The Wines That Built Sweet Cheeks Winery

Pinot Noir & Pinot Gris: Where It All Began

Every winery has a beginning – but ours started with a leap of faith.

Long before the tasting room, the events, or the wines you know today, there was a vision: to plant vines on a hillside just outside of Eugene and see what might grow. It was a bold idea at the time, one rooted in curiosity, persistence, and a deep belief in the potential of this place.

As part of Oregon Wine Month, we’re looking back at the wines that built Sweet Cheeks Winery, starting with the very first varietals planted on our estate: Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

A Vision Takes Root

The Early Years of Sweet Cheeks

At the time of purchase, the land was primarily pasture, with only a single block of Pinot Noir dating back to 1978. In 1989, Dan began expanding the vineyard, initiating the transformation of the property into a dedicated winegrowing site.

Those early years were defined by patience and hard work. Establishing a 42-acre vineyard meant years of tending vines before the first meaningful harvest, learning how the land responded season by season, and committing to a vision without knowing exactly how it would unfold.

Over time, the vineyard expanded, with plantings continuing through the 1990s and early 2000s. What started as a small, hopeful project slowly grew into a thriving estate vineyard – one shaped by decades of care and consistency.

Today, those original plantings are more than just vines; they are the foundation of who we are.

Rooted in Oregon’s Early Wine Story

A Vineyard in a Growing Region

When those first vines went into the ground, the Oregon wine industry was still in its infancy, especially in the southern Willamette Valley and Eugene area.

While pioneers in the northern Willamette Valley began planting in the 1960s, vineyard development further south lagged behind, with fewer established sites and less certainty about what would succeed. By the late 1970s and into the 1980s, only a small number of vineyards had been established in the Eugene area, making each new planting an important step in understanding the region’s potential.

At Sweet Cheeks, vineyard development between 1978 and 2001 contributed to this growing body of knowledge, helping demonstrate that this area could support cool-climate varietals like Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.

Our vineyard became part of a larger movement, helping to shape Oregon into the world-class wine region it is today.

A Calculated Risk

Believing in Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris

In the late 1970s, planting grapes in this region came with real uncertainty.

Guidance from institutions like UC Davis suggested that growing wine grapes in areas like Eugene might be difficult, if not unlikely. Of the varietals considered, Pinot Noir was one of the few that showed promise in Oregon’s cool climate – and even then, only select clones were recommended.

But our founder dreamed of something even more.

This first block of Pinot Noir was proving to be fruitful. So, alongside Pinot Noir, he decided to introduce another varietal, Pinot Gris. It was a risk rooted in intuition and a belief that this land could indeed support more than expected. 

That decision helped define our vineyard.

Today, both Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris remain central to our winemaking program – wines that reflect not only the character of our site, but the courage it took to plant them in the first place.