The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Geoff Hall of Argyle Winery. In this interview, Geoff talks about how he got involved in wine - first through botany, then viticulture, and finally through the people he met along the way.

Geoff shares about growing up in Boise and attending the University of Idaho with intentions of becoming a doctor. That changed when he took a course in botany, and his professor encouraged him to find a career path he was more passionate about.

Geoff talks about being introduced to the viticulture industry...

This interview is with Claudia Bowers, a wine sales manager. In this interview, Claudia talks about her childhood in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and her move to San Fransisco as a teenager.

Claudia shares about her years working in the beauty industry, helping her sister in the wine world, and eventually discovering her passion for wine. She discusses taking WSET courses, managing tasting rooms and wine clubs, and creating her “On Tour” tasting experiences.

She also reflects on her family influences, her love for cooking and travel, and her goal...

This interview is with Ben Eyer and Stephanie Bojarski of Finite Cellars. In this interview, Stephanie and Ben talk about how their shared interest in wine began in graduate school. Ben was pursuing a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, and Stephanie was an engineering Ph.D. student. 

They share their story of moving from Pennsylvania to Oregon, despite having no prior familiarity with the state—where Ben gained hands-on experience through harvest jobs and Stephane continued her career at Intel, transitioning from research into quantitative computing. 

Stephanie and Ben talk...

This interview is with Lisa Parks of Brut Wine Bar. In this interview, Lisa talks about her journey from working in crisis counseling and concert promotion to owning a wine bar and building community in Astoria, Oregon.

Lisa shares about her time living in Denver and later moving to Oregon — her first time living on the West Coast. After years of working in psychology and event work, she wanted a change and purchased a wine bar in Astoria. Lisa discusses her interest in creating a gathering place where people could connect over wine and co...

This interview is with Thomas Houseman of Radiant Sparkling Wine Company. In this follow-up interview, Thomas talks about what he has been up to since we last spoke in 2018.

Last time we spoke to Thomas he was working at Anne Amie as the winemaker. He was just starting to make sparkling wine and he worked with Radiant to bottle it. 

Thomas talks about making the move to Michigan to make wine with Two Lads Winery to further his sparkling wine knowledge. 

In 2023, Thomas returned to...

This interview is with Tiquette Bramlett of Henderson Ave Wines. In this follow-up interview, Tiquette talks about what she has been up to since we last spoke in 2021 and her new wine label.

Tiquette shares about her wine education and becoming a sommelier. In her class, she was most drawn to Oregon wines, and a mentor encouraged her to visit Oregon wine country.

Tiquette talks about coming to the Willamette Valley for the first time and a temporary visit turning into a permanent move. She worked at several different...

This interview is with Jody Bogle of Bogle Family Vineyards. In this interview, Jody talks about her family’s wine business and her time at Linfield.

Jody shares about her family’s history of farming: her grandpa was an early wine pioneer in the Clarksburg region of California. Her parents started Bogle Family Vineyards in 1968, so she jokes that she never knew there was another career option outside of wine.

Jody talks about her family’s history with Linfield, how both her parents attended the school, and she her first...

This interview is with Jules Moseley of Harvest Moon Sangria Bar. In this interview, Jules talks about her work in the hospitality industry and how it led her to sangria.

Jules shares about growing up in Newberg and working her first hospitality job at Jem 100, a classic diner in town. She loved working with people and “the instant gratification of a tip,” so she knew she wanted to stay in the industry.

Jules talks about moving to Hawaii and working at Kuleana Rum Shack starting in 2019. It was here that...

This interview is with Patrick Spencer of the Natural Cork Council. In this interview, Patrick shares his journey from restaurants to wine to cork.

Patrick was born and raised in Conneticut, where his parents owned a "classic American steakhouse." He was involved in the restaurant world early on, and in 2005 opened his own French restaurant in the Berkshires.

In 2008, he moved to Oregon and was hired at Willamette Valley Vineyards as their Sustainability Coordinator. It was during a trip to Portugal that he became fascinated with cork forests and the families that farmed them.

This interview is with Angela Gargano of Fresh Take Creative. In this interview, Angela talks about her journey to start her boutique marketing agency and some of the careers and hobbies she’s explored along the way.

