New wine to join valley's crop.

Byline: Joe Mosley The Register-Guard

CROW - The name came to Dan Smith about 20 years ago as his property - two hillsides with a gully running between them - was being plowed and planted in wine grapes.

"When it got all worked up, me and my father-in-law were looking across at it," Smith says. `I said, `That looks like a perfect butt up there.' '

There you have it: Sweet Cheeks.

It's been the informal name of Smith's 48-acre vineyard where he has produced pinot noir, reisling and pinot gris grapes over the past two decades for sale to wineries including Hinman - just across Briggs Hill Road - and King Estate in Lorane.

And the name will stick when Smith opens his Sweet Cheeks Winery this summer and begins processing wines under his own brand.

"I've been growing grapes about 20 years, and decided it was finally time to put in a little winery," Smith says.

He has applied for a special use permit with Lane County's Land Management Division, to change the use of a 4,000-square-foot building on his property from agricultural to a commercial winery.

Even with the change, "it's still a farm use in a farm zone," says Veneta land use consultant Harry Taylor, hired by Smith to help navigate the permit process.

The building itself has something of a history: It was a warehouse in the Junction City area, and its owner offered the materials to Smith if he'd tear it down. Smith reused all of the roof trusses and much of the lumber, then finished it with new siding.

"Then I decided this is just too nice a place for a shop, so let's make it a winery," says Smith, who also owns G&D Chillers, Inc., a west Eugene manufacturer of refrigeration equipment for wineries.

Smith says he expects to spent $250,000 to $300,000 in converting the vineyard building to a winery and getting production underway.

His new winery's tanks already are being built, a wine press has been purchased and a pressure destemmer is on order. Lorri Norman will serve as the winery's manager, and Brad Beihl will be its winemaker, with other employees to be hired as needed.

Sweet Cheeks will join at least 19 other southern Willamette Valley wineries, according to the online guide Wines Northwest.

A limited quantity of 2004 vintage wine has been produced under the Sweet Cheeks label by other local wineries and will be available when Smith's winery opens, with the target date of July 4.

The winery is expected to be fully operational in time for this fall's harvest, with the 2005 Sweet Cheeks vintage all being produced in-house. The winery will have a tasting room.

Smith said his winery's limited-edition, premium wine will sell for about $30 a bottle. But the winery will produce wines primarily aimed at a moderate price range of $12 to $18 per bottle.

Smith has modest expectations heading into the new venture, hoping for an initial 3,000 cases of wine a year. But the winery will have a capacity to produce 30,000 gallons.

"Let's just open the doors and see what happens," he says.