Naumes Crush and Fermentation

Naumes Crush Tour Pt.1: Grape Sorting

About

Our goal is to meet individual customer's specific winemaking needs, with a focus on the science and technology of crafting ultra premium wines. By partnering with our winery, you can focus on growing great grapes and rest easy knowing they will become outstanding wines, crafted according to your specification by expert vinologists in a state-of-the-art wine processing facility.

Location Description

Located at 1311 N. Central Ave.

Features

  • Southern Oregon's newest winery.

Additional Information

  • Meeting / Conference Facilities:
  • Caves:
  • Wedding Facilities:
  • Picnic Facilities:
  • Dog Friendly:
  • Winery Tours:
  • Wine Tasting:
  • Art or Architecture:
  • Organic / Biodynamic:
  • Awards:
  • Wine Club:
  • Lodging / Bed & Breakfast:

Winemaker

Chris Graves is the first winemaker at Naumes Crush and Fermentation, where he oversees all winemaking, winery operations, client relations and support services.

Born and raised in California’s vine-covered Sierra Foothills, Graves developed an early fascination with winemaking. By age 16, he knew it would be his career. Graves is a 2004 graduate of the UC Davis Viticulture & Enology program. In college, he worked at a high-end wine store, gaining valuable retail experience.

He began his career at Wente Vineyards in Livermore, Calif., serving first as an enologist then as assistant winemaker. Soon after, Graves became winemaker for Wente’s “Cal-Ital” brand, Tamás Estates Winery, where he took complete charge of the wines and began blending and designing new styles. Also, Graves was involved at every step in the marketing process, helping build a successful brand.

Graves left Wente Vineyards in 2007 to start his own boutique brand, Ruby Hill Winery. Under his leadership as head winemaker, the company saw double-digit growth for years, while cultivating an extremely successful wine club. This spurred Graves and his partners to launch a second brand in 2013, Rubino Estates Winery, also focused on Cal-Ital style wines.

The Team

Dustin Andries, assistant winemaker, is a graduate of OSU with a BS degree in fermentation sciences. He has wine-making experience from around the world including Napa, Willamette Valley, South Africa, Austrailia, and New Zealand. He is an invaluable addition to the Naumes Crush Team and is excited to be working back in beautiful Southern Oregon.

Laura Naumes, chief operating officer, is also vice president of parent company Naumes, Inc. She leads an experienced management team at Naumes Crush, serves on several ag industry-related boards, and is a member of the Oregon State University Board of Trustees. A past member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Advisory Council, Naumes is on the boards of the Rogue Valley Family YMCA and Asante Foundation.

Practices & Techniques

Wine ultimately tastes better when it was fermented without much stems, leaves, and other Material Other than Grapes (MOG) in the mix. Naumes Crush & Fermentation’s custom crush services set you up for success by ensuring that your grapes will be processed into wine with a minimal amount of MOG. Watch the video to see how our sorting tools help us make top quality wine.

Estate Vineyards / AVA

After nearly 70 years in the fruit growing business, Mike and Laura Naumes decided to branch out, and in 2012 their first wine grapes were planted on 15 acres of recycled orchard land near their home. They saw the potential that many others have seen throughout our premium wine-growing region, and added their names to the ever-growing list of new vineyards budding throughout the Rogue and Applegate Valleys. With successive plantings every year since the first, there are now over 60 acres of Pinot Noir, Grenache and Chardonnay spreading their vines over lands originally planted in pears, the backbone of the Naumes family’s success. The planting work is far from over, with new acres planned for the next several years, with a goal of around 200 by 2020.

Every vine in a Naumes Family Vineyard is planted after months of labor to make sure each and every plant has the best growing conditions possible. Each is trained to grow so that it will produce the best grapes possible. Many have been trained by Laura Naumes who can regularly be found out in the vineyards in the early mornings trimming the dew-covered vines by hand. Not only is this because Laura has a passion for wine and grape growing, but also because the family believes that in order to best manage something, they need to understand every step of the process, from field to consumer.

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Address

1311 N Central Ave
Medford, Oregon 97501
United States

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