Our Wines
Old world, extended barrel-aged, natural winemaking
OLD WORLD
Winemaking techniques have been handed down through many generations within the Maragas family.
Family winemaking began in Greece centuries ago and continued to America in 1941.
The winemaking tradition was taught at an early age to Doug Maragas by his grandmother, Anna.
These old-world techniques have been a hallmark of Doug’s style in his own winery since its beginning in 1999
EXTENDED BARREL AGING
Typically barrel aging is limited in the United States to months rather than years. Extended barrel aging at our winery begins at two years and extends all the way to eight years -depending on the wine.
The effect on the wine is to increase the multiplicity of flavor and make the flavors more noticeable and pleasurable to the palate.
Doug was taught that, although evaporation results in a loss of the quantity of wine, it vastly improves and significantly changes wine. This evaporation is best achieved by an arid barrel room such as the one at Maragas Winery in the Central Oregon High Desert climate.
NATURAL WINEMAKING
A multitude of substances can be added to wine to make it taste or feel a certain way. Maragas Winery does not partake in this practice.
Instead, Maragas Winery holds that following natural techniques that have been honed in Europe many years ago still hold true today to make the best wines. These methods, although laborious, allow excellent wine to made with natural ingredients.
In the red wine, yeast for the first fermentation, bacteria for the second fermentation, sulfur as an antioxidant, wood via oak barrel, and of course, grapes. Our red wines are not filtered or fined.
In white wine (except Chardonnay which follows, the ingredients or red wine), yeast for fermentation, clay (literally clay from the soil) to bond to and precipitate protein out of the wine, sulfur as an antioxidant wood via oak barrels, and once again, of course, grapes.
That’s it and all that is needed to make award-winning wine.
OUR VINEYARDS
The vines from our vineyards are grown organically and as sustainably as possible.
Greater sustainability will come in time as our vineyards become more balanced. The key are the animals.
Currently, we have chickens that eat bugs which protect the plants and serve to provide excellent natural onsite fertilizer
Our Maremma dogs, “Peaches” and Snow” Protect the vines from deer. And, “Obi”, our Boston Terrior, with our cats, “Winery” and “Tiger” are excellent at keeping grape eating birds such as starlings to a minimum.
Currently three of our wines are made from our own grapes: Blanco, Tootsie, and Legal Zin. This will continue to grow as more of our estate vineyard matures
