Comparing Old-World / New-World Wines

About the Event

Blind tasting with Charcuterie and Cheese board.

Comparing Old-World / New-World Wines.

Presented by Stephen M. Reustle,

Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards

Oregon’s Umpqua Valley... better wines than their European Counterparts?

Every wine lover knows about the Willamette Valley and the great Pinot Noir made there. But, how much do you know about the Umpqua Valley, where wineries are much more diverse? Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards Owner/Winemaker and Wine Judge Stephen Reustle will present wines from the Umpqua Valley’s AVA and compare them “blind” with their European counterparts. Traveling from Spain to Burgundy, Northern Rhone Valley, and Austria would take a great deal of time and eort. But in the Umpqua Valley, you can experience wines that rival these prestigious European wine regions.

Stephen will highlight some of the distinctives between Old-world and New-world wines. He will focus on 4 regions: Austria (Grüner Veltliner), Burgundy (Pinot Noir), Northern Rhone (Syrah), and Spain (Tempranillo).  We will start o with a glass of Reustle - Prayer Rock Vineyards white wine, and then pour four of award-winning wines from the Umpqua Valley and taste them “blind” side-by-side with their more expensive and highly rated European counterparts.

About the Winery

Stephen M. Reustle of Reustle-Prayer Rock

Before the vineyard and winery, Stephen and Gloria Reustle owned a successful marketing company that taught them the value of providing a “World- Class” product to a loyal customer base. Upon arriving in the Umpqua Valley of Oregon, Stephen carefully mapped out 40 acres of vineyards on his 200 acre estate. Each variety, clone, and rootstock was carefully selected to match the diverse hillside soil and unique micro-climates.

Using only fruit grown from the estate’s Prayer Rock and Romancing Rock vineyards, winemaking is keptto small lots preserving the distinctiveness of each varietal and clone. Stephen became the award-winning pioneer of Gruner Veltliner in the United States, and since 2009, Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards has earned signicant top honors including the 2023 Best White Wine at the San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition, 2020 Small Winery of the Year from the Dan Berger International Wine Competition, 2017 Northwest Winery of the Year from WinePress NW, and 2010 Small Winery of the Year at Riverside International Wine Competition. Along the way Prayer Rock Vineyards was awarded 5 “Best of Show,” 55 “Best of Class,” 23 “Double Platinum,” 57 “Platinum,” 3 “Triple Gold,” 163 “Double Gold,” and 331 “Gold” medals across 12 dierent varietals.