The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This oral history interview is with Alex Nichols of WillaKenzie Estate. Alex talks about starting his wine path at Oregon State and getting excited after a harvest interview and other early roles in the industry. He then talks about his path from that point to now, including multiple times he was part of a new winery building being constructed. Later, he talks about the impact of 2020 on himself a...

This interview is with Akiko Shiba of Shiba Wichern Cellars. In this interview, Akiko speaks about her life before wine in Japan and her initial interest in the alcohol industry. She describes her education in Germany at Hochschule Geisenheim University and goes over what her first work in the vineyard was like. Akiko also talks about her decision to move to Oregon and pursue winemaking there, com...

This interview is with Ted Johnson of Catman Cellars. In this interview, Ted speaks about his appreciation for the history and culture of wine, and how this has developed throughout his life. He shares his earliest memories of first drinking fruit wines, and how his taste has developed over the years. He shares his thoughts on his initial impressions of the Oregon wine industry and the major chang...

This interview is with Tom Elliot of Northwest Wines Ltd. Tom speaks about how he entered the Oregon wine industry after starting in San Francisco and Napa Valley. He shares the many successes and some failures that led him to where he is today and the critical relationships he built along the way. Later in the interview, he shares his thoughts on the various changes Oregon wines have gone through...

This interview is with Judy Nedry, an Oregon wine writer and co-founder of Chehalem Winery. In this interview, Judy speaks on how she began writing about early Oregon Wine. She talks about how the industry has changed since she began writing about the industry and how that has affected her work. She describes what it’s like working on a story and goes over some of her past projects. She discusses...

This interview is with Anne Sery of Westmount and NW Wine Company. In this interview, Anne speaks about growing up in France where wine was a standard and necessary part of the culture she was a part of. She explains that the way she grew up made her future role as a winemaker almost inevitable. She describes what it was like working her first job on a vineyard and how she eventually became a wine...

This interview is with Terry Sherwood of Crush2Cellar. In this interview, Terry speaks about how he got into the wine industry and what it was like starting a business for the winemaking community. He talks about what it was like seeing the Oregon Wine Industry grow and how he has had to change or adapt his business overtime. He goes over some of the challenges he and the industry faced and how th...

This interview is with Kathy Joseph of Fiddlehead Cellars. In this interview, Kathy talks about what it’s like to be constantly learning, whether it is in the world of science, business, or wine. She speaks about her introduction to the wine industry in California, and what it was like to eventually make her own wine and have her own vineyard. She describes creating a sustainable business plan and...

This interview is with Brian Irvine, winemaker at NW Wine Company. During his interview he shared what brought him to Oregon, and a bit about his first years working harvest around the Willamette Valley. Brian discussed how he ended up at NW Wine Company, his interest in Hyland Vineyard, and his connection to the team. Later he shared the differences among some of the wineries at which he has work...

his interview is with Erica Miller of Stoller Family Estate. In this interview, Erica speaks about growing up surrounded by farming and agriculture, going to Oregon State University, and eventually making her way into the Oregon Wine Industry. She talks about her style of growing grapes and how she manages a vineyard. She describes her role at Stoller, what it was like getting to know the property...

This interview is with Luke Pedotti of Results Partners. In this interview, Luke speaks about how his family was was involved in agriculture and what it was like growing up in that environment. He talks about his introduction into viticulture and what it has been like working for Results Partners. He describes his role as Director of Development and goes over what he looks for in a site, how he ma...

This oral history interview is with Gabi Vignes. During her interview, she discussed her education in Chile and France studying Viticulture and Enology. Gabi described her travels working harvests in New Zealand, Napa Valley, and Australia. From these harvests, she discovered a love for Pinot Noir and cool climate varieties, which naturally led her to come to Oregon. She applied in 2016 to work as...

