The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This oral history interview is with Ray Walsh of Capitello Wines. Ray talks about growing up in New Zealand, discovering an enthusiasm for wine production in Europe, and then pursuing wine education and eventually coming to Oregon. He then talks about working at King Estate, starting his own label and working on a variety of other projects. He also talks about the changes he's seen in Oregon and h...

This interview is with Carrie Kalscheuer of Rex Hill Wines and A to Z Wineworks. In this interview, Carrie speaks about her life before wine and the years before she moved to Oregon. She talks about her love for travel and how a few months spent in Florence Italy led to the discovery of a wine passion. She realized it was what she wanted to pursue, loving that it was a connector and educator that...

This interview is with Remy Drabkin of Remy Wines. This is a follow-up from our first interview with Remy back in 2017. In this interview, Remy speaks about Wine Country Pride and the upcoming Queer Wine Festival. She describes the process of putting the festival together, their objectives, and the community’s reactions so far. She tells us about the national attention the festival has received an...

This interview is with Rob Schultz of Nomia Vineyard. In this interview, Rob talks about how he got into wine, his experiences traveling, and what led him to Oregon. He speaks about what made him want to start growing his own grapes, his philosophy, and the meaning behind Nomia Vineyards. Towards the end of the interview, Rob touches on how he’s handled the recent pandemic, what he sees for the fu...

This interview is with Robert Lauer of Botaniety. In this interview, Robert speaks about his journey through the wine world, which so far has taken him from Michigan to California to New Zealand to Oregon. He goes over his initial interest in wine and the process of developing his palate and learning about the different regions of wine. He then talks about his decision to pursue winemaking instead...

This interview is with Robert McKinley of Norris Wines. In this interview, Robert speaks about becoming interested in wine after his parents purchased vineyard property in Oregon. He then takes us through his journey of wine education and production work at a large number of wineries around the world. Later, Robert talks about getting to know Norris Vineyard and starting a brand from scratch, as w...

This interview is with Robin and Danuta Pfeiffer of Pfeiffer Winery. In this interview, the couple begin speaking about their life before wine, including how they met, Robin’s time teaching and growing up on the family farm, and Danuta’s time as a broadcast journalist, ski instructor, long distance bicycle rider, and so forth. They go on to talk about Pfeiffer Vineyards, which began after Robin re...

This interview is with Roc Wilcox of Casa S Wines. In this interview, Roc speaks about his lifelong fascination with wine, and his work in the high-tech field which brought him to the West Coast and wine country. He talks about learning about wine and diving deep into the culture and geography of the wines he enjoyed, and about the chance encounter with a property in Dayton that brought him to Ore...

This oral history interview is with Rudy Marchesi of Montinore Estate. Rudy talks about growing up with a family that was interested in wine, and then discovering grapegrowing and winemaking as an alternative to his graduate studies in Sonoma. From there he charts his journey to starting a small winery in New Jersey, to working in wine distribution, to Oregon and Montinore. He also talks about bio...

This oral history interview is with Sam Cole-Johnson of JancisRobinson.com. Sam talks about her introduction into wine and her education - both formal and informal - that led her into the industry. She talks about her harvest experiences, and documenting those for JancisRobinson.com, which eventually turned into a full-time writing job. Sam also talks about what she looks for in a story, balancing...

This interview is with Ryan Kelly-Burnett of Dominio IV. In this interview, Ryan speaks about his early work in the industry and goes over some of his first jobs. He talks about why he chose Dominio IV and what his role is there. He describes working with clients and how the experience varies based on their demand, style, and experience. He also discusses his own wine preferences and what he enjoy...

This interview is with Ryan Sherman of Communiqué Wines. In this interview, speaks about his career as a chef and sommelier, and how that led him into winemaking. He also talks about his work in Oregon and his views on the Oregon industry, as well as how he approaches the craft of winemaking. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Methven Family Vineyards on February 23, 2022.

