The winery joins more than 30 others in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA in achieving this designation
Amity, OR (January 19, 2021)—Bryn Mawr Vineyards is proud to announce LIVE Certification status for sustainable winegrowing and production. After ten years of responsible farming at their Eola-Amity Hills estate vineyard, Bryn Mawr has now joined more than 300 LIVE certified wineries and vineyards in a commitment to a Willamette Valley wide adoption of sustainable farming practices.
In 2009, owners Kathy and Jon Lauer purchased the Bryn Mawr Vineyard, a steep 26-acre estate in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, with the first plantings dating back to 1994. Welsh for “high hill,” the Bryn Mawr vineyard is nestled atop one of the steepest slopes in the Willamette Valley, amid a pristine forest of Douglas Firs, and is influenced by strong, maritime winds flowing from the Pacific Ocean through the Van Duzer Corridor.
The winery’s efforts over the last ten years have included farming techniques that promote a more diverse ecosystem. Spearheaded by winemaker Rachel Rose, the team began creating a considerable conservation area surrounding the property in 2010, an effort that is double the requirements for LIVE certification. Native wildflowers are also planted throughout the vineyard to impart nutrients to the soil wherever needed and attract different pollinators for other species on the property. LIVE certification standards include preservation efforts like these as well as standards for workplace health and safety, energy efficiency, proper management of resources and materials and a community-minded approach, all of which Bryn Mawr has worked hard to address.
“Officially joining this community of sustainable winegrowers is something we’ve worked toward for ten years and we’re proud to receive this certification,” says Rose, “but sustainability has been a core philosophy at Bryn Mawr since its inception.” Rose herself graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BS in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and has always surrounded herself by the natural world. Her goal is to create life-giving wines through sound farming.
“Creating biodiversity in the vineyard redounds to our benefit with wine production, and these efforts lead to wines of greater tension and complexity,” says Rose.
In addition to the certification, Bryn Mawr has implemented a number of new sustainable practices in production for 2021, including extensive packaging changes. These include sourcing domestically produced glass bottles whenever possible, adorning bottles with wax instead of tin capsules or screw caps, using more natural paper stock for labels and using beeswax-based technical corks.
The Bryn Mawr estate vineyard is one of the rockiest in the Willamette Valley, and by virtue of its steep elevation, one of the windiest. Thanks to these factors, the vineyard is a very cool site that is late to ripen compared to other vineyards in the region. Multiple volcanic soil series are striated throughout the site, including Jory, Ritner, and Nekia soils.
Rachel Rose has elevated the winery’s production from a modest operation to 6,500 cases, with approachable and elegant wines that exhibit great complexity. Bryn Mawr produces world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from its estate vineyard and from neighboring vineyards in the Eola Amity Hills. In addition, Bryn Mawr also makes experimental red wines like Dolcetto and Tempranillo, aromatic white wines such as Riesling and Pinot Blanc, and has an emerging sparkling wine program seeded by their first sparkling rosé.
About Bryn Mawr Vineyards
Welsh for “high hill,” the Bryn Mawr vineyard is nestled atop one of the steepest slopes in the Willamette Valley amid a pristine forest of Douglas Firs, and with the influence of strong, maritime winds flowing in from the Van Duzer Corridor. Owners Kathy and Jon Lauer knew the site had enormous potential and purchased the Bryn Mawr Estate Vineyard in 2009, hiring winemaker Rachel Rose shortly thereafter to lead the growth and development of both the vineyard and their wine program. Under the leadership of Rachel Rose, Bryn Mawr crafts wines of great complexity and tension including legacy varietals like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as well as burgeoning varietals like Tempranillo, Dolcetto and several aromatic white grapes. Bryn Mawr wines are currently distributed in Oregon, California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit: https://www.brynmawrvineyards.com/
