Sacred Shore Wines

Founded by Andrew Riechers and John Soares in 2021 to explore their mutual love of both Galician wines and the incredible terroir that Oregon has to offer. John started his wine journey in the vineyards of California's Central Coast before returning to Oregon to explore a different side of the wine business. For over a decade John has represented some of the finest wines available to the Oregon market through the Wasserman, K. Lynch, Dressner, Jose Pastor, De Maison, etc. catalogues. His obsessive curiosity has led him across the world, amassing a knowledge of culinary and vinous traditions alike. Andrew stumbled into a cellar at the age of 21 and never left. He is beyond fortunate to have spent the last twenty years or so crafting inspiring Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays alongside an embarrassment of winemakers, Maggie Harrison, Jim Prosser, Ted Lemon, Claire Naudin and Matthias Pippig. He is happiest in the woods, when the TrailBlazers are good, or cooking over a fire.

My Fair Lady repeats the line that the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain, while useful as a lesson in elocution, we learn nothing about where the rain actually falls in Spain. The reality is that moisture from the Atlantic funnels up the chiseled river valleys of Galicia and precipitates at a remarkably similar rate as our own Willamette Valley. Those marine influences mirror our own proximity to the Pacific and shape wines of nervous tension, and satiating depth. Terroir though, is much more than weather, and as banal as it is to say we are in pursuit of Burgundian Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in the Willamette Valley, it would be just as wearisome to reference the Gallegos as anything other than the culture that shapes wines that we love. These cultivars will thrive here, and from them, we will make wines we want to drink, and are beyond proud to share with you. 

This journey started with the singular Treos Vineyard, located between Monmouth and Corvallis in the middle of the Willamette Valley, where just over an acre of Albariño is planted, while visiting the vineyard, they were gently distracted by the uppermost corner where, tucked against the oaks, 700 Sangiovese vines selected from the Biondi-Santi vineyards call home. In 2022, after years of anticipation the Three Mile Vineyard produced its first crop. Located just south of The Dalles, the easternmost point of the Columbia River Gorge that receives rainfall, the Mitchell Wine group planted a kaleidoscope of cultivars, hoping a cadre of adventurous winemakers would come knocking.

The incredible artwork that you see on our labels is the product of John’s Printmaking Professor, Yuji Hiratsuka, who taught at Oregon State University for over 30 years. Yuji has shown his multi-coloured intaglio prints all over the world and we are beyond thrilled that his beautiful images grace our labels. 

https://www.yujihiratsuka.com/