Véronique Drouhin of Roserock: Women Winemaker Q&A
Véronique Drouhin is the winemaker at Roserock in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of Oregon's Willamette Valley, where she brings the experience of her family and her own passion for the craft to wines that represent the culmination of a rich family history.
We spoke with Véronique for our Women Winemakers Q&A series about the challenges of bringing her family's winemaking to Oregon, the thread that runs through all of her wines, and how she chooses from a restaurant wine list.
Bringing a Family Tradition to Oregon
The past year has been challenging for everyone in many different ways. What, if anything, has the last year taught you about your profession or yourself as a winemaker?
The lessons are bigger than wine. Health, climate change, equity, adaptability - these are global concerns. Everything is connected. And, as a person, a family, or a company, you really depend on the community around you.
Your family brought its historic roots to Oregon before any other French winemakers. What were some of the initial challenges you faced?
Everything was a challenge, because we wanted to give our full heart to the adventure. Travel and communication were much different in 1987, as was finding equipment, building our winery, learning what defines Oregon wine. And of course, we had to explain why we were doing something so radical. But we always knew the effort was worth making, independent of how successful it might become.
Her Winemaking Style and the Magic of Roserock
How have you developed your personal winemaking style given your family history?
At this point, it is very hard to separate what style is my grandfather, or my father, or me. It's my life in wine, and I learned from an early age to look for essential things like elegance, finesse, balance and typicity. True, I will make different winemaking choices along the way, but there is definitely a shared family approach to wine.
Is there any one particular characteristic that can be traced through all of your wines? Your personal fingerprint?
If you compare the first wines I made to what I might make today, the thread (I hope) is that the wines have a delicate touch, a clear reflection of vintage and place, and the ability to age nicely.
Magic is hard to describe, isn't it? But you know when a vineyard has its own personality, and whether it's special. That's Roserock, for sure.
Advice, Wine Lists and Life Beyond the Winery
What is one piece of advice you give to women looking to make a career in wine?
Never doubt that you deserve your opportunity.
There are starting to be more opportunities to dine out, whether outdoors or socially distanced. How do you usually go about selecting a wine from a restaurant's wine list?
I like to think about the restaurant's intentions, and the regionality of the cuisine. I also like to try new things, and many times the sommelier might have a personal favorite selection that I would never think to order. So, a good wine idea can come from anywhere!
If you weren't a winemaker, what would you be doing?
If I had had the skills I would have loved to be a pianist!
Shop Roserock Wines
Roserock Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Eola-Amity Hills, the vineyard Véronique describes as having its own personality.
