The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Brian Zielinski of Scenic Valley Farms. In this interview, Brian shares about growing up on the farm and how wine worked its way into the family’s livelihood.

Brian talks about how grapes made their way into the family’s farm. The farm was constantly rotating the crops to best utilize the land. From strawberries to beans to corn, the farm has seen a lot of produce. Once the farm settled on grapes, they realized they could coordinate with winemakers and make wine directly from their own fruit. The family planted grape...

This interview is with Jillian Barnhart of Lux Nova Creative. In this interview, Jillian shares her many experiences as a photographer, marketer, and the many hobbies she has collected along the way. She believes these experiences give her a unique set of skills that benefit her clients.

Jillian talks about how she began in photography by moving to Los Angeles to work in the music industry and fell in love with metal music. She photographed many famous names during concerts and even photographed album covers. After working in photography, Jillian began working in LA...

This interview is with Avery Hadley of Gala Creative Agency. In this interview, Avery talks about his young company and what it aims to do for hospitality-based clients.

Avery talks about after graduating from Oregon State University, he sent out 380 applications in search for a job. Originally from Salem, Avery knew some local businesses that he was able to photograph for and eventually manage their social media. Word of mouth spread his work throughout the community where he secured more clients. After collecting consistent clients, he and his partner discussed opening their own creative...

This interview is with Diego Valeri of Conur Wines. In this interview, Diego talks about his journey of becoming a professional soccer player with the Portland Timbers and eventually creating his own wine company.

Diego talks about how creating a wine company was not actually his idea, but his wife, Florencia’s scheme. However, Diego planned to wait until he retired to begin the endeavor. After nine reasons with the Timbers, Diego and his family moved to Florida where he met Frederico Garobbio and his wife Luci who were from the same area of Ar...

This interview is with Jim Maresh of Arterberry Maresh. In this interview, Jim talks about growing up on the family farm, becoming interested in wine, and starting his own wine label.

Jim talks about his family’s history in Dundee. His grandparents Jim and Loie purchased the property on Worden Hill Road in 1959 and began planting many different crops. Jim’s dad, Fred Arterberry, met his mom, Martha Maresh, while working at Erath. Fred started making wine under the Arterberry label in 1979.

Jim discusses getting into the wine industry hims...

This interview is with Emily Rozga of Soter Vineyards. Emily is originally from Santa Rosa, California, and talks about growing up around food, agriculture, and the outdoors. She shares how those early interests led her to attend Cal Poly with the focus on wine and viticulture, initially believing winemaking would be her future. Through internships, harvest experiences, and working in tasting rooms and cellars, she discovered she was more drawn to vineyard health and grape growing than production itself. 

Emily discusses wanting to see more of the world after college, traveling internationally, gaining hands-on vineyard experience abroad, i...

This interview is with Wayne Oppenheimer of A Great Oregon Wine Tour and WineUp.

Wayne is originally from Seattle, Washington, and was raised in Beaverton, Oregon. He talks about first becoming interested in wine in his early twenties after attending a tasting and realizing how different wines could be from one another. The curiosity led him to dive deeper into what he describes as “liquid geography,” eventually pushing him toward a career centered around wine and hospitality. 

Wayne discusses attending Portland State University for economics while always feeling drawn toward the wine industry. After visiting Napa...

This interview is with Jay Pscheidt of Oregon State University. In this interview, Jay talks about how he came to be in Oregon, transitioning from studying potatoes to all kinds of woody perennials.

Jay talks about his journey from pre-med to bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin. After attending a lecture by a plant pathologist, he realized he could apply all his newfound knowledge for the betterment of growers in his area.

Jay discusses beginning to work at Cornell, where he switched his focus from potato plants to grapevines...

This interview is with Anna Jesse of Forest Hills Farms, a third-generation farmer helping lead a family operation that has grown from strawberry fields in the 1950s into thousands of acres producing blueberries, wine grapes, corn, and other crops across Oregon. 

Anna is from Cornelius, Oregon, and talks about growing up in Forest Hills Farms, spending years working in vineyards and agriculture, and learning firsthand what is means to be part of a multigenerational farming family. She shares how attending Oregon State University initially led her towards business, changing majors, and developing a stronger appreciation for the c...

This interview is with Davis Palmer of McMenamins Edgefield Winery. In this interview, Davis talks about his early fascination with fermentation leading him to working at McMenamins in beer production. Working in a variety of brewpubs within the company allowed him to work on honing the house style while also experimenting with new fun recipes.

