(Photo courtesy of Maragas Winery)
The San Francisco Chronicle announced its 2024 winners of their annual competition. This year, Maragas winery entered a port style wine called Porto Greco. Maragas made the wine using the traditional Portuguese method, some wine being distilled into brandy and back-added to the fermentation. Maragas stated he felt from his own senses and the reaction to others trying the wine that the wine would do well in competition — it did — Gold medal at the largest competition for American wines in the world.
Maragas stated that he was “elated at the gold medal results of our first collaboration with Oregon Spirit Distillers of Bend Oregon.” Maragas explained that “port is an art.” “While the wine ferments, the winemaker consistently tastes, looking for the final flavor and sweetness believed to be the correct balance when finished. It’s a mental game, imagining what the taste will be after the brandy is added to the wine to stop the fermentation.”
Keeping everything a Central Oregon endeavor, to make the brandy, Maragas brought his wine to Brad Irwin of Oregon Spirit to distill. Maragas is “grateful to have a talented craft distiller in our backyard to expertly extract the brandy from his wine.” Maragas aged the port seven years in American Oak wine barrels and Oregon Spirit American Oak whisky casks.
If you like chocolate and wine, Maragas Porto Greco captures the essential essence of both in one beverage. The overwhelming result is “yum”!
Maragas Winery, Central Oregon’s oldest winery, was founded in 1999, and is located 10 minutes north of Redmond, Oregon on highway 97 at 15523 SW Hwy. 97, Culver, OR 97734. Winter Tasting Room hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30am to 5pm.
The results listing Maragas’ Gold Medal for Porto Greco within San Francisco Wine Chronicle Competition can be seen online at: winejudging.com/medal-winners/2024-medal-winners/2024-710.