Angela shares about growing up in the midwest and working in her family’s fine-dining Italian restaurant. She remembers wine being very special to her family, and her dad asking her opinion about wines brought by merchants. She also speaks to visiting family in Sicily and discovering how important wine was to that culture.

This interview is with Jack Trenhaile of Hyland Estates. In this interview, Jack talks about becoming the vineyard manager at Hyland in McMinnville and his work over those 31 years.

Jack shares about growing up on a farm in northeast Nebraska, attending a one-room schoolhouse until high school, and then leaving home to join the Air Force. In 1968, Jack and his wife moved so he could attend the University of Hawaii, where he worked for a bookstore and started a hobby farm in their backyard.

Jack talks about moving back to Oregon in 1973, purchasing a farm...

This interview is with Michael Bathurst of Vin de Garde. In this interview, Michael talks about starting his own wine importing business and his travels through France to meet producers.

Michael shares about growing up in Detroit before moving to the west coast as an adult. He worked many years as a CPA and later with mergers and acquisitions, both in Portland and San Francisco. It was in SF that he joined a wine tasting group and his interest was sparked.

Michael talks about starting to work for another...

This interview is with Mike, Mary Ann, and Meara McNally of Fairsing Vineyard. In this interview, the McNally family talks about their move from Texas to Oregon, and the shift from grape growers to wine producers.

Mike, Mary Ann, and Meara McNally share about moving to Oregon in 2005 in search of a new project. Mary Ann had studied wine at Grayson College in Texas, and she had visited Oregon several times to see family and taste wine.

The family talks about the process of bringing the vineyard online, building...

This interview is with Anna Hanson of Granville Wine Co. In this interview, Anna talks about first getting into the wine scene in northwest Indiana and her eventual move to Oregon wine country.

Anna shares about her first career in photo journalism and videography, in which she took pictures and videos of events in her hometown. She was also a concert promoter, taking that media and using it to spread the word about which bands were coming to town.

After her friend opened a wine bar, she started working...

This interview is with Eric Foster. In this interview, Eric talks about his experience working with several different wineries, including Keeler, Duke’s, Andante, and Left Coast.

Eric shares about his introduction to the wine industry when a friend asked him to join the harvest crew at Keeler in 2017. After this, he worked another harvest at Duke’s and at Andante. Around that time, Eric was also attending Oregon State to study earth science and oceanography.

Later in the interview, Eric discusses his more recent cellar job at Left Coas...

This interview is with Blair and L.J. Nicholas of LucidWild Estate. In this interview, Blair and L.J. talk about their life in California before wine and how they ended up owning a vineyard in Dundee.

Before wine, L.J. worked in the fitness industry in operations and marketing, and Blair worked as a security fraud lawyer. They started becoming interested in wine as an alternative to other alcohols, and soon began traveling internationally to taste and learn more.

After starting a backyard vineyard in San Diego, Blair...

This interview is with Nick and Dana Blizzard of Blizzard Wines. In this interview, Nick and Dana talk about their entry into the wine industry after working office jobs in the city and their next steps planting their vineyard.

Nick and Dana met in high school, went to college together, and then moved from office life into the wine industry. Dana had joined an amateur winemaking club with the desire to make a physical product that she could share with people. Her parents already owned a vineyard, which she managed in exchange for the...

This interview is with Megan Masterson of Daughter's Wine Shop. In this interview, Megan speaks about her early interest in wine, food, and hospitality and how she and her mother had always hoped to open a hospitality space together.

Megan speaks about her life growing up and her college experience in Montreal. She then describes how she came to Oregon and how the idea for Daughter's began to take shape.

Later, she talks about the space, the events, and the wines/people she is working with. She speaks about the unique challenges of Gearhart and...

This interview is with Nicholas Caluori of Secus Wines. In this interview, Nicholas talks about his variety of experiences working wine harvests all around the world and how he started his own label.

Nicholas shares about growing up in Kirkland, Washington, where his family owned an Italian restaurant. When he started working at the restaurant in the early 2000s, wine was starting to boom in the Pacific Northwest, and he had to know about wine in order to better serve guests.

While originally he was more interested in beer...

This interview is with Rob Alstrin of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Rob talks about his initial career in tech, when wine sparked his interest, and how he made his passion his job.

Rob shares about working for a semiconductor company both in the states and later in Australia. He first moved to Sydney in 1990 and would take weekend trips to the Hunter Valley wine region. After studying wine marketing at the University of Adelaide, he returned stateside to find a job in wine.

