Carlton OR – Starting this fall, wines from Oregon’s Yamhill-Carlton AVA in the Willamette Valley will begin appearing on wine store shelves and restaurant tables in proprietary bottles embossed with the logo and name of the appellation.
Appellation-specific bottles have been traditionally used in some European wine growing regions, including Savenierres, Chateauneuf d’Pape, and Piedmont, but are rare in the New World.
“We are excited about the opportunity to further promote the great brand of Yamhill-Carlton”, said Ken Wright of Ken Wright Cellars. “This is one of the first AVA-specific bottles in the US, and to our knowledge the first of any major Pinot Noir appellation in the world.”
The new custom bottle displays the name “Yamhill-Carlton” in raised letters on the bottle neck, along with the trademarked Yamhill -Carlton logo. The logo includes a stylized grape vine with a swirling conch-shaped root system, an homage to the marine sedimentary formations that are underlying the appellation, and that define the characteristics of the region’s wines.
The first release of the bottle will be manufactured by Verallia in Seattle, WA, and distributed by TricorBraun of Vancouver, WA. It is a traditional thick-neck Burgundy style cork-finish bottle, but at 660 grams, it is relatively light for a premium Pinot Noir bottle. The local production and light weight make the new bottle more environmentally friendly than many currently in use.
“Lots of wine bottles today are imported either from Europe, China, or Mexico” said Gillian Brennan of Tricor-Braun. “But the Yamhill-Carlton Winegrowers were committed to finding a domestically produced solution, and we’re thrilled that Verallia, our domestic manufacturer, rose to the challenge. A new flex line technology by Verallia facilitated the small er custom bottle runs that the Yamhill Carlton Winegrowers required, and helped keep costs affordable for their members”.
Bottles from the pilot production run are being used by Asilda Winery, Ghost Hill Cellars, Ken Wright Cellars, Lazy River Vineyard, Roots, Stag Hollow Wines, and Wild Aire Cellars. Some wines have already been bottled, and will be released starting later this fall.
When the bottle is in full production, it will be available to all members of the Yamhill-Carlton Winegrowers Association to bottle their Yamhill-Carlton AVA wines.
The Yamhill Carlton Winegrowers Association, founded in 2004, is dedicated to creating & nurturing a sustainable, world-class winegrowing community by promoting the distinctive attributes of the region and its wines, supporting high quality viticulture and winemaking, and serving as a positive force within the local community.
For more information and images of the new bottle shots, please go to the Yamhill-Carlton Winegrowers Association website at www.YamhillCarlton.org
