The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

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 gra...

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 fo...

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...

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, Ca...

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 w...

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...

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 ove...

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 Lo...

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 e...

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 in...

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 th...

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 w...

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 Willa...

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 b...

This interview is with Tyler Bradley of Galaxy Wine Company. In this interview, Tyler talks about his time at Linfield University and how a part-time tasting room job turned into a full-fledged wine career. He discusses his first big wine job in Idaho, and taking on a role he wasn't ready for. As he was growing in the job, he also had to deal with the COVID pandemic and he talks about how that cha...

This interview is with Olive Hamilton Russell. In this interview, Olive talks about growing up in South Africa and her family's background in farming. She discusses moving to London and become enamored with wine, which led to her working in the South African wine industry and selling wine in the United States. Her introduction to Oregon was at the International Pinot Noir Celebration in 2015, and...

This interview is with Dallas Way. In this interview, Dallas speaks about his journey into the wine industry, explaining how he grew up in Tennessee, studied business, and initially traveled to South Korea to teach English before discovering an interest in wine. Next, he discusses how his path wasn’t straightforward, describing how a road trip to California and a job at a tasting room introduced h...

This interview is with Trevor Hertrich. In this interview, Trevor speaks about his path into the world of wine, explaining how he grew up in Chicago without much exposure to it and originally studied sociology at the University of Illinois before discovering wine while working in a restaurant.  Next, he discusses how his curiosity led him deeper into wine, becoming known as the “wine guy” and cont...

This interview is with Darcy Pendergrass of Amity Vineyards. In this interview, Darcy talks about her journey from tasting room associate to winemaker at Amity, and what she has been up to since then. Darcy shares about growing up in Oregon and staying close by in Montana for college. After earning her degree in microbiology to work in healthcare, then later deciding that wasn’t for her, she moved...

This interview is with Brynn Bradley. In this interview, Brynn speaks about her journey into the wine industry and how her experiences shape her career path. Next, she discusses her early life, explaining that she was born in the Bay Area but did not know much about wine when she was younger. She became interested in wine and viticulture later and decided to study wine business at Cal Poly. During...

This interview is with Gabriel Jagle of Scenic Valley Farms. In this interview, Gabriel talks about learning about the world by tasting wine and making a wine that has soul and personality. Gabriel talks about learning to taste wine while working at Trader Joe’s and a few wine shops in California. By tasting wines from around the world, he was able to learn about each place. He affirms that both d...

This interview is with Boone McCoy-Crisp of Lumos Wine. In this interview, Boone talks about growing up in the Oregon wine industry and the seeming inevitability that he would end up working in it. He talks about the early history of his family's vineyard and his father Dai Crisp's entry into the wine industry. Later, he talks about his childhood memories of being in vineyards, and how he slowly s...

This interview is with Nicolas Quillé of Crimson Wine Group. In this interview, Nicolas speaks about his upbringing in France and his extensive wine education.  He then talks about coming to the United States for what he thought would be a short time, only to find himself wanting to stay in the American wine industry. He talks about work in both wine production and wine leadership, culminating in...

This interview is with Colt Deitrick. In this interview, Colt speaks about his background, growing up in a small town in western Kentucky before moving to Illinois, studying jazz piano and audio engineering in college, and eventually finding his way into the hospitality industry, where he discovered a passion for food and beverage. Next, he discusses his journey to Newport and Local Ocean Restaura...

This interview is with Trevor Smith. In this interview, Trevor speaks about his work in wine production around the world, including stints at Antica Terra in Oregon, Screaming Eagle in Napa, and elsewhere. He talks about what initially drew him to wine and the enjoyable hard work of wine production. Later he takes us through the places he has worked, including Champagne, England, and as a consulti...