The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Levi Seed of the Joel Palmer House Restaurant. In this interview, Levi discusses how childhood experiences shaped his professional development. After surviving leukemia as a teenager, Levi discovered a passion for fine dining, and then, for wine. He passed the Certified Master Sommelier exam at 21. Stints as a sous chef, and later on as an executive chef, left him burnt out,...

This interview is with CJ and Elise McCollum of McCollum Heritage 91 Wines. In this interview, CJ and Elise speak about meeting in college as they were both pursuing their career passions - basketball for CJ and dentistry for Elise. They talk about coming to Oregon after CJ was drafted by Portland, and their introduction to the Oregon wine scene. This eventually led to the start of their McCollum...

This interview is with Chris Hermann of 00 Wines. In this interview, Chris goes over the history of the Oregon Wine Industry. He speaks about how Oregon Wine got its start and what “Wine Pioneers” were instrumental in making it happen. He talks about how the industry has grown, how business is done, and what changes have taken place. Chris also shares his own history with wine, which includes his...

This oral history interview is with Chenin and Sean Carlton of Twist Wine Company. Chenin and Sean talk about their various paths into the wine industry, with some recollections of the Temecula and Napa wine industries in California. They also talk about how they ended up in Oregon, and how they ended up with a hospitality space on the Oregon coast. Along the way, the pair talks about the growth o...

This interview is with Mordechai Kotler of Averæn Wines. In this interview, Mordechai speaks about how he went from teaching to working harvest to working as Winemaker for Averæn Wines. He begins by describing his early life in Southern California and later his experience attending Linfield College. He goes on to share his initial interest in wine and what his first jobs were like. He also talks a...

This interview is with Nicholas Gates of Gresser Vineyard. In this interview, Nicholas speaks about growing up and making wine with his father Paul Gates, who was educated in wine and started Gresser Vineyard. Nicholas describes both his formal and informal education, going over the interests he had before wine, what he learned from his father, and the different jobs he’s worked in the industry. L...

This oral history interview is with Nick and Sheila Nicholas of Anam Cara Cellars. The couple describe meeting and getting married, eventually ending up owning a pizza restaurant in Napa Valley and getting to know the wines and winemakers of the area. They then describe discovering Oregon and starting the vineyard that would become the home of Anam Cara. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmid...

This interview is with Ocean Yap-Powell of Rootstock PDX and the Wine Cellar. In this interview, Ocean speaks about her journey through the world of wine. She talks about her first jobs in the industry and how she learned about the Oregon Wine Industry. Ocean describes working at the Wine Cellar in Portland and what her philosophy is when working in a wine shop. She speaks about approaching custom...

This interview is with Chancy and Toni Croft and Bill Bailey of Croft Vineyards. In this interview, the trio speak about their friendship throughout the years and what their lives were like before wine. They go over where the idea of Croft Vineyards began and describe forming a partnership, building their business, and finding land for a vineyard. They talk about the early days of the Oregon Wine...

This interview is with Patrick Taylor of Cana’s Feast. In this interview, Patrick speaks about how he ended up in the wine industry. He describes his time studying viticulture and enology at OSU, traveling abroad, and working his first harvests. He then talks about Cana’s Feast and how he came to work there. He goes over his role as winemaker, the decisions he makes in regards to the wine, and rec...

This interview is with Phil Taratko of Artisan Barrels. Originally from Long Island, Phil speaks about his decision to move out west to attend University of Oregon where he was also given the opportunity to travel and study in Lyon, France. He talks about his initial interest in becoming a chef and his experiences working in restaurants. Even though those restaurants focused on beer, Phil explains...

This Oral History Interview is with Piper Underbrink of Privé Vineyard. A native of Florida, Piper started her winemaking journey in California and Utah, before discovering her love of Oregon wine and purchasing Privé right before the COVID-19 lockdown. In this interview she talks about her journey through the industry, her introduction to the Oregon Wine industry during the pandemic, and the exci...

This interview is with Rachael Woody, who started the Oregon Wine History Archives at Linfield University. In this interview, she shares the history of the Oregon Wine History Archive itself. At the start, she speaks about her early life, education, and initial interest in archives. She takes us through her time at Pacific University where she studied History and Anthropology, and then through her...

This interview is with Rachel Rose, the winemaker at Bryn Mawr Vineyards. In this interview, Rachel describes her unconventional upbringing, how she got into wine through her passion for the culinary world, the education she received, and her time studying Viticulture and Oenology in Australia. She then goes on to speak about what it was like coming to Oregon and working harvest at Ponzi and event...

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...