"Raise a Glass to Our Newest Hazelnut Heroes: The Treos Wine Team"
Posted on Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Here in the Pacific Northwest, chefs, bakers and
wine-makers share their love of Oregon hazelnuts in unique and delicious
ways. We like to call them our “year-round heroes of hazelnuts.” Meet Our Newest Hazelnut Heroes: The Treos Wine Team.
Ternion, the brainchild of two of
Treos Wine’s
cofounders Steve Jewell-Larsen and Nickie Jepson, is a delicately sweet
and robust hazelnut-infused dessert wine inspired by the full-bodied
ports native to the Douro Valley in Portugal.
With ho
t
and dry summers and cool and wet winters, Douro’s unique climate is key
for growing the rich flavored, local grapes essential to Portugal
ports. Having lived in Spain for several years and spending time in
Portugal, Steve was determined to recreate a port, but with Northwest
ingredients.
After experimenting with a variety of Willamette-Valley crops for
nearly two years Nickie provided the inspiration for using Oregon
hazelnuts. Steve knew Oregon hazelnuts were the only ingredient that
would give him the complex flavor he desired.
To achieve his perfect blend, Steve infuses clones of Pinot noir and
Muscat grapes with a variety of roasted Oregon hazelnuts, then ages it
in French Oak barrels. Steve explains that “by infusing the wine with
hazelnuts dry roasted at a low temperature, you get a tremendously rich
port that displays the character of a Portuguese port – only you’re
using Northwest-grown ingredients.”
You can purchase Ternion directly from Treos Winery in Monmouth, or at specialty wine shops and restaurants around Oregon.
Click to see the article as it went to press...
