13 Best Wineries in the U.S. for 2022

All across America, incredible wineries are producing fantastic wine, many utilizing artisanal, labor-intensive methods, thus proving that the Judgment of Paris was only the beginning of the story.

As the owner of one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ wineries in Oregon, Remy Drabkin balances producing an array of fantastic wines with advocating for greater diversity in the wine industry (via Remy Wines). Drabkin achieves the former thanks to a childhood spent immersed in Oregon’s wine scene. She achieves the latter through the founding of Wine Country Pride, a month-long celebration of the intersection between the LGBTQ+ community and Willamette Valley’s wine-growing country, as per Wine Country Pride.

Photo by Zachary Goff | Article by Jacob Smith
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Bubbles and Rosés to Kick-Off Pride Month

Proud lesbian winemaker Remy Drabkin is well-known in wine for her activism, sincere tasting experiences and exceptional wines under three labels: Remy Wines, Three Wives and Black Heart. Remy Wines is also taking big steps toward enhanced sustainability this year. Over the summer, Drabkin plans to open a new winery constructed with her Drabkin-Mead Formula sustainable carbon-neutral concrete.

Remy Wines is all about celebrating pride, from hosting pride events to selling rainbow half-cases to support the queer community. Their Black Heart series features a classic, traditional-method sparkling made from Pinot Noir. They’ve completely mastered the traditional technique, so this bottle is perfect for anyone who likes that classic, toasty style of sparkling.

Photo by Zachary Goff | Article by  Bailey McAlister
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Three Perfect Days: Portland, Oregon

Nicholas DeRenzo designs three perfect days in Oregon, highlighting Remy Wines as one of three wineries (alongside Et Fille and Abbey Creek).

“Remy Drabkin turns out an award-winning roster of Old World Italian wines. ‘I’m really focused on making the best wine in the simplest way possible,’ she says, pouring me a blueberry-and-black-pepper-spiced dolcetto, made with Piedmont’s most widely grown grape. ‘It’s about responding to the fruit.’

If Drabkin’s wines are a celebration of tradition, her approach to community-building is anything but. She’s a pioneering voice in the queer winemaking world and a founder of Wine Country Pride, an organization that has distributed pride and Black Lives Matter flags around the valley, donated books with LGBTQ+ characters to public libraries, and even hosted the world’s first queer wine festival this past summer. ‘We are very focused on inclusion,’ she says, ‘and the wine industry can be very exclusive.’”

Photo by Zachary Goff | Article by Nicholas DeRenzo
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Why U.S. Winemakers Are Taking a Chance on Obscure Grape Varieties

Sophia McDonald writes about how grapes such as Lagrein, Saperavi, and Ciliegiolo offer both opportunities and challenges to winemakers looking to set themselves apart.

“Since founding her winery in 2006, Remy Drabkin of Remy Wines in McMinnville has been focused on Lagrein, Dolcetto, and other grapes more typically associated with Alto Adige and Piedmont. Drabkin sells most of her wine out of the tasting room, and she has no problem moving bottles. ‘I’ve worked for a long time to have a wine brand that people know they’re going to get a really good wine when they go,’ she says. Her decision to differentiate has also brought interesting opportunities. Drabkin recently participated in a series of U.S. masterclasses sponsored by the Alto Adige Wine Consortium that discussed the impact of region on grapes such as Lagrein and looked at the many similarities between Alto Adige and Oregon.”

Photo by Zachary Goff | Article by Sophia McDonald
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9 Incredible Vineyards in the U.S.

Experience the U.S. one sip at a time with Céline Bossart.

“From an impossibly charming vineyard farmhouse centered around community visibility and empowerment in Oregon’s Willamette Valley to a Mexican winemaking family’s distinctive interpretation of New York terroir, these are the country’s most breathtaking places to drink wine amid the vines.

Remy Drabkin, founder of Remy Wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, wears many hats. In addition to making wine and owning multiple businesses in McMinnville, Drabkin not only currently serves as president of the local city council, chair of the McMinnville Affordable Housing Commission, and a director on the Oregon Wine Board’s Education Committee as appointed by the state’s governor, but she’s also the brains behind Wine Country Pride. Needless to say, Drabkin’s dedication to serving her community is admirable, and it’s businesses and people like this that we can all feel good about supporting.”

Photo by Zachary Goff | Article by Céline Bossart
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