Cameron Winery, located in the Red Hills of Dundee Oregon, was founded in 1984 by irrepressible winemaker John Paul, his wife Teri Wadsworth, and partners Bill and Julia Wayne of Abbey Ridge Vineyard. Their 7-acre dry-farmed vineyard, Clos Electrique, grows Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo and a field blend of white Italian grapes. Clos Electrique is planted in a traditional Burgundian manner, using several different clones of each varietal.
Cameron Winery is dedicated to producing high-quality, hand-crafted and sustainably-farmed libations for the people. A small family operation, producing 3,000 to 4,000 cases annually, John and Teri are joined by winemaker Tom Sivilli, vineyard manager Phil London, assistant Matthew Layng, two cats, a dog, 12 chickens, 2 sheep and a hive of bees in farming the vineyard and making wine. John and Teri’s children, Tawny and Julian, are also intimately involved in the winery’s happenings.
They believe—and we agree!— that the ultimate agricultural system is essentially a self-contained order in which everything is recycled and the only significant inputs come in the form of sunlight and precipitation.
In striving to achieve this ideal at Cameron, animals are a critical part of the equation. Chickens eat grubs and kitchen waste, while in return nourishing the soil and occasionally providing meals to the local raptor population. Sheep “mow” between the vine rows, eliminating the use of herbicides and at the same time providing manure for the compost pile. Honey bees pollinate and encourage re-seeding of cover crops.
Cameron Winery was the very first certified Salmon-Safe vineyard in Oregon. This reflects their long term commitment to riparian protection, water management and conservation of native biodiversity.
Situated at the edge of the Urban Growth Boundary in Dundee, they are acutely aware of the importance of preserving agriculture land.
"We applaud 1000 Friends of Oregon in their continuing quest to protect small farms like ours."
Thanks, Cameron Winery & Abbey Ridge Vineyard! We applaud Oregon winemakers like you, too, and we're honored to count you among our Business Members! (Also, we LOVE your down-to-earth sense of humor!)
For more information about 1000 Friends Business Membership, go here.