In the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon. Troon farms as if the world depends on how they do it, and the resulting wines pulse with vitality. Not only are they certified biodynamic by Demeter–which means they are also organic– but they recently earned the first “Regenerative Organic Agriculture” in Oregon and a Slow Wine Snail award in the about to be published 2022 edition of Slow Wine Guide which you can purchase here.

With 45 acres under vine at 1400’ above sea level where a gap in the coastal range allows cool Pacific air to seep providing significant diurnal shift for ripeness and acidity, the Kubli Bench offers soils on an ancient well draining river bed with layers of cobbles. Less healthy vines from the previous owners have been replanted and replaced with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Malbec, Vermentino, Tannat, Marsanne, Roussanne.

In 1972, Dick Troon planted some of the first vines in Southern Oregon’s the Applegate Valley. Since the purchase of the property by Texans Denise and Bryan White, and with the dedication of General Manager Craig Camp, Troon transformed from the typical conventionally farmed vineyard with conventionally wines to the exceptional by achieving biodynamic certification then earning the first regenerative organic certificate for an Oregon winery. Converting to biodynamics reinvigorated soils and vines, offering to winemaker Nate Wall what’s required for exceptional wines.

Troon offers natural, lively, vigorous elegant yet fun wines made in unusual styles from less typical varietals which showcase the potential of the southern Oregon region.

But first, what exactly does “Slow Wine” mean? The easiest way is to go back to the roots of Slow Wine– the Slow Wine Movement in Italy where people rebelled against fast food. And what’s a classic fast food? PIZZA! And what’s a Slow Food? PIZZA.

Now don’t get me wrong, restaurant pizza can definitely qualify as a “Slow Food” while other pizzas are clearly fast food no matter what the advertising says.

But these days you can easily make your own pizza– even on a work night! The trick is to gather and prepare the ingredients in advance — and to chill the wine! And that’s what we did on a recent night: I went to Trade Joes where I found the ingredients.

Pizza Ingredients:

• CRUST: Purchase fresh pizza dough, shape and par-cook it, then defrost when ready
• BASE: freshly marinara, pizza sauce, pesto, alfredo, olive oil, or brie  
• CHEESE: Many choices including but not limited to fresh mozzarella 
• TOPPINGS:
  > Margarite: on marinara, mozza, fresh tomatoes, basil
  > Meat pizza: on an herb crust on marinara, proscuitto, pepperoni, salami
  > Vegetarian Greek: on an herb crust, pesto, artichoke hearts, olive, mushroom tapenades, mushroom, fresh tomatoes
  The sky’s the limit! Experiment!
  > On an herb crust, brie, asparagus, prosciutto
  > On a plain crust, mushroom brie, mushrooms
  > And for dessert, on a plain crust, brie, strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, honey

TROON WINES

• 2020 Troon Vineyard Vermentino, Kubli Bench, Applegate Valley, OR
• 2020 Troon Vineyard “Fizzante” Metodo Ancestrale, Kubli Bench, Applegate Valley, OR

2020 Troon Vineyard Vermentino, Kubli Bench, Applegate Valley, OR

ABV 12.8%
SRP
Grapes Vermentino
sample for my review

Color: Very pale yellow, not overly fined and filtered, 

Aroma: Sea grass, pear, asian pear, minerals, slate, fresh rain, clean and fresh, cardamon, coriander, vanilla creme brûlée

Palate: Meyer lemon, slick mouth feel, nice acidity, new world expression of Vermentino, fruit forward, very round, the acidity is nicely balanced with the fruit. Lovely delicious wine that is so easy to enjoy

Pairing:Think Cesar salad, calamari, black cod with capers, Linguini with clam sauce, the wine becomes surprisingly sweet with an oyster, great with our Greek pizza loving the pesto and olive tepenade, fantastic with all of the Greek pizza flavors, the food with the salinity and intensity brings out the sweet fruit in the Vermentino. Salinity in foods brings out the lovely fruit in this wine. The mint in our strawberry salad is just perfect with the wine. Fantastic with the meat pizza as well. 

2020 Troon Vineyard “Fizzante” Metodo Ancestrale, Kubli Bench, Applegate Valley, OR

ABV 10.5%
SRP
Grapes 
purchased with industry discount

Color: Very cloudy, looks like fresh juice with soda, a fresh muddled cocktail, cranberry juice, 

Aroma: Grape juice, cranberry, raspberry, fresh juice, not fruit punch, just fresh fruit juice,

Palate: The palate is completely different than the nose leads you. Very fizzy, fruit seltzer water, dry chalky finish, the minerals are very present across the palate and in the finish. Fresh raspberry hands out on the palate for a good long while.  Very fresh fun and lively. Great summer pool side wine. 

