Soča Wine Shop & Bar

AN EXPLORATION OF OLD WORLD WINES IN DOWNTOWN WHITE SALMON

PERUSING THE MENU AT SOČA WINE SHOP & BAR IN WHITE SALMON, I read through the selection of wines by the glass. There are sparkling wines, whites and reds, a couple of intriguing-sounding rosés, and three orange wines.

Wait, what?

Admittedly, I’m not familiar with orange wine. I ask co-owner Bethany Kimmel about this, and her response embodies everything about the shop and wine bar, where you’ll find a diverse selection of bottles for sale as well as nearly two dozen wines by the glass and a delightful appetizer menu.

Without making me feel the least bit unenlightened, Kimmel tells me that orange wines — sometimes called amber wines or skin-contact wines — are white wines made using the techniques that produce reds, namely by macerating the grape skins with the juice. The result is a white wine that has more characteristics of a red, including texture, tannins and color. Orange wines can vary from a light hue that would be hard to differentiate from a traditional white, to a deep amber-orange.

Although orange wine has risen in popularity recently, its origins are ancient. Archaeological evidence of skin-contact wine production dating to 6000 B.C. has been found in what is now the Republic of Georgia. Some believe these were the first wines ever produced.

From the menu, I order a glass from a Savoie, France, winery. It does not disappoint.

Unpretentiousness coupled with intriguing wines from across the pond — mostly France and Italy, but also from Slovenia, Austria, Germany and a smattering of other wine regions — define the Soča Wine Shop, which opened last December and has quickly become a lively hub in downtown White Salmon. Hundreds of bottles line the walls of the cozy, light-filled space. Café seating offers patrons a place to enjoy a glass from the rotating menu. A newly built patio increases the seating capacity and offers a peek at Mount Hood.

e bottle shop and wine bar is the brainchild of Jure Poberaj and Nina Jimenez, who also own the White Salmon Baking Co. It’s named after the Soča River, which runs through western Slovenia where Poberaj is from. He was born 200 yards from the Italian border, across which lie the vineyards of storied winemaker Josko Gravner, Poberaj’s uncle.

Poberaj moved to the Washington D.C.area when he was 6 years old after his dad was hired to coach the U.S. Canoe and Kayak team. He became a competitive kayaker himself, and later moved to Oregon to attend Portland State University. Eventually he found his way to Hood River, where he met Jimenez while they were both working at Celilo Restaurant. e robust wine program at the restaurant stirred Poberaj’s imagination.

“ at sparked my interest, and it went from there,” Poberaj said.

He and Jimenez, a pastry chef, opened their bakery in 2015 and it quickly gained a following in White Salmon and beyond with its wood- red baguettes and mouth-watering baked goods. Along with learning the craft of wood- red baking, Poberaj pursued his growing passion for wine. With his family connections, he sourced unique and interesting wines from his home region for the bakery’s weekly Pizza Night, which they launched in part to showcase wines from outside the region.

Expressive

Two Locations:

S uperb summer sipping

finely crafted wines, mountain & vineyard views

“ ere are so many great wines in the Gorge, but we wanted to o er folks wines from elsewhere,” Poberaj said. “At rst, we focused on wines I was familiar with, and then it spread to all of Italy and so on.” Along the way, he and Jimenez planted a three-acre vineyard on their property outside White Salmon, where they grow nebbiolo, friulano and ribolla gialla. ey just released their rst wines in May.

Mt. Hood Winery

For years, the couple had their eye on a long-empty building in White Salmon on Main Avenue next to City Hall. “We always said if we could ever get that building, we’d open a wine shop,” Poberaj said. e stars aligned last year and they were able to buy it. e couple approached Kimmel, a neighbor and a winemaker in her own right, to partner with them and run the shop on a day-to day-basis. Kimmel produces and bottles her own wine under her label, e Color Collector, focusing on gamay, a grape cultivated mostly in Beaujolais, in the French Alps, and in the Loire Valley.

After several years of producing under alternate proprietorship arrangements, including at Analemma Wines in Mosier and Son of Man cidery in Cascade Locks, she now has her own small production facility on her property outside White Salmon. She has an acre of vineyard planted in gamay and chasselas, a white grape grown mostly in Switzerland.

