The Lumos Wine Company is the product of the efforts of its owner/winemaker, Dai Crisp, who was first introduced to viticulture in 1986 when he helped his parents plant a small, 10-acre vineyard on their farm in Wren, Oregon. In 1990 he became manager of Croft Vineyards where he began to develop his own unique style of grape growing. Then in 1999, Dai took on the 100-acre site at Temperance Hill Vineyard, where he is currently manager. While always interested in the process of wine-making, it wasn’t until Dai had proven to himself and others that he could grow an outstanding wine that he finally made the leap with his own label.
Articles about Lumos, Dai,
and Temperance Hill Vineyard
After several years of working
with vineyards, Dai Crisp decided it was time to try his
hand at making wine. He and his partner, P.K. McCoy, started
Lumos with the help of Rob Stuart of R. Stuart & Co.
in McMinnville, OR and Barney Watson of Tyee Winery in Corvallis,
OR.
“I wanted to make wine
for years; it’s just very expensive to start out,” Crisp
said. Fortunately, he had the right friends. “[There
is] a certain amount of equipment that you absolutely must
have—and the equipment is very expensive. Both Rob
and Barney said ‘get a product out there; figure out
how to sell it—don’t invest in the winery stuff
until you’ve got wine moving.’” They allowed
Crisp to borrow space and equipment until Lumos found its
footing.
And it did. Crisp makes a quaffable
and complex duo of Pinot noirs (Lumos Pinot Noir 02 and Lumos
Pinot Noir “Guam” 02), a soft melon-flavored
Lumos Pinot Gris, and a crisp, Burgundian-style Lumos Chardonnay,
which, by the way, is stellar with grilled fish. Customers
are often curious about the “Guam” Pinot. No,
it does not have any connection to the remote Micronesian
island. Crisp dubbed this wine “Guam” because
it is made from fruit grown on the most remote plot in Temperance
Hill Vineyard
Crisp’s winemaking philosophy
is minimalist: “I try to keep it pretty simple. I try
not to have over-extraction. I let the fruit show what it
has to offer, let it take its course.”
Crisp believes that much of
what is great about wine happens in the barrel, in the aging
process. “I don’t want our wines to be about
the wood and the flavors that it imparts on a wine,” he
explained. “I like what happens to the wine in the
barrel. There’s a very slow rate of oxidation that
occurs because wood is porous, and there’s also concentration
over time because of the evaporation of water and alcohol
through the barrel so, with time . . . it goes through a
change that’s remarkable. I like a lot of time in barrels,
but I don’t want you to be drinking firewood—too
aggressive or oaky. I want you to taste the fruit, not necessarily
the oak.”
On future goals for Lumos Crisp
said, “Hopefully we can make a very high quality wine
that appeals to people… And we’re trying to keep
the pricing as reasonable as we can.” So far, he has
been successful at keeping prices low. His Pinot noirs are
in the $20–$30 range (but they compare to more expensive
ones) and his Pinot Gris and Chardonnay are bargains, under $20.
Grapes for both the Pinot noir and the Chardonnay come from the same vineyard in Wren where Dai now lives with his amazing wife and three children, one goofy dog and two parakeets. The Pinot gris is grown just north of Corvallis at Logsdon Ridge Vineyard, another small family-owned operation.
All the grapes used in the Lumos wines are grown using organic-based fertilizers, certified organic fungicides and mechanical cultivation rather than herbicides. The grapes are grown to produce the greatest potential flavors and complexity. The Pinot noir and Chardonnay are cropped to less than two tons per acre and the pinot gris comes in at two and a half tons per acre.
In addition to understanding how Lumos wines are grown, it is also important to recognize the people who work so hard in all kinds of conditions to ensure the quality of the wine when it reaches you. In the vineyard, the work is done by Bruce Franklin and Javier Garcia and his crew. In the winery, Lumos has had immeasurable help from Rob Stuart and Ben Frum of R. Stuart & Co. in McMinnville, OR and from Barney Watson and Kelly Kidneigh of Tyee Winery in Corvallis, OR.
Engaging aromas of red fruit, blueberry and marionberry with hints of incense and cinnamon. Concentrated flavors of pie cherry, red currant and cranberry evolve into candied cherry and spicy herbal n ...read more
One of our most popular wines at our store in Corvallis, from micro-local winery Lumos. The 2007 is bright with zesty citrus. Lean and crisply refreshing. ...read more
Lumos's new reserve wine, from organic grapes Made by Temperance Hill vineyard manager Dai Crisp. A big, forward wine loaded with black currant and dark berries. ...read more
BEST BUY!!! Dai Crisp has many years of experience with growing the best grapes, now he applies that skill to this delightful Chard. The dijon clone Chards like this one, now coming out of Oregon, are ...read more >>
Pretty notes of white blossom and orange peel waft through the nose on this bright and dry Gewurztraminer. Slight notes of spice show up in the flavors and would pair well with pork loin and apricot ...read more
contains 3 Lemelson Six Vineyard PN 05 $22.50
3 Lange Willamette Valley PN 06 $21.95
3 Lum
