Foris Vineyards Winery

Passing through the small town of Cave Junction (population 2071), you may not know one of of Oregon’s most established wineries, Foris Vineyards, has been quietly sitting here since 1974. You also may not know that wine critics have awarded a number of 90+ scores for Foris wines this year, including Wine Enthusiast and James Suckling in spring of 2023. Foris has been a true viticultural pioneer for five decades. The family-owned Oregon winery has two generations of winemaking. Specializing in Alsatian wines like Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat and Pinot Gris, the winery excels at making Burgundian variety wines too, like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Foris is off the beaten path and well worth the journey. Located in the Illinois Valley within in the Rogue Valley AVA, Foris is less than 30 miles west of the I-5 freeway, toward the Oregon coast. With 400+ acres of vineyard land, 200 of it planted with wine grapes in Southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley AVA, the family-owned Oregon winery was founded by Ted Gerber and his late wife Meri. The winery employs their daughter Alicia in the tasting room. While the wine is distributed in 37 states plus Canada and Japan, the reach of Foris is far beyond its Oregon borders, and notoriety from critics is on the rise. Visitors are treated to stunning views as they approach Foris Vineyards nestled in a pristine alpine valley in Oregon’s rugged Siskiyou Mountains. The final reward is tasting beautiful award-winning wines in the quaint tasting room.  Winemaker Stephanie Pao has been at the helm of Foris wine production since 2017. She has a degree in molecular biology, as well as having studied viticulture and enology at UC Davis, and experience in vineyards and wineries in Oregon, Washington, California and New Zealand. As one of the first vineyards in the Illinois Valley, Ted Gerber is a self taught, hands-on grower. In 1977, when Oregon State University imported from France just a few dozen clones of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Gewürztraminer, Gerber was one of six growers in Oregon to receive them. Located only a few miles north of the California border, Foris is made up of five ranches, with some of the buildings, including the main house and tasting room, literally built by hand by Gerber. Tasting Room Open Daily, 11 -5