This interview is with Sam Poehlman of Jackson Family Wines Oregon. Sam talks about growing up in the Midwest and learning about food science and dairy, then being introduced to wine. Her summer internship at Argyle turned into a full-time job, and launched her into the Oregon wine industry. She talks about the places she's worked and her mentors along the way, particularly Tony Rynders. And she t...

This interview is with Sami Gaston of Bar Diane and Négociant wine shop. At the start, Sami goes over her time before wine as an artist studying studio art, apparel design, and fashion forecasting. She also mentions her eagerness to travel, which inspired her to earn a degree in Spanish literature. The daughter of a bartender and cocktail waitress, Sami describes how she found herself soon drawn t...

This interview is with Sarah Cabot of Precept Wines. In this interview, Sarah speaks about the highs and lows of working in the Oregon Wine Industry. She talks about how her interest started, and how her love for Pinot Noir led to moving to Oregon to make wine. She speaks about working in New Zealand, and how the style of winemaking differed from back in the states. She also goes over what it’s li...

This interview is with Calli Daly and Deven Morganstern of Joyful Noise. They began the interview with speaking about their upbringings and education, their lives before wine, and how they met. Later, they spoke about starting out making garage wine, and how their business has progressed over the past few years. Next, they shared about their winemaking and business philosophies. Calli and Deven sp...

This interview is with Scotty and Jennifer Henry of Season Cellars. In this interview, the couple speak about their lives growing up in wine country. Both of them came from Oregon wine families and together they have over 60 years of winemaking experience. The couple go on to talk about their 10-year-old brand Season Cellars and describe what it is like making Southern Oregon wine with varieties l...

This interview is with Sofia Torres-McKay and Ryan McKay of Cramoisi Vineyard. In this interview, the couple speak about each of their lives before wine, how they met, and what got them interested in Oregon Wine. They talk about beginning Cramoisi Vineyard and go through their learning process of how to grow, make, and sell wine. They also discuss biodynamic farming, naming their brand, and creati...

This interview is with Spencer Spetnagel of Durant Vineyards. In this interview, Spencer speaks about his childhood in Tennessee, his college education in Atlanta, Georgia, and his eventual career in wine. He tells us that, while completing his undergrad, he waited tables in fine dining and quickly realized the impact wine has on consumers and the environment. He talks about his time working in So...

This interview is with Bruce Sonnen of Van Duzer Vineyards. In this interview, Bruce speaks finding viticulture through landscaping, and then working to hone his craft at a number of vineyards before coming to work for Van Duzer. He talks about his time at Van Duzer and how the project has matured, as well as some of the things he's proudest of, and of how he's seen Oregon's wine industry change i...

This interview is with Bethany Kimmel. In this interview, Bethany speaks about her love for Oregon wine and what drew her to the industry. She talks about her love of music and art, and how they connect to the processes of making and enjoying wine. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in White Salmon, Wash., on March 30, 2022.

This interview is with Sterling Whitted of Holden Wine Company. In this interview, Sterling talks about how he got into wine, how he got his education, what it was like starting Holden Wine Company, his vision, how his perception of wine has changed, what he looks for in his wines, his label design, and how the pandemic has affected his wine life. Towards the end of the interview, Sterling reflect...

This interview is with Bill and Sandy Sanchez of Potter’s Vineyard. In this interview, the couple speak about how they were inspired to make their own wine and create their own tasting room. They describe finding and purchasing Laura Volkman’s estate vineyard in 2012 and go over the process of making it their own. They also discuss why they wanted to combine wine and art, specifically clay art and...

This interview is with Steve Saxton of Bravuro Cellars. In this interview, Steve speaks about what inspired him to enter the wine industry. He compares California’s wines and wine tasting experiences to that of Oregon’s. He then goes on to talk about why he chose to set up shop in Oregon and what his initial goals were for Bravuro Cellars. He describes the process of starting the business, which i...

This interview is with Steven Westby of Witness Tree Vineyard. In this interview, Steven speaks about his college life where his interest in wine began with a project on the grapevine. He goes on to talk about working in a wine shop, backpacking across Europe, and later returning to work as a wine buyer for another store. He discusses his work as Winemaker and Vineyard Manager for Witness Tree Vin...