Poberaj and Kimmel’s combined knowledge and connections with di erent producers have created a symbiotic partnership. “Bethany is very knowledgeable about France, and I know a lot about Italy,” Poberaj said.

For Kimmel, exploring wines from diverse regions helps her as a winemaker. “I feel like there’s so much to be gained by tasting wine from around the world,” she said. “ e knowledge of what’s possible and what’s out there as far as avor and texture — it can push you further.” She brings that same passion and extensive knowledge of wine to her role at Soča, where she co-curates the wine selection and manages the shop during operating hours.

Kimmel and Poberaj combine their expertise to source wine for the shop. “We’re trying to create a balance of price and style,” Kimmel said. “We want to represent lots of styles and regions.” Her goal is to ensure that anyone who walks in the door can find an intriguing bottle of wine that falls within their price range.

When sourcing wines, Kimmel and Poberaj also focus on how they’re produced. “The wines we’re most interested in are the ones made by winemakers who are thoughtful and intentional in their practices,” she said. This can range from natural and biodynamic wines to winemakers who are “pushing the limits of what’s possible.” One wine for sale in the shop was bottle-aged underwater.

“We like to find wines that are aging differently, or maybe a winemaker is plowing fields with a horse,” she said. “Anything that helps define the wine.”

Some orange wines could fit the bill — in particular, those produced by Josko Gravner, Poberaj’s uncle, who I later learn pioneered the resurgence of orange wines some twenty years ago as part of his mid-career U-turn from conventional winemaking methods to more ancient techniques, including fermenting in large amphorae imported from Georgia.

Knowing this makes it all the more satisfying to have discovered orange wine at the Soča Wine Shop. I leave with a bottle of Kimmel’s Color Collector gamay noir and a plan to return soon.

To learn more, go to socawineshop.com

General Tips For Visiting Gorge Wine Country

(Courtesy of the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association)

Consider hiring a designated driver.

Refrain from wearing heavily scented items, such as perfumes and lotions. Even lipstick can a ect your wine tasting experience. Allow the day to be lled with the aromas of wine!

Explore varietals unfamiliar to you. Often these can be a delightful surprise.

Ask questions of tasting room sta . Gorge residents are proud to live here and serve local wines, and love to share wine knowledge with others. Ask sta where to have dinner, or where to stay, hike and play.

Don’t be afraid to use the dump buckets. It is not a sign that you don’t care for a wine, and no one will be o ended if you spit out a wine or dump what is left in your glass. On the contrary, most wine sta appreciate that it may be necessary to not swallow every wine in order to maintain your wine tasting pleasure and maintain your palate.

Try a mid-week excursion. Often tasters who visit on a weekday nd the tasting rooms more intimate and the experience more oneon-one.

Have fun. Don’t take it too seriously. After all, wine is about enjoyment on your personal level. Drink what you like and enjoy with others.

WINERY & VINEYARD

Our family has been growing grapes and making wine in a sustainable manner for 30 years in New Zealand and 12 years in the beautiful Columbia Gorge. South Hill, located in Underwood, Washington, is one of the highest-elevation vineyards and wineries in the area, has spectacular views of the Columbia River, Mount Hood, and the Hood River Valley, and is just 20 minutes from Hood River and an hour from Portland. We look forward to sharing our award-winning wines and our story with you. Enjoy the breathtaking view while sampling our wines outdoors in our picnic area, or for rainy days we have a spacious seating area in our working winery.

Google reviews:

• We had a fantastic time enjoying the wine and scenery and talking with the owners. The view from the tasting area was breathtaking, and the wine was the best we had tried in the Hood River gorge. It was quiet and peaceful. 10/10

• Visiting South Hill is a great experience, from the spectacular views to the world-class wines. From the first sip you can tell the Jones family has over 30 years experience in the industry!

Our tasting room is open Friday-Sunday, 12-5 pm, April through mid-November. No reservation is needed for parties under 6. Call us for larger groups.

801 Scoggins Rd., Underwood, WA • southhillvineyards.com • 541-380-1438 • southhillwine@gmail.com