Author Archives: Matthew LaVelle

About Matthew LaVelle

My family and I live in Eugene, Oregon where I own and operate a winery, an estate vineyard, and two tasting rooms (one in Elmira, another in downtown Eugene). I make wine, love food, and spend so much time doing both, that I've decided to write about my experiences here.

LaVelle Vineyards to Relocate Tasting Room

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Matthew LaVelle

After 14 years at the same downtown location, Matthew and I have decided it is time for a change of venue. Consequently, we will be leaving the 5th St. Market when our lease expires on the July 1st. We will … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Historic Harvest in the Making!

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Matthew LaVelle

As I type this we will begin pressing out our first Pinot Noir from earlier this month. Every year I try to get these interesting blog posts up about our winemaking practices. Some years are better than others, and this … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 Harvest | Leave a comment

Harvest begins!

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Matthew LaVelle

So, it’s now 9p and the LaVelle Harvest Crew has been at  it since 8:30a. I have a lotof new crew members this year, and some photos to share. For those of you wanting to plan and come out to visit … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Della Toffola Wine Press – Membrane Replacement Procedure

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Matthew LaVelle

You cannot make wine without a wine press. Everyone deals with stress in different ways. I have a hurniated disc in my lower back. No matter what I do there are stressful moments that bring pain to that area of … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 Harvest, Wine | Leave a comment

THE Island Party – Things Keep Getting Better

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Matthew LaVelle

When I started planning for the 2012 year back in September of 2011 it was time for a change. In 2010 and 2011, as a business we sustained huge losses in sales and production due to several factors: Inn at … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Special Events, Wine | Leave a comment

2012 Vintage Update – Fruit Set

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Matthew LaVelle

I was up in the vineyard yesterday morning starting to collect data on our plants fruit set for the year and I’m getting excited! Fruit set is the third yearly milestone we reach in our 2012 vintage and it’s one … Continue reading →

Posted in Vineyard | Leave a comment

Red Mountain AVA: Tri-Cities Washington

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Matthew LaVelle

We had a great trip, and I learned a lot about this fairly new AVA. I’ve done some extensive research since returning, and along with my face-to-face meetings, photographs, and wine tastings I’ve compiled a pretty lengthy posting here about … Continue reading →

Posted in Vineyard, Wine | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

2012 Growing Season Update (Bloom, Petioles, Seasonal Comparisons)

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Matthew LaVelle

Agriculturally speaking, our vineyard is probably the busiest that it’s been in a long time. We’re in the middle of bloom now, and I just took some petiole samples in for analysis. We’re also just finishing up the first section … Continue reading →

Posted in Vineyard | Leave a comment

5th Street Market Stores UNITE!

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Matthew LaVelle

Where: Hartwicks kitchen at the 5th Street Market Who: Chris Erben from El Pato Cafe and Matthew LaVelle from LaVelle Vineyards We had our first cooking class together yesterday and it was for Spanish Paella. Chris, the chef at El … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hurry Up and Wait!

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Matthew LaVelle

Fall is always always either one of two things for a Winemaker: A fantastically dry, long period of time that gives grapes time to mature their varietal character. Just another four-letter word that begins with the letter “F”! Last week … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011 Harvest | Leave a comment