has discovered something essential about their specific corner of the wine world: aromatic white varieties absolutely thrive here.
“The long-term realization is that aromatic white varietals fit well,” Ted explains. “They enjoy the heat for ripening and cool nights to hold acid and flavor.” This isn’t just a happy accident—it’s a nearly perfect match between climate and grape. Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Early Muscat all find their sweet spot in Foris’s unique environment, getting the warmth they need while those cool southern Oregon nights preserve the bright acidity and delicate aromatics that make these wines sing.
The proof? Their oldest vines are a 51-year-old block of Gewürztraminer, and it’s still producing beautifully.
“Our vineyards are not Bordeaux varietals,” Ted says plainly. While Pinot Noir has found a home here (and smart rootstock choices on Riparia Gloire have helped calm vigor and improve quality), the real revelation has been embracing what naturally excels rather than chasing what the market claims it wants.
Evolution, Not Revolution
Between 2014 and now, Foris hasn’t dramatically transformed its plantings. Stephanie notes they’ve added “a small amount of Tempranillo and more clones of Chardonnay,” with most other plantings being own-rooted vines propagated from existing varieties already thriving in their vineyards—Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Early Muscat, and Pinot Blanc.
The approach is telling: rather than chasing trends or planting varieties that “would have seemed too risky or warm-climate in the 1990s,” Foris has focused on refining what works. Ted’s experience with Pinot Noir demonstrates this perfectly—he’s narrowed approximately six clonal choices down through years of observation, learning which clones perform best in their specific conditions.
This measured approach has allowed them to grow thoughtfully. The winery has evolved from farming 70 acres on two sites in the mid-1990s (supplemented with purchased fruit) to a fully estate operation: 100% estate-grown fruit from approximately 150 acres across four neighboring vineyard sites.
Looking Forward by Looking Around
When asked about planting for the future—whether to plant for today’s conditions or try to anticipate what the vineyard might look like in 20 to 30 years—the answer from Foris is refreshingly pragmatic. “No new planting is anticipated,” Stephanie notes. Ted adds that “future planting will slow and probably entail some replanting to change varietal makeup.”
There’s wisdom in this restraint. Rather than speculating about a warming future and planting heat-loving varieties that might struggle for decades before conditions suit them, Foris is doing what has worked: paying attention to what thrives now, adjusting as conditions gradually shift, and focusing on refinement rather than radical change.
The limiting factors aren’t about water or climate uncertainty—they have adequate irrigation infrastructure for warm years and cool ones alike. Instead, it’s the reality of farming economics: “The limiting factor is probably the increase in farming and production costs,” Stephanie observes.
The Lesson for Wine Lovers
For those of us who simply enjoy opening bottles, there’s something reassuring about Foris’s approach. In an era when climate change conversations can feel overwhelming and abstract, here’s a concrete example of adaptation in action: a winery that has learned its place so well that it can work with change rather than against it.
The next time you reach for a bottle of Foris Gewürztraminer or Pinot Gris, you’re tasting the result of decades of attention, adjustment, and ultimately, acceptance. Not acceptance of defeat, but acceptance of what is—and what works beautifully.
Those aromatic whites that some might overlook in favor of bolder reds? They’re not just wines. They’re proof that sometimes the best response to a changing world is to become more deeply, authentically yourself. Foris has learned who they are, and that self-knowledge is as refreshing as the wines themselves.