Photo: Leah Jorgensen recycles her wine boxes as part of her regenerative cardboard cover no-till garden. Last week, I had an engaging conversation about regenerative gardening with two herbalists in Eugene, Oregon and it turned into an impromptu interview about all things regenerative, including restructuring my wine business into a regenerative business model and what […]
In 2011 I came up with an idea. I had a vision for an Oregon wine beyond the state’s love affair with Pinot Noir. There’s no place in America quite like Southern Oregon for growing the best Cabernet Franc in the same echelon as the home of arguably the best Cabernet Franc in the world, […]
Since I’ve studied herbalism and adapted to an herbalist’s lifestyle, I have enjoyed working with roses. From rosebuds, to mature rose petals, to rose hips – Rosa rubiginosa is a magical plant with all kinds of health benefits or Materia Medica. One of the best and easiest ways to utilize rose is to simply dry […]
Welcome, 2024. This is the official start of a new era for LJC Wine Co., the parent company of Leah Jørgensen Cellars. What marks this era is the restoration of Cabernet Franc as my primary focus, without distraction. While spinning the bottles of my many expressions of Loire-inspired Northwest grown and produced varietals over the […]
Cabernet Franc Day lands on December 4th each year and we believe it’s the perfect occasion (and wine!) to kick off the Holiday Season! Cabernet Franc is certainly lovely year-round. But, there’s just something about this time of year when we pull on a sweater, get cozy by the fire, and enjoy a balanced red […]
As Thanksgiving nears, I am feeling nostalgic for so many wonderful Thanksgivings past. Growing up in Virginia, Thanksgiving was marked with a stunning landscape of colorful leaves, crisp air, cozy sweaters and a beautifully decorated dining room underneath my mother’s sentimental Austrian crystal chandelier. This is important because the traditions came with the ritualistic tasks […]
According to Wikipedia: “A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is a period of time when students take a break from their studies, usually after completing high school or before beginning graduate school. During this time, students engage in a variety of educational and developmental activities, such as traveling, working, volunteering, or taking […]
Summertime brings me the best memories of chewy, bubbly, Neapolitan pizza – especially when reminiscing about my travels to Italy to visit parts of the Campania where my maternal great-grandparents were born and raised. While pizza is delicious anytime of year – there’s something about an outdoor pizza oven baking a fresh pie in the […]
Photo: Me back in 2016 staging the 2015 red wine barrels to prepare blends for bottling. Every vintner has an unforgettable vintage. Tucked away in the hallowed spaces where memory pirouettes and swoons with nostalgia for a special time, place, and moment – there are markers of a great vintage that ripple with such distinction […]
Let me share a once-in-a-lifetime story. As many of you probably already know, aside from being a winemaker, I am also a writer and a storyteller. My undergraduate degree was in Literature and Creative Writing. I also minored in Classics, Art History and Cultural Anthropology because those subjects were centered around human stories, as well. On the academic […]
