Medford, Ore. – September 3, 2015 – Naumes Crush and Fermentation (www.naumescf.com), Southern Oregon’s newest and most modern custom crush winery, this week processed its first grapes. Well-known grower Terry Sullivan, owner of Upper Five Vineyard in Talent, Ore., brought in the first lot, a Sauvignon blanc.
“After a year of planning and construction, it was great to switch on all the new equipment and have this place humming,” said Winemaker Chris Graves.
Chief Operating Officer Laura Naumes estimates the winery will process up to 200 tons of grapes this year, ultimately rising to 500+ tons. Initial clients include Irvine Vineyards of Ashland and several wineries that purchased Pinot noir from Naumes Inc. vineyards.
“Most Oregon growers expect both an early and a large crop,” said Naumes. “So, we’ll be ready to handle any unplanned overages for new clients.”
Located at 1311 N. Central Ave. near downtown Medford, Naumes Crush provides full-service winemaking, lab analysis, cold storage and support services to growers and wineries throughout the region. Most clients will be Rogue Valley or Umpqua Valley vineyard owners, smaller wineries and individuals crushing between two and 50 tons annually. Staff in a modern onsite lab will perform many high-end quality control tests and procedures.
Designed in part by Willamette Valley consulting winemaker Robert Brittan, Naumes Crush is state-of-the-art. Advanced equipment – including optical sorting and hand sorting tables, 30+ open and closed top stainless steel-jacketed fermenters (2- to 10-ton capacity), gravity transfers, optional open or closed membrane pressing, and more – was sourced from leading suppliers from around the world.
For more information, visit www.naumescf.com or call (541) 608-1721.
About the Naumeses. Growing fruit in Oregon for 113 years, the Naumes family is a leading producer of pears, apples, cherries and specialty fruit in the Pacific Northwest and California. Naumes Inc. also has 70 acres of its 2,000-acre holdings in the Rogue Valley planted to premium wine grapes and plans to add much more.
Featured image caption: Scott Pons, harvest intern, COO Laura Naumes, and winemaker Chris Graves.