WHAT IS KING'S NORTH?
King’s North is the story of two brothers, their love of wine, and the vision of creating a label that truly places the grape as the focal point. To us, King’s North is simply about bottling the vineyard; capturing all the natural elements throughout each passing vintage. Specifically, Oregon’s diverse set of regions, vineyards, varietals & clones.
We accomplish this by directing our attention to wholesome grape growing practices, then taking a purest approach inside the winery. Our goal is to produce wines of great character that reflect the flavors developed by the vine, not the winemaker, in order to express the grape's natural terrior.
BEHIND THE LABEL
King of the north
We spent months conceptualizing and seeking a name for our label that would fully capture the story of two brothers from Wisconsin, following their shared passion & moving West in hopes to produce small batch, refined wines that truly reflect a sense of place. So, how do two brothers from the land of beer & cheese catch the wine bug? Good question. It's a complex journey that started in 2010, when we acquired a taste for some of our first wines while studying abroad in Australia. In all honesty we were forced to acquire the taste for wine, because beer prices in Australia were so outrageous at the time. However, this small introduction was enough to spark interest into what would become the start to something special.
Moving forward to our time rooming together in college at Madison, Wisconsin, this is where our interest in wine really started to take hold. We became more deliberate about exploring wines, as it became an interest to study the different regions & varietals from around the world. It was fascinating to us that grapes had the potential to house diversely complex aromas & flavors depending on where they were grown. We became captivated enough to initiate a wine tasting group focused on exploring international & domestic wines through blind tastings, with the goal of trying to correctly identify & describe them. It was around this time, Sid, made the first pivotal & life-changing devotion to wine by switching his degree to Horticulture, with the aim of someday working amongst the vines. He would later intern at a small vineyard outside of Madison, where they grew French hybrid varietals that were cold hardy enough to withstand Wisconsin's frigid winters. As Mac was graduating that Spring, he worked the summer at the vineyard too (we were both paid in beer, while Sid received credits). This raised enough curiosity for Mac to apply for a harvest internship in the Willamette Valley for the 2014 vintage.
Moving to Oregon, Mac was still testing the waters of wine; however, after working weeks of 90 plus hours during the 2014 harvest, he fell in love with the process & small, community-driven industry. Convincing Sid that the Willamette Valley was the future, he followed soon after his graduation at Madison. Being this young to the industry, our goal from the start was to never say no, work harder than ever before, and never stop asking why. Our hands on approach has allowed us to experience wine from the bottom-up, and given us an opportunity to work with talented mentors. Sid is currently the vineyard manager for an eleven acre vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton, while Mac is the sales director for a small producer in Carlton. So, with this story in mind, why the name King's North? It derives from a grape varietal that originated in Madison, Wisconsin called King of the North. The same place where we first fell in love with wine. It's a varietal that is known for its extreme vigor & cold hardiness, able to withstand even the most brutal Midwest winters. With the same mindset we hope to maintain as we try to produce the wines we're extremely passionate about, even in the most difficult vintages.
THE BROTHERS
Sid Heinze
Older brother, turned viticulturist. Sid has now pruned over 50,000 vines in his young life & he's currently spending his time learning tractor work. Sid has worked multiple harvests learning from skilled winemakers at Cristom Vineyards and Pamplin Family Vineyards.
Mac Heinze
The younger brother. Moving first to Oregon to work a harvest at 12th & Maple Wine Co., Mac has now spent over three years as director of sales at Seven of Hearts Winery. He's currently in his final year of finishing a degree in enology at Chemeketa Community College.
OUR PEOPLE
Family is everything, and with this group, it's especially true. They're the ones that make our wine-crazed dream possible, and worthwhile. After all, wine tastes better when this group is together.
OUR CREW
Some of the best & most talented dudes we know. The great & powerful Nick Krusick (shown left) is our graphic designer & videographer. Born badass, Buddy Wilinski (shown right) is our photographer. We are forever grateful to them for capturing our dream into bottle.
