Cuteness Factor Helps Newberg Winery

The weather in the Pacific Northwest is great for growing grapes and more and more are jumping on the “Wine Wagon”. There are about 600 vineyards in Oregon, and the number keeps growing. So with COVID, and so much competition, how do smaller wineries survive? When it comes to marketing, it doesn’t hurt to have some fluffy friends helping out.

You may have heard about the rare lambs born at Arlyn Vineyard in Newberg a couple of months ago. Mabel, Oliver and Fergus are Valais Blacknose sheep. Vineyard owner Janis Pate saw the breed while she was on a golfing vacation in Scotland and fell in love. She ordered embryos and had them shipped back to Oregon. Three of the implants were a success and Pate says she’ll breed them so she can have about 20 for pets, and to use to mow down the weeds between the rows of grapes at her 40 acre farm.

As far as the wine, once the grapes are harvested, they’re handed over to Lingua Franca and it’s turned into tasty Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay.

By the way, Pate is the first woman in Oregon to purchase land, plant a vineyard and develop a wine label with no spouse or partner.