To some people, the moment of change is when something traumatic happens in their life and they realize – Wait, I’m not happy. Or someone passes away. Co-owner and winemaker Dave Specter decided he no longer wanted to be a tax attorney and wanted to make changes to his life. The moment of change was when he left the security of his career to make wine. Co-owner and business manager Sara Specter’s moment was when her mentor died at the young age of 48.
They call that the Bells up moment. To a French horn player, this moment is when it’s time for them to get ready to play. Players lift their horns to project the sound. He started slowly by making wine at home in 2006. He worked for four years at Henke Winery in Cincinnati where he learned the basics of winemaking. By 2008 he entered an amateur winemaker competition (which he won with his Seyval Blanc). “After nobody died from drinking my wines, we decided we might not suck!” Dave said.
They packed their bags and moved west to Willamette Oregon. And believe it or not, they’re on Bell Road! “We’re the smallest winery in Willamette, making 650 cases per year. We want to stay small so we can offer an intimate experience that is meaningful. We want to walk people through tastings and educate them. We only do three tasting a day on the porch. We have a decent view of the Dundee Hills ” Dave said.
Willamette has had huge growth in the wine industry. In 2012 there were 600 wineries, by 2023 there are 800 wineries. “We felt we needed to diversify from the Pinot Noir that Oregon is famous for. We wanted to be known for wines other than Pinot Noir. We have seven clones of Pinot, Seyval Blanc, and Pinot Blanc.
All of their wines have musical names, of course!
I was gifted Helios made from the Seyval grape. This is not a noble grape and it is mostly found in southern England where it’s turned into sparkling wine, or found in the Finger Lakes region as well as other northern wine regions in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin- where there is a shorter growing season.
“We have to explain this wine to people since it’s so unique. It has an aroma of diesel that can be off-putting to some people. This wine is all about the texture. That’s the number one thing I think about, more so than the taste. It stays on the lees for 6 months, fermented in steel, and stirred every couple of days to build the center palate. This wine doesn’t go through malolactic fermentation, thus he uses the creamy texture to balance with the acidity. The texture carries through onto the finish and lets the tropical flavor show through,” Dave said.
All of their wines have musical names, of course!
I was gifted Helios made from the Seyval grape. This is not a noble grape and it is mostly found in southern England where it’s turned into sparkling wine, or found in the Finger Lakes region as well as other northern wine regions in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin- where there is a shorter growing season.
“We have to explain this wine to people since it’s so unique. It has an aroma of diesel that can be off-putting to some people. This wine is all about the texture. That’s the number one thing I think about, more so than the taste. It stays on the lees for 6 months, fermented in steel, and stirred every couple of days to build the center palate. This wine doesn’t go through malolactic fermentation, thus he uses the creamy texture to balance with the acidity. The texture carries through onto the finish and lets the tropical flavor show through,” Dave said.
What Dave really wants is for people to just enjoy his wine and not have to put lots of mental thought into it.
I was also sent a bottle of Pinot Noir, but I’m going to wait one year and let it age a bit more before I open it.