Blizzard Ridge

There is a real story behind our sparkling program. Nick’s professional background was in graphic design, and he has always loved taking an idea and bringing it to life with motion, light, and atmosphere. When the winery was nearly complete and the final crystal chandeliers were being installed, Nick looked around and said to Dana, “You should make a sparkling wine to go with this beautiful building.” Dana, being the winemaker, laughed and said it wasn’t that easy, but the idea stuck with her.

Soon after, she decided the only way to understand what makes the world’s greatest sparkling wines was to go straight to the source. She flew to Champagne to study the details that set that region apart. On that trip she met Laurent Dumangin, owner of Jean Dumangin Champagne, and everything shifted. His wines were extraordinary. Powerful yet refined. Full of finesse, purity, and balance unlike anything she had tasted before. It was then she realized she could not create that level of elegance with the Dijon clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay commonly grown in Oregon. Those clones were selected for still wines, known for rich flavors and firm structure. To craft world class sparkling wine she needed something entirely different. She needed clones with finesse, minerality, bright acidity, and the ability to shine after long aging in cave and bottle.  She also needed the perfect vineyard site to grow it!

So Dana shifted her focus. If she could not yet make a sparkling wine at that level, she would curate and share the wines of those who could. She began importing Champagne from small growers who farm their own vineyards, press their own fruit, and age their wine in their own caves. This is known as Grower Champagne. We launched the Grower Champagne Club and now import more than fifty wines from ten producers. We visit them every year and select our favorites for our fellow Champagne lovers.

Four years of tasting, learning, and selecting prepared us for what came next. The perfect vineyard site in Oregon became available and we moved quickly. Dana had always said she would make a sparkling wine but only if she could do it right. Now we finally can. The site is planted with unique clones sourced directly from Champagne, grown in a place that can express the precision, purity, and elegance she fell in love with.

Here we are, taking the next step, ready to create something truly special.

Absolutely. We will continue importing Champagne. It is a core part of who we are and the benchmark that pushes us to raise the bar in Oregon. The growers we work with remind us every year what true craftsmanship looks like, and that inspiration is essential to our mission.

Of course we will continue making Columbia Valley wines for as long as we make wine. They represent our history, our relationships with growers, and the fruit that shaped the Blizzard Wines style. These wines remain essential to our portfolio because they offer something no other region can replicate. The new vineyard simply expands what we are capable of. It gives us the opportunity to craft sparkling wines with the same attention to detail that defines our Columbia Valley reds. Rather than shifting direction, we are building a richer, more complete lineup that honors where we started and where we are headed.

We try not to get ahead of ourselves and stay focused on the vineyard’s primary goal, which is to craft the best sparkling wine in Oregon from the ground up. It is a ten year endeavor, but along the way we hope to find the time and energy to open new doors at this iconic site and create something truly unique.

If everything goes to plan, Dana will have the vineyard she has always dreamed of. Built from the ground up in the ideal location, with the right elevation, soils, varietals, and clones, and farmed exactly as she envisions, it will allow her to create the sparkling wine she has always wanted to make. We are already close, but vines need time to mature and a few caves still need to be built.

Nick’s dream focuses on the spirit of the place and the possibilities across all eighty acres. He imagines an iconic property that feels uniquely Oregon, filled with beauty, creativity, and a sense of discovery. Early ideas include glass pyramids, waterfalls, open meadows, an amphitheater, a small museum, and trails for truffle hunts, camping, hiking, and fishing. It is an inspiring landscape, and Nick wants to share that inspiration with everyone.