50% Riesling, 30% Gewurztraminer, 14% Early Muscat, 3% Sauvignon Blanc, and 3% others • Sourced from 10 vineyards throughout Oregon • Soils: Volcanic ash, basalt, marine sediment, alluvial, serpentine • Average Vine Age: 35 years • Elevation spanning: 250 to 1500 feet • Harvest: Sept 10th – Oct 20th, 2021 • Native yeast fermentation • Co-fermented Early Muscat & Gewurz skin contact 3-24 hours • Riesling = partial skin contact – 3 hours • SO2 added before bottling • Unfined and filtered • ABV 12.9% • RS < 5 g/L
Ovum Wines is a quest to discover the terroir of the Pacific Northwest, possibly uncovering an expression of place, using naturally produced white wines as a conduit. Based in Newberg, Oregon, husband and wife team John House and Ksenija Kostic focus solely on white wines, as they feel they are a better conduit for terroir than red wines. Their quest continues to uncover old vines of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Muscat, often in unexpected regions of Southern Oregon. Rather than playing it safe with a formulaic method of winemaking, House and Kostic take great risks to allow each wine to speak distinctively of its terroir and its vintage. The winemaking itself is an homage to the past, making use of neutral barrels and concrete eggs for fermentation and ageing, and allowing spontaneous, wild yeast fermentations, sometimes lingering for months. The resulting wines are mineral driven, with rich, multi-layered textures and flavors.