He talks about being intrigued by winemaking and viewing it as more dynamic work, and joining the winemaking team at Edgefield for harvest in 2000. Soon after he joined as the cellar master, then later the head winemaker. He talks about the evolution...

This interview is with Morgan White of Amaterra. In this interview, Morgan talks about her career in the wine industry, from moving to Oregon without having a harvest job lined up to becoming the winemaker at Amaterra.

Morgan shares about going to the University of Florida for physiology & kinesiology with plans of becoming a physical therapist. After graduation, she and a friend visited Mendoza, Argentina, and she fell in love with the wine culture there. Upon returning to Florida, she took a sommelier course and began working at wine bars and restaurants.

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This interview is with John Platt of Helvetia Winery. In this interview, John talks about moving off a houseboat to Helvetia, planting grapes, and expanding his business into a winery.

John shares about moving to the Helvetia area after a piece of land came up for sale and meeting with an extension agent to determine what kinds of crops he should plant. Among the list was grapes, which John and his wife Elizabeth planted with the intention of selling fruit to home winemakers.

John talks about his other work...

This interview is with Kevin Pogue, of VinTerra. Kevin is a geologist, educator, and wine industry consultant whose career has taken him from the caves and mountains of Kentucky to studying tectonics in Pakistan, teaching geology for decades, and eventually becoming deeply involved in viticulture and wine regions across the country. 

Kevin is originally from the Bluegrass region of Lexington, Kentucky and talks about spending much of his early life outdoors; he enjoys caving, climbing, skiing, and exploring the mountains, which sparked his interest in geology. Hediscusses his decades-long career in education, beginning college-level teaching at 22 and s...

This interview is with Tim and Kathy O’Leary of Long Walk Vineyard. Tim is originally from Palo Alto, California, and Kathy is from Sacramento, California. Although their careers began far from the wine industry, both eventually found themselves building a life centered around farming, community, and wine.

Kathy talks about attending Stanford, where she met her husband, Tim; switching to an engineering major from a math and science major; and spending years traveling internationally for consulting work. She reflects on reaching a point where constant travel no longer fit the life she wanted, leading her toward bu...

This interview is with Joe Ferris of Lingua Franca in Salem, Oregon. In this interview, Joe shares his background and how he found his way into the world of winemaking through travel, science, and hands-on experience. 

Joe grew up in Wisconsin and attended UW Madison, where he studied biomedical engineering. His interest in wine first started casually, but after traveling through South America with his wife and visiting wineries along the way, he became fascinated by the culture and science behind winemaking. After moving to Los Angeles and working in the biotech field, Joe r...

This interview is with Scott Kelley of Paul O’Brien Winery. In this interview, Scott talks about starting to work in the wine industry as a teenager, his experience with big, corporate wineries, and starting his own project in Oregon. 

Scott shares about beginning to work in the industry at 17 years old cleaning mobile grape presses. When his boss learned about his affinity for chemistry, he started taking grape samples in the vineyard to help determine pick dates. During this time, he met a winemaker who encouraged him to go to UC Davis. 

Scott talks abou...

This interview is with Charlie Becker of Becker Vineyard in Roseburg. In this interview, Charlie shares his background and how he got started in winemaking.

Charlie grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and made his first wine at just 10 years old out of store bought grape juice and yeast. He later studied biology in college and eventually moved to Seattle, where he worked as a painter for many years. After some time, he move to southern Oregon and bought property in Drain, where he began pursuing winemaking more seriously.

He...

This interview is with Rob Ikola of Whitetail Ridge. In this interview, Rob shares his background, career path, and how he became involved in the wine industry.

Rob was born in Portland and grew up moving all around Oregon, including time in Bend and Roseburg. He attended Umpqua Community College, where he earned a business degree. Before entering the wine industry, he spent many years working in hands-on trades, including running a horse trailer company for about 20 years and operating a machine shop through a long-term business partnership. 

In 2012, R...

This interview is with Bryan and Pam Freed of Freed Estate. In this interview, Pam talks about growing up in Honolulu and working as a flight attendant. She talks about meeting her husband Mike and his desire to be a farmer.

Later, she talks about finding land in Roseburg and starting Freed Estate. Bryan talks about growing up watching his father Mike farm, and eventually deciding he wanted to follow in his footsteps.

They talk about Bryan's time at Oregon State learning enology and viticulture, and starting to take over more of the business. They...

This interview is with Andrew Wenzl of Abacela Winery. In this interview, Andrew talks about his journey from biology and chemistry for veterinary school to applying those principles to winemaking.

Andrew shares about his family’s history in present-day Austria growing lesser known varietals, making wine, and running bed and breakfast-type inns. With that history of winemaking and hospitality, it made sense for Andrew to take his scientific education and start working at King Estate performing “bucket chemistry.”