This oral history interview is with Sheryl WuDunn, Caroline Kristof, and Nick Kristof of Kristof Farms. In this interview the family shared about the long history of Kristof Farms, and why they chose to plant grapes and cider apples on their property. Sheryl and Nick began with describing how they met, their work with the New York Times, and memorable projects they have worked on. They shared abou...

This interview is with DeAnna Ornelas. She is the brand ambassador for Winderlea Vineyard and Winery, as well as the president of AHIVOY. Along with speaking about each of her positions in the wine industry, she also discussed her education in wine, what brought her to Oregon, and why she fell in love with the wine industry in the first place. DeAnna spoke about the disparities of the Oregon wine...

This interview is with Beau Carufel of Random Wine Company. In this interview, Beau speaks about wine being an integral part of his life and his family growing up, with his father working as a wine distributer. He then talks about his own path into the wine industry and what it was like working in different places and roles. He describes what to look for in wine and how he learned the order to tas...

This interview is with Dag Johan Sundby, owner of Johan Vineyards. Dag grew up in Norway, where he went to school for marketing, served in the army, and played football. He came to the U.S. to do an internship in 2004 where he began to learn about the Oregon wine industry and he learned there was a property with grapes for sale. It was then that his family decided to invest in the property, and Jo...

This interview is with Rich Schmidt of the Linfield University Archives and the Oregon Wine History Archive. In this interview, Rich speaks about his education at Willamette University, where he got his first job in a library and developed an interest in interlibrary loan. He goes on to describe his first experience working in an archive and what it was like being hired at Linfield. He talks about...

This interview is with Tiquette Bramlett. She shared about growing up with food and wine around the table where she observed the culture and conversation that surrounded it. She went to Chapman University where she studied music and was around more wine. After college, she shared that she was diagnosed with cancer, and later in the interview she explained the concept behind Redolent Tiquette’s Piq...

This interview is with Ed Lefferts, owner and winemaker for William Marie Wines. Ed grew up in the Bay Area with a love for sports, that was only strengthened by watching his uncle Craig Lefferts play baseball. He found himself in Arizona where he worked in restaurants while attending classes and playing baseball. Ed eventually met his wife and they decided to move to Oregon where they found jobs...

This interview is with Chris Burrough of Twomey Cellars. In this interview, Chris speaks about his approach to wine from a food background. He describes his initial interest in the restaurant industry, which pivoted into winemaking after working in a tasting room. He talks about looking for jobs overseas and his constant exploration of new opportunities. He goes over what it was like to work his f...

is interview is with Forrest Schaad of Schaad Cellars. In this interview he begins with describing what It was like growing up visiting and working on his families vineyard, and while he was not taken with farming at first, his thirst for knowledge and love for harvest eventually drew him in. He described working several harvests for different wineries, until deciding to start his own label. Forre...

This interview is with Bryan Berenguer at Chemeketa and Human Cellars. In this interview, Bryan begins by speaking about his life before wine. He discusses traveling to different places in the world, including Myanmar where he lived for several years. During his time in Myanmar, Cyclone Nargis hit and Bryan took a job at a Nargis Recovery Program in a German company. He describes his experience li...

This interview is with Alex Cabrera of Results Partners. In this interview, Alex speaks about the experiences that sent him into the world of wine, starting with his time studying at Oregon State. He describes furthering his knowledge of grapes, wine, and vineyards until he was capable to begin working in the industry. He also discusses how vineyard management and winemaking work together, emphasi...

This interview is with Daniel Fey of Results Partners. In this interview, Daniel speaks about growing up in Switzerland and moving to Oregon where he eventually purchased land and began vineyard management. He describes his role as president of Results Partners, and what it is like working at RP. He also talks about the importance of balancing his role as farmer and service provider in order to ma...

This interview is with Julia Bandy of Soter Vineyards. In this interview, Julia describes how she made her way from culinary school and restaurant management to the world of wine. She speaks about how her skills in leadership, hospitality, and food helped her dive into the wine industry. Julia also discusses the Oregon Wine community and how it thrives on connection. She talks about women in the i...