Weinnotes

It takes a certain type of person to become a winemaker, a surfer, an academic, and an all around genuine nice person. Vincent is one of those If You Know, You Know winemakers in Oregon. Plenty of people know who he is, but his marketing is all grassroots word of mouth. Making wines from some top name vineyards such as Zenith, Armstrong, Bjornson, and Temperance Hill to name a few. Vincent’s quali...

When you read the bio of Michael Juergens, it is a stellar read! Michael is on track to becoming a master of wine. He wrote the wine laws and business plans for the country of Bhutan. The author of several wine books, the owner of an award-winning rum company, and the drummer of a punk rock band that published the first punk rock album on the blockchain.  Micheal is different from most wine p...

Leah Jorgensen does something  I am not sure any other winemaker in Oregon does, focuses 100% on Cab Franc. Being named a winemaker to watch in 2015 by the SF Chronicle, Leah strives to make the highest quality wine possible. Recently, Paul Gregutt gave Leah a shoutout for her 2017 Clos Rogue Valley Reserve Cab Franc as Cellar selection of the week.   Outside of being a winemaker, L...

A few months ago, I came across an Instagram post for a new winery called Approachment. So naturally, I was intrigued, and when I dove the teeniest bit, I was super excited to notice Jessica West, who has worked with Drew Voit at Harper Voit for the past seven years, was behind the project with her husband, Paden. Paden was assitant to Isabelle Meunier at Lavinea and is now making wine at Fayla in...

Bryan and Laura from Hazelfern Cellars in Newberg Oregon are known for the fun vibe via their Instagram Account and in real life. They are also known for some killer Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. During our talk we talk about family roots in South Carolina, what it’s like sharing the same birthday, the fun marketing behind a couple wine auctions, HazelFern Sparkling, and what it’s like juggling a wi...

It is heartbreaking to hear the story of Jimi Brooks passing away suddenly during harvest leaving his legacy to his eight-year-old son Pascal. However, to hear how 12 winemakers stepped up to the plate to make Jimi’s wine restores some much humanity into life. With any story, there are so many chapters to process. We are approaching 18 years into this neverending narrative. Sitting down with Janie...

Dan Warnshuis from Utopia started in wine by converting a laundry room into a wine cellar to opening a wine shop in Napa. But, his dream and vision didn’t stop there. He wanted his vineyard, and Oregon was the perfect place to plant his roots. So, after years of driving from Napa to Oregon every other weekend, his dream became a reality. Dan has been farming Utopia Vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA...

Wynne Peterson-Nedry is the daughter of Harry Peterson-Nedry, who is Oregon Wine Royalty in many regards. Harry is responsible for the first vineyard in Oregon’s Ribbon Ridge AVA over 30 years ago and just last year wrapped up getting Oregon’s PGI status in the wine world. Wynne has grown up amongst the vines in Ribbon Ridge, chased many harvests throughout the globe, and is highly respected throu...

The last 23 months have been ferocious for so many of us. We all have that one pandemic story we will never forget. Piper from Prive Vineyards is no different. She not only bought a vineyard during COVID and, after moving onto the property, had to deal with the Oregon wildfires of 2020 less than a week after moving in. It's impressive to see Piper's resilience and mindset in how she approached the...

I want to introduce you to a fascinating man by the name of Andy Lytle, he has his hands in so many different projects inside Oregon wine country. It is absolutely mind blowing his sense of drive, purpose and humbleness. Andy's projects include Lytle Barnett (Oregon Sparkling), Aubaine (Single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), At the Joy (wine country hospitality getaway), Windfall (new vineyar...

Welcome to Weinnotes, where we take the concept of a wine tasting note to a whole new experience by highlighting the people and stories of wine from vineyard to glass. Today, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jessica Mozeico of Et Fille Wines. Her dad, Howard Mozeico, started making wine in 1984, and we get a little behind-the-scenes glimpse of the back-of-the-envelope origin story. But still, w...