Andrew talks about enjoying cellar work first at King Estate and then a...

This interview is with Denise and Bryan White of Troon Vineyards in Grants Pass. In this interview they share their journey into winemaking, their professional backgrounds, and how they built their vineyard and business together.

Both Denise and Bryan originally came from medical backgrounds. Bryan worked in internal medicine and is board certified in hospice and palliative care, while Denise attended medical school and worked in a clinic, including time in neurology. Before entering the wine industry, they were involved in starting medical nonprofits in California and in Texas.

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This interview is with Andy Myer of Goldback & Trivia Wine Room. In this interview, Andy talks about his path into winemaking, starting with studying philosophy in Pennsylvania before transferring to Willamette University to study environmental science. He shares how a summer job at Cristom sparked his interest, describing his first experience in a vineyard as a “lightning catalyst” that got him hooked.

Andy discusses his hands-on learning journey, including harvests in New Zealand and Australia, working in Sonoma and Seattle, and spending time in Italy studying archaeology to understand early winemaking practices. He shares that...

This interview is with Rachael Martin of Red Lily Vineyards. In this interview, Rachael talks about growing up in the Rogue Valley before leaving to pursue a career in law.

After deciding that wasn't her path and returning to the Rogue Valley with a desire to own some land and grow something, her dad's suggestion to try wine grapes launched her into a new career. She talks about her time honing her craft at RoxyAnn Winery under the mentorship of Sarah Powell.

Later, she discusses starting Red Lily, first getting vineyards planted and later starting...

This interview is with Nichole Schulte of Quady North/Barrel 42. In this interview, Nichole talks about her background studying law and working in insurance, and her current journey working in wine.

Nichole talks about growing up in Florida and starting to work in insurance. After managing a call center, she became an adjuster, following storms across the country to help those affected settle insurance claims in the aftermath. At the suggestion of a colleague, she went to law school and spent a semester studying wine law abroad in Lyon, France.

This interview is with Herb Quady of Quady North and Barrel 42. In this interview, Herb talks about his family starting a wine brand in California the same year he was born, and thus growing up in the industry. Despite initially not wanting to work in wine, he soon found himself working for Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon and launching his wine career.

Later, Herb talks about coming to Southern Oregon and working at Troon, and the growth of the Rogue Valley wine industry while he was a part of it. He then talks about the decision to...

This interview is with Sara Garr of Circadian Cellars. In this interview, Sara talks about growing up as a creative individual and finally finding her preferred medium in wine.

Sara talks about first entering the wine industry from a sales point of view, working at the Harry & David bottle shop in Medford. Though initially she didn’t know much about fine wine, she worked with the wine buyer and her coworkers to learn more. Her career trajectory changed in 2015 when she started her first harvest with Quady North / Barrel 42.

Sa...

This interview is with Dustin Andries of Naumes Crush and Fermentation. In this interview, Dustin talks about growing up around the Rogue Valley wine industry with an interest in science, then attending Oregon State University with the desire of being a winemaker.

Next, Dustin talks about a variety of internships he did, including being part of a team at Gallo that was crushing 350,000 tons of grapes in a single harvest. He then discusses coming to Naumes Crush and Fermentation as it was just getting started and the roles he has held while the business has grown. 

This interview is with Doug & Dionne Irvine of Irvine & Roberts Vineyards. In this interview, Doug and Dionne talk about moving to Ashland to raise their family, discovering a love for wine in Europe, and beginning their brand.

Dionne shares about growing up in Los Angeles county until high school, when her family moved to Brookings. Though she now realizes that she developed a fondness for Oregon at that time, she went back to California after graduation and started her real estate career. She met Doug when he came to her to purchase a house.<...

This interview is with Brian Gruber of Irvine & Roberts Vineyards. In this interview, Brian talks about growing up in Minnesota and then attending the Air Force Academy. He talks about his career in the military, including some of the specific projects he worked on.

He then talks about his growing interest in wine, first as a consumer and then his desire to grow his own grapes and make his own wine. He talks about the decision to move to Oregon and the various places he has worked in the industry, including helping to found Barrel 42 and now...

This interview is with Bryan Wilson of Cuckoo's Nest Cellars. In this interview, Bryan talks about his winding path in wine, culminating in starting his own brand in Southern Oregon.

Bryan talks about growing up interested in wine, and finding his way into the industry after attending the University of Oregon. He later talks about his coming-of-age work at Benzinger Family Winery in Glen Ellen, Calif., getting to be part of every process as the Benzinger brand was growing and taking off.

