WEISINGERS CELEBRATES 36 YEARS IN THE VALLEY

It was 46 years ago that the first roots of Weisinger Family Winery (3150 Siskiyou Boulevard) were planted by John Weisinger.  A Texas native, John had purchased a small farm in Ashland with the dream of making wine. With the help of his three young children—Eric, Annie, and Sarah—he planted his first acre of Gewürztraminer, and the family spent ten seasons tending the young vines. In 1988, John broke ground on the winery, and the tasting room opened its doors in the spring of 1989 to the public.

Called Weisinger’s of Ashland, it was the first commercial winery to open in the Rogue Valley. Eric Weisinger grew up immersed in the family winemaking business and became the winemaker in 1997. In the mid-2000s, Eric further honed his winemaking expertise as a traveling winemaker in New Zealand, Australia, and the West coast for nearly 10 years, cultivating an appreciation for the regional differences in terroir. After John retired in 2011, Eric and wife Julie took over the winery and renamed it Weisinger Family Winery, with a fresh focus on bringing out the local terroir. Today, their wines and award-winning winery is father to a flourishing destination wine region.

(Editor’s Note: From Wiki-pedia, “Terroir is how a particular region’s climate, soils and aspect [terrain] affect the taste of wine. Some regions are said to have more ‘terroir’ than others.”)

“All of our wines are made from locally sourced, sustainably grown fruit, within a 10-mile radius in Ashland’s Bear Creek Valley,” Eric said. “We believe that this area produces some of the best wine grapes in the region. My goal as winemaker is to let this terroir come through in the expression of the fruit and in the finished wine, with minimal interference. I like to let the terroir speak for itself.”

The winery itself features a dog friendly, family friendly, indoor area and outdoor patio with live music May-October every Saturday and Sunday. 

The Administrative Mana-ger, Alison Rouiller, manages the Tasting Room, Wine Club, Marketing, Vineyard Cottage and more. “It is my goal to make sure every customer leaves happy and fulfilled, and feeling like they always have a place here,” Alison said. “You can customize a flight of six different wines from our menu of 12+ different wines in a quaint and authentic atmosphere, or enjoy a glass or bottle with friends. We offer Charcuterie boards that have local cheeses and produce, and the friendliest staff. We want every customer to come in and feel like they are visiting a friend. We have panoramic views of the valley, with fire tables and blankets to enjoy the outside even in the winter season.” 

The facility is available for small private events, and they host public events on some holidays. For more info, the phone number is 541-488-5989. 

You can also see them at weisingers.com and on Facebook or Instagram.