Lonnie Wright, The Dalles

A modernized spin on “Jack and the Beanstalk,” set in a valley in the Gorge, could be entitled: “Lonnie and the Old Vine.” But this version would forgo any enchanted shortcuts of magic beans or hens that lay golden eggs. Instead it would rely on less-fanciful devices familiar to many-a-farmer: determination, business savvy, and a good amount of “sweat and blisters.”

The protagonist is Lonnie Wright, a first-generation grape grower based in The Dalles, and a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau Board of Directors. His co-star is a hearty old vine of zinfandel grapes, whose literal roots go back almost 100 years. The setting: picturesque Mill Creek Canyon, home to more cherries than grapes.

In the mid-1800s, the first Catholic priest to cross the Cascades arrived at Fort Dalles. He was a Frenchman named Toussant Mesplie. Agog at the amount of available land, he convinced one of his brothers, Theodore, to ditch the gold rush in California and join him up north. Theodore complied and eventually established a farm, where Wright and his family live today, in 1852.

Exactly how and when the zinfandel vine was planted is a bit of a mystery. Wright favors the tale of an Italian rock mason named Comini, who was commissioned to work on the scenic Columbia Gorge highway. Comini was said to have brought zinfandel cuttings from Italy, which he ended up situating on a steep southern slope in a canyon, an ideal location for this particular grape variety.

Based on stories he’s heard from locals and the fact that the historic Columbia River Highway began construction in 1913, Wright thinks that the vineyard was established around 1914. This was also the year that Prohibition started in Oregon; families were able to make a limited amount of their own wine, and some in The Dalles region planted grape vines in order to do so.

Flash forward 71 years to 1985. Wright had heard through the grapevine that a cherry orchardist was interested in reviving an old vineyard. At that time, the vine had been abandoned for about 20 years. It took a lot of pruning, 2x2 stake-driving, and the installation of a drip irrigation system to revive the vineyard.

From 1985 to 1998, Wright worked on the old vine, as well as on a nearby cherry orchard, on other vineyards in the area, and for an irrigation shop he started in The Dalles with a friend. To make a long story short, the landowner who owned the farm with the old vine invited the Wrights to move in and care not only for the vineyard, but the entire 650-acre property, which included pastureland and hay fields leased out to neighbors. By 2002, Wright had purchased the farm, though he quickly sold off portions of it to two cherry growers.

“When I first set foot on the property, I thought this is beautiful,” says Wright. “To own it and continue the vineyard work is a real dream come true.”

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These are authentic stories from real farmers.  Any editorial content does not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the Agri-Business Council of Oregon or our members.