Hamacher Wines

Open: Year-round

The Carlton Winemakers Studio (CWS) is an innovative, "green" cooperative winemaking facility that is an archetype for Oregon's wine industry, and the first of its kind built from the ground up in the nation. The 15,000-square-foot, gravity flow winery, located on two acres in historic Carlton has been home to some of the region's most exciting producers since 2002."We wanted to take advantage of the opportunities building green presents," said Hamacher. "Green buildings take a longer view of costs and quality to create healthy, resource-efficient developments. Our winery is the counterpoint to traditional thinking by taking the stance that economics, environment and functionality can be a good match."

The production efficiency of the design is what allows the cooperative to exist. Most wineries of this size (15,000 cases) may be able to process 30 tons of fruit on a "maximum" day, running into early hours of the next morning. "We've been able to process 130 tons and be home to catch the 11 o'clock news! We're increasing quality at the same time.""By having access to a top-notch winery, we can produce  wines with an economic efficiency of production, in a synergistic environment with other great winemakers, resulting in world-class wines. This is the greatest economic setup I could possibly be in. I don't have to raise the bottle price to have access to great equipment or increase production to support a big infrastructure." said Hamacher.