2019 Parra Wine Co. Zenith Vineyard Tempranillo

PARRA Wine Co was established in 2019 by proprietor Sam Parra. His last name is a Spanish and Portuguese surname meaning grapevine or trellis. Born and raised in St. Helena, CA, he was destined to be in the wine industry. After 15 years in the wine industry through Napa and Sonoma counties, he moved to the Willamette Valley in the summer of 2016. Through previous business trips Sam first visited this beautiful valley in 2000. PARRA Wine Co will remain a boutique, hand crafted wine producer. Over the years he has cultivated friendships with highly respected growers. Wine Business Monthly Magazine selected PARRA as one of the Hot Brands in 2020.

Willamette Valley AVA was established in 1983, and it is the oldest appellation in Oregon. Oregon’s modern wine industry began in the Willamette Valley in the 1960s when artists, vagabond winemakers, and U.C. Davis oenology graduates looking for new territory started their own, small, off-the-grid wineries. The appellation is the state’s largest, and it extends 175 miles from Columbia River on the Washington/Oregon border to just south of Eugene, near central Oregon. The Willamette River runs through the area, helping to give the appellation a mild year-round climate. There are six smaller sub-appellations within this AVA, but altogether the Willamette Valley has the largest concentration of wineries in Oregon, as well as the majority of the state’s most famous producers. Pinot Noir is king here, followed by Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. To most admirers of Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley offers the most distinctive wine choices in the state.

Think leather and cherries together for Tempranillo wines. This wine looks lighter than it is. It can be medium or full bodied, but its thin-skinned, big grapes, give it a more transparent appearance. It is grown in Spain, Portugal, the U.S. and Australia.