Winemaker James Rahn went from art school to the United States Marine Corps to becoming one of Chicago’s top sommeliers. He embodies Gunny Highway’s creed from the movie “Heartbreak Ridge.” You adapt. You overcome. You improvise.
James Rahn Wine Co. is known for: Site-specific, single varietal wines. “I don’t blend, and I want the grape variety and site to speak for itself,” Rahn said. Many of his wines are made with non-mainstream varieties such as mondeuse and trousseau.
Innovation: “I control temperatures and move liquid around. I don’t revolutionize a damn thing,” Rahn said. Based on his next response, I think Rahn is being overly modest.
“Must try” current release: 2020 White Pinot Meunier ($30).
Rahn typically uses fruit purchased from RainSong Vineyard in Cheshire to make a red pinot meunier wine. That changed when the grapes were severely damaged by wildfire smoke in 2020.
When Rahn learned the owner’s crop insurance wouldn’t adequately compensate for the pinot meunier grapes, he offered to buy them. “I offered half no matter what happened and full-price if I went to market with a wine,” Rahn said.
Wildfire smoke carries potentially damaging volatile phenol compounds that can penetrate grape skins. Rahn’s strategy was to gently press the grapes and separate the juice from the skins as quickly as possible. The technique also prevented the skins from imparting much color to Rahn’s wine. There is a high probability this is the first commercial non-sparkling white pinot meunier made in the United States.
The wine is a delicious, non-smoky combination of scents and flavors of white peaches, lemon sorbet, laundry powder and wild ginger. “I’m really proud of this wine because it is born of necessity. It is such a good, fun wine, I think I will make a red and a white pinot meunier every year,” Rahn said.
History: Rahn, the pride of Aurora, Illinois, is a certified sommelier who created award-winning wine lists at restaurants such as Stephanie Izard’s The Girl and the Goat in Chicago and Portland’s Heathman Restaurant & Bar. His first commercial wine release was a riesling from the 2013 vintage. For the past several years, he has been making wine full-time in Carlton.
What we don’t know: Rahn is a proud Husky. After he left the Marines, he earned an English degree with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Washington.
Pinot noir-lovers might like to know that Rahn recently made a refreshing nouveau-style pinot for New Seasons Market. You can find it under their private “Overjoy” label for $16.99.
Biggest Inspiration: Luisa Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards in Sherwood. “I worked in her cellar when I first moved to Oregon, and I appreciated her no b.s., get things done approach,” Rahn said.
Key insight: You do not have to go to a place like the University of California, Davis, to learn how to make wine.
When Rahn started thinking about making wine, he had a long chat with winemaker Robert Brittan of Brittan Vineyards in McMinnville. “He told me, ‘Don’t bother with schools. Come out here and get a crappy cellar job for equally crappy pay. Do that for three or four years to learn what you need to know. Then buy a bunch of fruit, go into credit card debt and “boom,” you’re a winemaker,’” Rahn said.
Last book read: “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel García Márquez.
Where to buy: James Rahn Wine Co. produces nearly 3,000 cases a year, making it reasonably easy to find the wines in Portland. Rahn currently has distribution in nine states besides Oregon, intending to add a few more soon.
One of Rahn’s biggest supporters is Gretchen Eichentopf, co-owner of the legendary Otto’s Sausage Kitchen in Southeast Portland. While you are there, I highly recommend taking home Otto’s “kitchen sink” sandwich and a bottle of Rahn’s syrah. They were meant for each other.
Bottle shops selling Rahn’s wines include 45th Parallel Wines in St. Johns and Pairings Portland.
Rahn’s wines are also carried in several grocery stores, from World Foods to Zupan’s Markets. Besides Otto’s, your best bets for finding multiple Rahn wines in one stop are Green Zebra on Southeast Division, Roth’s Fresh Markets’ Vista location in Salem and New Seasons Market in Grant Park.
To sip a James Rahn Wine Co. wine with a meal or by the glass in Portland, visit The Hoxton, Saint Jack or Vino Veritas. If you have a California trip planned, Rahn’s wines are served at High Treason and State Bird Provisions in San Franciso, as well as Dudley Market in Venice Beach.
jamesrahnwineco.com or [email protected].
— Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at [email protected]. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.
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