While working with a distributor...

This interview is with Lydia DeRoss of Beyond the Vine. In this interview, Lydia talks about how her passion for wine was sparked and how that passion drove her to leave the world of accounting to join the wine industry.

Lydia shares about growing up in Tumalo, Oregon, and starting a career in accounting. After an initial interest in wine, she took a WSET class with Linfield in 2020 in order to learn more. This expanded her palette and encouraged her to try many new wines.

Later in the interview...

This interview is with Luisa Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards. In this interview, Luisa talks about growing up in the wine industry and finding her own place in it.

Luisa shares about what it was like to grow up in the early Oregon wine industry, making friends with other kids in wine families and others not really understanding what her family did. Though she originally went to school for biology to enter the medical field, she graduated with a degree in English Literature.

In 1991, Luisa returned to her family’s wi...

This interview is with Jacques Lardière of Résonance Wines. In this interview, Jacques speaks about his early introduction to wine and his passion for the science behind winemaking.

He then talks about the Oregon part of his career, after 40 years working for the Jadot family in Burgundy. He speaks on how Jadot found and acquired Résonance and how the project has gone so far. And he talks about the potential of the wines from the site and from Oregon.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on...

This interview is with Bailey Mayer of Proteus Wines. In this interview, Bailey talks about how he ended up owning a vineyard in Oregon and what he has learned in the process.

Bailey shares about growing up in Colorado and attending the University of Colorado in Boulder to get a degree in finance and accounting. Shortly after, he moved to Philadelphia and worked in bank regulatory compliance for 20 years. It was in Philadelphia that he met his husband, Jerry, after joining a swim league.

Bailey was introduced to wine...

This interview is with Michael Krikorian of Bottle Bodega. In this interview, Michael talks about his experience working in various restaurants and how his passion for wine has grown.

Michael shares about growing up in Montana on his family’s 6,000 acre farm. In 1998 he moved to the west coast, where he spent 11 years working at a San Francisco restaurant called The Cove. When the owners opened another restaurant, this one a fine-dining establishment, he found himself learning to take wine more seriously.

After learning about restaurants from the service an...

This interview is with Mike Bacus of Bacus Vineyards. In this interview, Mike talks about his early career in computer programming and databases and how he made the transition into the wine industry.

Mike shares about growing up in Chicago while his dad worked as a biomedical engineer. This led to an interest in biotech engineering, which was his focus in college. After helping to develop a program to detect cancer cells, he started his own custom programming and database company before joining the team at Amazon in the early 2000s.

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This interview is with Lauren Clark of Bergström Wines. In this interview, Lauren talks about how she got into wine and why she wants to continue learning.

Lauren shares about growing up in central California in an agricultural region, and how it was always part of her life. She moved to Oregon to attend Oregon State University, get out of California, and get away from agricultural work. Instead, she started in the food science program.

While she was initially interested in beer, she later became fascinated by wine a...

This interview is with Terry Culton of Willamette Valley Vineyards. In this interview, Terry speaks about his early days in wine and his first tenure at Willamette Valley Vineyards. He also talks about his lengthy career on the central coast of California, and how he ended up back at Willamette Valley Vineyards.

Terry speaks about the many places he's worked and wines he has produced, and the multitude of wines and vineyards he gets to interact with now. He talks about the challenges of making good wine at scale and about how the Oregon wine industry has...

This interview is with Jean-Michel Jussiaume of Maison Jussiaume. In this interview, Jean-Michel talks about his upbringing in France and how he eventually found himself making wine in Oregon.

Jean-Michel shares about growing up in the Loire Valley in France and how wine has always been a constant in his life. He then goes on to share how he did not intend to become a winemaker, until he fell in love with the process and product.

Later in the interview, Jean-Michel talks about his wine education and travels. He then goes on to share some...

This interview is with Jenna White of The Dundee Hotel. In this interview, Jenna talks about her love for hospitality and how she blends this passion with wine. 

Jenna shares about her childhood and the many impactful people and milestones that led her to where she is today. She dives into her journey with hospitality and how that has always been a throughline in her career.

Later in the interview, Jenna talks about how she found herself getting involved with wine. She then goes on to share about her return to Oregon. Jenna also talks a...

