The 2020 wildfires in Oregon’s Willamette Valley destroyed over 1 million acres and left multiple vineyards with vine damage that would eventually lead to smoke-tainted wine. Rather than lose money on the flawed wine, some wineries instead turned their tainted grapes into spirits while others, like Durant Vineyards, went in a more grill-oriented direction.
The Dayton, Ore. vineyard transformed 800 cases of its smoke-tainted Pinot Noir into a barbeque sauce, which took Durant’s culinary director, Eric Bartle, approximately two months to perfect. Made in partnership with the Lake Oswego-based food manufacturer Paradigm Foodworks, the sauce shines a spotlight on the Pinot Noir grapes’ jammy notes and the undercurrent of smoke from the wildfires. According to the brand, the Pinot Noir Barbeque Sauce also delivers hints of allspice, clove, smoked chipotle chilis, and black pepper.
“Initially, we thought about making brandy from the impacted wine, which we could still do,” said Paul Durant, owner and CEO of Durant Vineyards, in an interview with The Drinks Business. “However, that’s not our area of expertise, whereas culinary development is truly something we excel at.”
The sauce is the latest addition to Durant’s lineup of culinary products, which also includes extra virgin olive oil — the vineyard also operates Oregon’s only commercial olive mill — along with several vinegars, sea salts, and spice blends.
So far, approximately 5,000 bottles of the sauce have been made, though 15,000 more could be produced from the winery’s remaining smoke-tainted wine. As Durant divulged in his interview, production
