Meet Doctor Dirt: Alan Busacca

Alan Busacca, Ph.D., aka Doctor Dirt, is one of the experts on the Capital Call Vintners team, bringing over 40 years of soil science, geology, and viticulture experience­­­, including 25 years on the faculty at Washington State University. He describes his life as “living outdoors;” working as a geologist and a soil scientist in areas like the oak and pine savanna in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Hell’s Canyon, the Palouse at the foot of the Bitterroots, and now in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains in The Dalles, Oregon. 

Busacca says 20 years ago he wandered to Lyle, WA, to inspect a piece of land for a friend, who was considering it as a possible vineyard site. “Somehow, I had driven through the Columbia Gorge a few times, but never really locked into the idea that on the rain shadow side of the Cascades, there is an oak pine savanna. I got really excited; it felt “right to me” to have gnarly oaks growing in deep soils. I also liked that the rain shadow offered good sun and lots of heat, plus four seasons to the year.” He decided the property, on which he and partner Steve Bruere created at Windhorse Vineyard, offered the perfect combination: a savanna zone perfect for growing wine grapes of exceptional quality and character, a small town that is close enough to an airport, and the grandeur of the Columbia Gorge – rich with geologic history, including active volcanoes and the mighty Columbia River.   

Never not outside, some of Alan’s favorite hobbies include road and gravel biking. He says the biking is tremendous in the long summer dry season, with lots of roads to explore through hills and valleys. He also schedules summer whitewater rafting trips with friends on the wild and scenic White Salmon and Klickitat Rivers. In the winter, it’s cross-country skiing on Mounts Hood and Adams nearby, particularly “skate skiing” on a prepared track.