Later, he talks about coming to Oregon and various winemaking roles he held...

This interview is with Cal and Judy Schmidt of Schmidt Family Vineyards. In this interview Cal and Judy talk about their journey into winemaking, their background, and how they built their vineyard and business together in Grants Pass.

Cal describes his early life, including his time in the military and aerospace before earning a degree in business. He explains how his path eventually led him to working with land, building on property in Healdsburg with 35 acres, and later moving the business to Southern Oregon. Judy shares her background as well, explaining how she studied...

This interview is with Josh Kimball of Kimball’s Artisan Wines. In this interview, Josh talks about growing up in Coos Bay and attending Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where he studied political science. He tells about his first real exposure to wine his senior year, which sparked his interest in the industry.

Josh describes getting his start in wine at Weisinger Family Winery starting in the cellar, and later moving to King Estate where he took on responsibilities in the tasting room, wine club, and compliance. During this time, he also became interested in organic and bi...

This interview is with Rob Folin and Carole Stevens of Ryan Rose Wine. In this interview, Rob and Carole talk about their respective paths into wine and how that has culminated in their Ryan Rose brand.

Carole talks about growing up in the Willamette Valley and finding a passion for working in value-added agriculture. She talks about her work at Willakenzie and Domaine Serene and traveling all over to sell Oregon wine.

Rob talks about coming out of the military and being interested in working with his hands and...

This interview is with John Pratt of Celestina Vineyard. In this interview, John talks about transitioning from working as a teacher in northern California to becoming a grape farmer in southern Oregon.

John talks about beginning to enjoy wine in his 20s, noticing that wine could make an ordinary social situation into a more enjoyable and memorable one. Growing up on a farm between Stockton and Lodi, his neighbor grew his own grapes and made his own wine, which inspired John to think about the farming that goes into wine.

This interview is with Brian McCormick of Idiot's Grace Wines. In this interview, Brian talks about growing up in a family centered around food, with parents who owned a restaurant, and how that early exposure sparked his interest in cooking and flavor.

Brian talks about attending Dartmouth College, where he studied religion, and how after graduating he had no clear idea what he wanted to do. He explains how his interest in food eventually led him to wine, as he became curious about what to pair with it, which used him to pursue wine more seriously.

This interview is with Steven Thompson and Kris Fade of Analemma Wines. In this interview, Steven and Kris talk about their unique paths into the wine industry, from Kris’s background in the Pacific Northwest studying wildlife, geology, and GIS mapping, to Steven’s experiences with international biking tours and harvest work in Italy that sparked his passion for wine.

Kris talks about her early interest in environmental law, her work in GIS mapping and vineyard analysis, and how her understanding of climate and landscape shaped her approach to winemaking.

St...

This interview is with Dean Underwood of Barakel Vineyards. In this interview, Dean talks about spending his life as a farmer and his decision to grow wine grapes. He speaks about growing up in Albany and working on his family's farm, focusing on row crops at first.

Later he discusses his burgeoning interest in wine and wine grapes, working with his neighbors at Olsen Family Vineyards and going through the wine program at Chemeketa Community College. He then talks about his own Barakel Vineyard, and about deciding what to plant, how to farm, and where to sell...

This interview is with Jon Tomaselli of Torii Mor Winery. In this interview, Jon talks about his family’s legacy of winemaking and how he has carried that on in the Willamette Valley.

Jon talks about growing up in an Italian family with a long history of winemaking. Living in Ohio, his dad and grandpa would purchase grapes from California to make wine at home. Jon first carried on that tradition while living in Arizona.

Jon discusses moving to Oregon in 2006 when a job opportunity came up for his wi...

This interview is with Thibaud Mandet of Clos Griotte. In this interview, Thibaud speaks about growing up in France and pursuing an interest in science, before discovering that putting his scientific knowledge toward wine was even more interesting.

He then talks about his education and internships, followed by his arrival in the United States. He discusses meeting with the owners and team at WillaKenzie Estate in Yamhill for the first time, starting work there as an enologist, and eventually being the head winemaker. He then talks about leaving to start his own brand, Clos Griotte, and how...

This interview is with Bruce Lundqist of Rack & Riddle. In this interview, Bruce speaks about his time at Linfield University, including his performance on the track team that led him into the school's sports Hall of Fame. He then talks about his work in the finance world in the dairy industry before starting his wine journey in California.

Later, he talks about how Rack & Riddle came to be and its growth and accomplishments during his 20 years as co-leader. He speaks to the current state of the wine industry and what the years ahead might hold.

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