Pairing: This is and unwind kind of a wine, grab a take home pizza and a bottle home to enjoy and relax. I did not care with the garlic and this wine, but Sue found it nice. Perfect with the strawberry mint salad. It loved the mint so much and the fresh strawberry fruit was perfect with the fresh fruit flavors in the wine. I felt it was fantastic with the flavors in our Greek style pizza, while Sue favored it with the meat pizza. In any case, we were in agreement that this was a perfect take home pizza wine. So nice with our dessert pizza loving the herbs de Provence seasoning sprinkled over the top. The two together were cleansing bright and refreshing. This wine went well with all of our pairings so well. Very fun and versatile wine. 

Here are links to learn about the wines found by my fellow Wine Pairing Weekend Wine Writers! Please check them out and you’re invited to join us at 8am Pacific Sat. May 14 for our twitter chat on the topic of Slow Wine and food to pair with these wines; search for the hashtag #WinePW. Read the invitation and learn more about Slow Wine and Slow Food here.

• Cam Mann says “İyi ki doğdun! Turkish Meze, Ekşili Balık, and Donkey & Goat’s 2021 Sparkling Grüner & Chard Pét-Nat”  on Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
• Martin Redmond offers us a “2017 Prima Materia Sangiovese + Chicken Liver Truffle Ragu Rigatoni” on Enofylz.
• Deanna Kang has “A Springtime Vegetable Menu with Biodynamic Troon Wines” on Wineivore. 
• David Crowley suggests “Exploring Slow Wine with Pairings”  on Cooking Chat. 
• Wendy Klik is “Slowing Down and Enjoying Life with Castoro Cellars Zinfusion” on A Day in the Life on the Farm/
• On Wine Predator Gwendolyn Alley features “Southern Oregon’s Biodynamic Troon Vineyards FIZZante and Vermentino Paired with Pizza”

You’re invited to join our twitter chat Saturday May 14 at 8am Pacific by searching for the hashtag #WinePW.

Here’s the discussion questions:

• 8a PACIFIC TIME Q1 Good morning! Welcome to the May Wine Pairing Weekend  chat on American #SlowWine, paired with #SlowFood. Say hi, introduce yourself, share a selfie, and a link to your blog if you want. Remember to use the #WinePW hashtag.
• 8:05 Q2 Today’s #WinePW chat celebrates the expression of Italy’s #SlowWine #SlowFood movements in the US. Slow Wine Guide reviewers met with grape growers and wine makers from almost 300 cellars for the 2022 edition. Was it challenging to find a wine to write about? Details here: https://wp.me/pj3XZ-90P
• 8:10a Q3 Which Slow Wine from the United States did you choose to write about and what region is it from? Why did you choose it? Is it in the 2021 or 2022 Slow Wine Guide? #WinePW
• 8:15 Q4 In five words, can you describe your #WinePW tasting experience th9gh’is month with your Slow Wines or wines?  wine? Please share the link to your Slow Food, Slow Wine article with us! 
• 8:20 Q5 Tell us more about the winery or the wine!  Are they certified #organic or #biodynamic? What makes them SLOW? Please share photographs if you have them! #WinePW
• 8:25 Q6 Did you prepare a #SlowFood to enjoy with your #SlowWine? Share with us the pairing, pictures, recipe link if you have one. What does Slow Food mean to you and why did you choose this pairing? #WinePw 
• 8:30 Q7 Did you find the pairing successful? Why or why not? What did you learn? What would you pair with a second time around? #WinePW
• 8:35 Q8 What else did you learn about #SlowWine or #SlowFood, the winery, the wine, or the region that you would like to share? Will you be recommending Slow Wine Guide which can be purchased here:  https://bookshop.org/books/slow-wine-guide-usa/9781954081765 #WinePW
• 8:40 Q9 Have you visited the region or the winery? If so, please share fun facts and photos about the trip!  If you haven’t gone yet, why is it on your bucket list or do you wish to return? Highlights for you? #WinePW
• 8:45 Q10  According to research, certified #organic and #biodynamic wines score higher making them better for ME and WE! Details: https://wp.me/pj3XZ-78C Do you seek #SlowWines? Why? Have you observed differences? #WinePW
• 8:50 Q11 Any last comments or questions about #SlowWine or #SlowFood? Wineries you want to visit or wines you want to taste next? To support Slow Food, purchase the 2022 Slow Wine Guide edited in US by @parkerwong and @winecountrygeo here: https://bookshop.org/books/slow-wine-guide-usa/9781954081765 #WinePW 
• 8:55 Shoutout to those who participated today: @WendyKlik @Vignetocomm @culinary_cam  @asiantestkitchn @cookingchat @MartinRedmond. Thanks for participating with host @ArtPredator! #SlowWineGuide #WinePW
• 9a Thank you for joining us for our #WinePW #SlowWine US chat today! Thanks to support from editors @parkerwong and @winecountrygeo. Find links to our published articles here: https://wp.me/pj3XZ-90P Please join us the second Saturday in June for “picnic” with @dr_tsteffes