Winery spotlight: Turning Tide winery

After two decades spent helping Joel Gott Wines become a global wine juggernaut, winemaker Alisa Jacobson is now taking the world by storm with her new Turning Tide Wines label. If you want high-quality California and Oregon wines for reasonable prices, surf this tide with abandon.

Turning Tide Wines is best known for: using organic and sustainably farmed grapes to make reasonably priced wines with elevated acidity, restrained alcohol percentages and plenty of fruit, spice and savory notes.

Jacobson works exclusively with vineyards in regions that benefit from the Pacific Ocean’s cooling fog and winds. “That cool maritime influence is critical to making my style of wines,” Jacobson said.

“Must try” current releases: Jacobson suggested her Turning Tide 2021 Red Blend ($24.99) and 2020 White Blend ($19.99). The red blends grenache with mourvèdre, while the white combines chenin blanc and verdelho. Both wines are made with fruit from the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County.

I’ll add the two excellent Willamette Valley pinot noirs that Jacobson makes right here in Dundee.

The Turning Tide Eola-Amity Pinot Noir is made with organically farmed grapes from the Sojeau Vineyard. While the first two vintages are sold out, the 2021 might hit the market next year.

In the meantime, check out Jacobson’s recently bottled 2021 Rare North Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. It is fantastic. Seriously, at $21 a bottle, consider buying at least six bottles of this ethereal pinot. Shipping is only $1 if you buy a case.

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Innovation: Turning Tide lowers its carbon footprint using glass bottles weighing approximately one pound. Glass wine bottles typically hit 2.6 pounds on the scale. The labels on Turning Tide bottles are made with recycled paper.

Jacobson also shifted her farming focus to Santa Ynez to avoid depleting scarce water resources in areas like Sonoma. “Santa Ynez has a lot of natural underground water sources for the vines to tap into,” Jacobson said.

Santa Ynez has the added benefit of not being surrounded by forests that can catch fire and dump harmful smoke onto grapes. Jacobson said that her grapes get added smoke protection from Santa Barbara County’s cleansing on-shore winds.

History: After attending the University of California, Davis, Jacobson spent three years making sparkling wines, followed by a two year stint with Joseph Phelps Vineyards. In 2003, Jacobson left Joseph Phelps to go to work for Joel and Sarah Gott at Joel Gott Wines in Napa.

Jacobson rose through the ranks to become the vice president of winemaking at Joel Gott Wines, effectively running winemaking and grower relations in California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as projects in Argentina, Chile, Italy, France and New Zealand. She launched her Turning Tide label with a pair of wires from the 2018 vintage.

Late last year, Jacobson left Joel Gott Wines to focus full-time on her Turning Tide label. Part of the Turning Tide plan involves the Willamette Valley vineyard recently purchased by Los Angeles-based John and Gillian Wagner. The vineyard, now named Halona Woods, is managed by Jacobson, along with consulting viticulturist Mitchell Klug.

Halona Woods Vineyard is now being farmed organically, with Jacobson planning to incorporate the pinot noir fruit into future vintages of her Rare North wine.

What we don’t know: Jacobson is an accomplished scuba diver who has explored oceans and seas worldwide. Her favorite dive so far was the Galápagos Islands. She also loves Metallica.

Favorite “getaway spot” in Oregon: Cape Kiwanda at Pacific City. “Pelican Brewing is a nice bonus,” Jacobson said.

Last book read: “The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California,” by Mark Arax.

Where to buy: Turning Tide Wines is in the early stages of entering the Oregon market, so your best bet is to order through the winery’s website.

Turning Tide’s California and Oregon wines are made with grape varieties ranging from chenin blanc and verdejo to pinot noir. The wines range in price from $17 to $42, with most falling in the $20-$24 range. You’ll pay just $1 for shipping if you put a case together.

Another option is to pick up the wine yourself. No, you don’t have to drive to California. Jacobson has a warehouse in McMinnville and arrangements can be made to pick your wines up there.

Whole Foods Market locations in Oregon have the 2021 Turning Tide Wines Sauvignon Blanc, made with certified organic grapes from California’s Central Coast region. Turning Tide’s certified organic cabernet sauvignon hits Oregon Whole Foods stores later this fall.

turningtidewines.com or wave@turningtidewines.com.

-- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.

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