Meet The...Winemaker
Tahmiene Momtazi

DISCOVER - July 1, 2009

Persians have been making wine for 1000's of years. Today in the Maysara Winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, Tahmiene Momtazi carries on time-honored traditions. This 26-year old winemaker is shepherding her third vintage of the family's Maysara label. Maysara means "House of Wine" in Farsi.

Inside the winery, overlooking 300 acres of vineyards, she affectionately explained her mother's pride that two years ago she was recognized as the youngest female U.S. winemaker; an unofficial but noteworthy title. Along with Naseem and Hanna, her two younger sisters, Tahmiene enthusiastically and pragmatically recounted her great grandfather's farming practices outside of Tehran. "Never pour chemicals into your farm," he emphasized to Tahmiene's father, Moe, who in-turn instilled an "in-tune with nature" ethic to his daughters.

Maysara is Demeter Certified Biodynamic®, adhering to strict vineyard practices such as spraying tea compost not pesticides on the vines. Its winemaking process is also Demeter Certified Biodynamic® which means that neither fining nor adding yeast, acids, enzymes or sugar is permitted. Moe's biodynamic requirement meant she would have to "throw out practically everything I learned in my winemaking/beermaster classes at Oregon State."

An 8,000 case production across 5 varietals allows Tahmiene to "touch...and taste every single barrel." Most of their wines have Persian names such as Delara ("capture one's heart") that speak to the total experience Tahmiene wants you to enjoy when drinking her wines. Their highly-rated Pinot Noir, Mitra ("an ancient Persian deity of friendship and oaths") is a four-barrel production born from 52 blending trials.

Maysara Winery
15765 SW Muddy Valley Road
McMinnville, Oregon 97128
Phone: 503 843-1234
www.maysara.com

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