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wines using natural yeast. "All the yeast for our hybrids comes from the vineyards," she said. One aspect of making wine from cold-hardy grapes that Donavan wasn't prepared for is chronically high titratable acidity. "One of the first things I had to get used to was the acidity, which is about two times what I'm used to," she said. And then there are the physical differences between hybrids and vinifera. "There are a lot of proteins in hybrid wine grapes, which create a lot of foam," Donovan explained. "Once we had about 1,500 pounds of fermenting hybrid grapes with 3 to 3-1/2 feet of foam on them." Despite the production challenges, Donovan said she believes there is a market for quality hybrid wines. She has attended public wine tasting events for Faith, Hope and Charity and received some favorable feedback. "To most people, they are good, refreshing wines, but they're not going to overtake cab sauv any time soon," she said. If West Coast consumers were to embrace hybrid varieties, many new areas would benefit from being able to produce wine grapes for the first time. "Having these hybrids opens an enormous area in central Oregon to produce wine," Donovan said. "It's great for the Oregon wine industry and the regional economy." HYBRIDS WITH PINOT NOIR Another central Oregon winery pioneering in hybrid winemaking is Maragas Winery in Culver, 25 miles north of Bend. Next to the winery, owner Doug Maragas has a 21-acre vineyard planted to a mix of hybrid and vinifera grapes. He planted his first cold-hardy hybrids in 2006. Maragas blends estate-grown Marechal Foch, a French hybrid, with pinot noir. Blending pinot noir with hybrids is a fairly common practice in Oregon, going back to the 1970s, when Girardet Winery in the Umpqua Valley first imported baco noir. Hybrids can add body and color to pinot noir, although Maragas and other Oregon winemakers are allowed to blend only a maximum of 10% of a secondary grape without disclosing the blend on the label. In 2012, Maragas Central Oregon Tootsie, a blend of hybrid La Crescent and Frontenac grapes, won a silver medal at The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Selling a $40 hybrid wine such as Tootsie to the sophisticated wine drinkers who comprise the winery's customer base can create "some hesitancy," according to Maragas. Nevertheless, he said there are plenty of consumers who are interested in "adding a broader lexicon to the flavor of wine." "Our goal is to combine the best of hybrids and vinifera," Maragas said. "Quite a few of our High-tech meets handcrafted. SIGMA press with patented pressing principle and FLEXIDRAIN® technology for vertical juice extraction. Visit our website for a video of the SIGMA in action. www.scottlab.com info@scottlab.com 70 V I N E YA R D & WINE RY MANAGEM ENT | Jan - Feb 2014 w w w. v wm m e d i a . c o m