Scott Henry Honored

SOWI celebrates Oregon wine original with eponymous vineyard

By OWP Staff

Born and raised in Umpqua, Calvin “Scott” Henry III (Scott) grew up working on the family farm. After graduating from Roseburg High School and Oregon State University with an engineering degree, Henry spent 13 years as an aeronautical engineer before returning home.

Knowing the climate of the Umpqua Valley was similar to Burgundy, Henry took a chance, planting a 12-acre vineyard in 1972; he released his first wines in 1980.

Always striving for perfection, Henry designed a trellis system that increased fruiting via a split canopy. The Scott Henry Trellis System immediately became popular with grapegrowers and is now used in many of the world’s winegrowing regions, such as South Africa, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand and Australia.

In 2012, Henry was inducted into the OSU Engineering Hall of Fame. This prestigious honor recognizes alumni who used their engineering degrees to pioneer creative opportunities and launch a previously unimagined career trajectory.

Over the years, Henry has been an active member of the Oregon Winegrowers Association (OWA) in the Umpqua region and was one of the people responsible for combining all the regions into one cohesive statewide organization. He has served as president of the Umpqua Chapter of the OWA and as chairman of the state OWA Board of Directors. He was a member of the Table Wine Research Advisory Board and Oregon Wine Advisory Board, including two years as that agency’s chairman.      

Henry has also been a driving force behind the establishment of the Southern Oregon Wine Institute. In 2006, he led a task force that developed the academic program and strategic plan for SOWI. He tirelessly promoted SOWI during its developmental years and had a leading role again in 2009 as one of the campaign chairs raising funds for the construction of the Danny Lang Center.

For his contributions to education and industry, Henry was honored June 3 at the dedication of the Scott Henry Vineyard at SOWI on the Umpqua Community College campus.

Henry reiterated how education and the production of great wines is intertwined. “You cannot name a famous winegrowing region in the world that does not have a teaching facility as the core of its industry.”

And at the core of Oregon’s industry is Scott Henry III.