Calvin Scott Henry III, a renowned winemaker, passed away on Thursday at the age of 86.
Henry, better known by his stage name Scott, was a pioneer in the Umpqua Valley wine industry. In 1972, Henry started planting the first portion of his vineyard in Umpqua. In 1978, Henry Estate Winery was established.
Henry was raised on a ranch in the Umpqua hills. He completed his education at Roseburg High School after attending Umpqua School, a one-room schoolhouse at the time, through the eighth grade.
He had always wanted to work on farms or as a rancher. During his orientation as a freshman at Oregon State College—now known as Oregon State University—that changed. Students were informed about the several educational options accessible to them by deans from the different institutions.
As the industry shrunk back, Henry returned home and decided to try his hand at growing wine grapes. He planted 12 acres in 1972 but wasn’t pleased with the results. The grapes were prone to rot, due to the region’s gray skies and rain. A decade later he came up with a solution. Henry found a way to split the canopy and expose the fruit to more sunlight and produce better quality fruit. The Scott Henry Trellis System, is now a popular method of growing grapes, that is used worldwide.
Leading Henry Estate Winery for decades kept him busy after that. In 2012, he was inducted to OSU’s Engineering Hall of Fame.
In his family life, Henry married Sylvia Martin with whom he had three children: Scotty Syndi and Shari. Eventually he became a grandfather and great-father. His family called him “The Great One”.
Henry passed away in Woodburn, where he had been receiving care for a few months, surrounded by family members. A celebration of life is in the planning stages.