Corus Estates & Vineyards opens new winemaking facility
The 70,000 square-foot custom crush winemaking facility would be used to produce its own wines as well as enable other area winemakers to expand their own production.
18/10/05 Corus Estates & Vineyards has announced it has created a new subsidiary called Twelfth and Maple Wine Company. Located in Dundee, Ore., Twelfth and Maple is a 70,000 square-foot custom crush winemaking facility that it will use to produce its own wines as well as enable other area winemakers to expand their own production.
The company has converted the former Westnut hazelnut processing facility just off of highway 99W. It has installed state-of-the-art equipment including stainless steel fermenters as well as provided ample room for casking and barrel storage. Corus Estates and Vineyards, which owns Battle Creek Winery in Turner, Ore., will use the facility to produce its award-winning Pinot Noir wines.
The facility itself is more than Corus needs for its Battle Creek winery, so it has partnered with a number of other leading wineries to round out use of the facility. Having access to Twelfth and Maple means they don't have to build or acquire production capacity of their own to meet the increasing demand for their wines. The list of other participating winemakers includes, A to Z, Brooks, Daedalus Cellars, Erath Winery, Francis Tannahill and Hatcher Wineworks.
Twelfth and Maple Wine Company is managed by Ken Johnston, who will oversee management of the facility. Johnston most recently was Vineyard/Grower Relations Manager for Bonny Doon Vineyard. A resident winemaker, Aron Hess, former winemaker at Rex Hill Winery, will oversee the production of Battle Creek as well as the wines of the other partners. Sam Tannahill remains as a consulting winemaker for Battle Creek.
Corus Estates and Vineyards traces its roots back to 1958 when the company was founded as Associated Vintners. Today, CEV is a family-owned producer of premium wines exclusively from the celebrated wine-growing regions of the Northwest. It owns and operates Sawtooth Winery (Idaho), Zefina, Alder Ridge and Six Prong (Washington) and Battle Creek (Oregon). CEV is headquartered in Seattle with offices in Sunnyside, Wash. as well.