This interview is with Randall Coats of Wine4dappl. In this interview, Randall talks about his path through the wine industry and how he found his way to Oregon.

Randall talks about growing up in Detroit and how he found his first opportunity with wine with the help of his grandmother. He goes on to discuss his wine related travels to Norway and eventually California.

Later in the interview, Randall reflects on his entry into the industry and what he wants to build for those who wish to follow a similar path. He also talks...

This interview is with William Moriarty of Lingua Franca. In this interview, William discusses his upbringing on the East Coast and his journey to the West.

William shares about growing up in Boston and his travels during college. He delves into discovering a passion for wine through its connection to hospitality and the French language. He then goes on to talk about his time spent in France and the many impacts and memories he took away from his time there.

Later in the interview, William shares about his move to Oregon. He goes on to...

This interview is with Vincent Rolleri of Durant Vineyards. In this interview, Vincent talks about growing up in Oregon and how wine started as an early idea in his life. 

Vincent shares about his childhood and the different influences his family and heritage had on both his passions and career choices. He dives into his entry into the Oregon wine industry and the many mentors and memories he has regarding his harvests. 

Later in the interview, Vincent talks about how he came to find himself at Durant. He then shares about his current role and wh...

This interview is with Krista Lauer of Bryn Mawr Vineyards. In this interview, Krista shares her journey from pursuing a career in the art industry to her current role at her family’s winery. 

Krista discusses her upbringing and how her parents' passion for wine influenced her. She goes on to share about attaining her undergrad from Willamette University and then her decision to move to Colorado for a graduate program. 

Later in the interview, Krista shares about her journey back to Oregon and finding a place at Bryn Mawr. Krista then dives into the many...

This interview is with David Lauer of Bryn Mawr Vineyards. In this interview, David talks about his relationship with wine and the different dynamics of his family’s business.

David shares about growing up in San Diego and his first impressions of Oregon wine when his parents bought Bryn Mawr Vineyards. He goes on to talk about working his first harvest at Bryn Mawr and how he truly found a passion for the vines and cellar work. 

Later in the interview, David talks about being part of his family’s business. He then dives into what...

This interview is with Junichi Fujita of Junichi Fujita Wines. In this interview, Junichi talks about his passion for wine and the wine journey he is embarking on.

Junichi shares about growing up and his first career that was not in wine. He then goes on to talk about attending UC Davis and how the people he met and education he received shaped his wine journey. 

Later in the interview, Junichi talks about the different harvests he worked and how he was inspired by the concept of using his own hands to tend to a v...

This interview is with Lucia Lemma Walker of Résonance. In this interview, Lucia talks about being raised around the Oregon wine Industry and her own path through the industry.

Lucia shares about growing up around her father’s company, Lemma Wine Company. She then dives into the many lessons she learned from her parents and siblings. She goes on to talk about her own journey through the Oregon wine industry. 

Later in the interview, Lucia shares about her different roles in the Oregon wine industry and how she came to find her current position. Luci...

This interview is with Joe Dobbes of Iterum Wines. In this interview, Joe talks about his early career in the Oregon wine industry and how he now spends his days.

Joe dives into his journey with wine and how his passion was solidified with a harvest spent in Germany. He goes on to talk about his early wine career in Oregon and how his entrepreneurial spirit led him to create different businesses and brands.

Later in the interview, Joe reflects on the forty years he has spent in the Oregon wine industry. He talks about...

This interview is with Jared Coon of Résonance Vineyard. In this interview, Jared speaks about transitioning from chemical engineering to wine studies at Washington State University after watching A Good Year with Russell Crowe. After his initial interest in the science and chemistry behind winemaking, a New Zealand Syrah in 2010 opened his eyes to a passion in wine itself.

During school, Jared spent a semester abroad at Lincoln University, where he saw a more complete “grape to bottle” experience of winemaking. His first wine job after college was at 12th & Maple in Dundee, after...

This interview is with Sandy Thompson of Mt. Tabor Fine Wines. In this interview, Sandy speaks about his career in the music industry and the many roles he held working with radio stations and record companies. He speaks about his growing passion for wine, and building a personal collection.

Later, he speaks about opening Mt. Tabor Fine Wines in Portland as his second career, and about building a wine inventory and customer base. He speaks about Oregon wine and its growth and talks about some of his favorite memories from working in the industry.

This...