This interview is with Elishca Charles of Kann. In this interview, Elishca discusses her journey through hospitality and what it means to her.

Elishca talks about her early aspirations of becoming a military doctor, studying public health in college. When Elishca realized that career might not bring her the most joy, she started working in restaurants and never left. Elishca started learning about wine with her coworkers and continued educating herself from there. After the pandemic, that restaurant could not keep her in the same capacity, so she switched to the hotel industry as a food and beverage manager where she got experience in event planning. Throughout this time, Elishca was growing her wine knowledge and wanted to work in a winery. Visiting Oregon awhile back, Elishca decided to make the move in 2023 and secured a job at Domaine Serene.

Elishca discusses her experiences within the Willamette Valley and her transition to Kann. Elishca had always loved Oregon Pinot Noir and grew a deeper appreciation for the Willamette Valley working for Domaine Serene. She hoped people left the winery feeling curious to try more wines and exposed to what is in our backyard. From there, Elishca was offered the opportunity to interview with Kann for a general manager position. Elishca had dined at Kann previously, and had dreamed of working there. Kann combined Elishca’s Haitian culture and the food she grew up eating with her love of wine. 

Later in the interview, Elishca talks about what hospitality means to her. Elishca defines hospitality as an unwritten and unspoken language. She believes that hospitality is felt immediately when walking into a new place. She notes an experience she had with her grandmother in Haiti who did not share the same language. Elishca explains that her grandmother communicated through food and hospitality, something she takes with her throughout the industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Kann in Portland on August 18, 2026.

This interview is with Carrie Higgins of Press Printing & Packaging. In this interview, Carrie discusses her part within the wine industry and starting her own company.

Carrie talks about looking for a relationship-based career right out of college. In 1993, Carrie started as a sales rep for a wine labeling company after finding the role in a newspaper. After building relationships within the wine industry, Carrie knew she found her people. At the time, she was working with the pioneers of the industry and making connections with the future generations of the Oregon wine industry.  Becoming enamored with the wine industry, Carrie helped build a printing company’s successful labeling division until she starting her own company in 2020.

Carrie discusses what drove her to start her own company. Although at a successful company, Carrie felt limited in what she could offer to her partners. She created Press to help out the little guys. She found ways to save costs on printing and was able to give specialized services to individual wine brands. Unique to Press, Carrie works with about seven different print partners to give each client exactly what they need at a fair price. Carrie’s biggest success story is A to Z. Carrie has been with A to Z since the beginning and has helped grow the brand into what it is today through labeling. 

Later in the interview, Carrie talks about her perspective on the current climate of the industry. While she predicts consolidation and closure of wineries, she is optimistic about the future. Carrie believes people are not going to stop drinking wine and the industry isn’t going anywhere. Although the industry is not experiencing the huge growth of previous years, the exponential growth was not sustainable. While the industry is looking for every way to save money during this time, Carrie predicts Oregon wine will come out on the other side.  

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Carrie’s mobile office in West Linn on August 17, 2026.

This interview is with Aaron Kirschnick of Galaxy Wine Company. In this interview, Aaron discusses his work selling wine in almost every medium and the story that inspired his Pinot Noir Rosé, Mano Coronuto Wine.

Aaron talks about starting out in restaurants on the culinary side where he started learning about wine. When the hours were not sustainable, Aaron decided to pursue his interest in wine, starting out at a wine importing company. After a serious health scare, Aaron felt he needed a change but wanted to stay in wine. Aaron transitioned into sales and has worked in almost every aspect of wine sales including retail, wholesale, and direct to consumer, eventually landing at Galaxy. Aaron plans to stay at Galaxy until he potentially goes off on his own, pursing his personal wine dreams.

Aaron discusses the story behind creating his own wine in the hopes of helping other people. In May of 2025, Aaron was diagnosed with throat cancer. During his time at the hospital receiving treatment, he watched his fellow patients struggle with the financial burden of chemotherapy, and wanted to help. Thus, Aaron created Mano Cornuto Wines that raises money for the Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation. When Aaron was too sick to produce the wine, the industry stepped in and produced 3 barrels of wine for his cause the first year. Now that Aaron is cancer-free, he plans to be more hands-on as the project continues. 

Later in the interview, Aaron talks about the future of the Oregon wine industry. Aaron believes that people with passion and a story sell wine and those stories won’t go away. Aaron is optimistic for Oregon wine and thinks there is still room for growth. He hopes to see more varietals in the valley as the industry evolves.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 11, 2026.

This interview is with Scott Sabbadini of Bjornson Vineyard. In this interview, Scott discusses his experiences within the wine industry and achieving his dream of working in the Willamette Valley.

Scott talks about growing up in an Italian family who visited Italy multiple times throughout his childhood. Wine had always been on the table and he always associated it with connection. When it was time to go off to college, Scott followed in his parents’ footsteps and went to UC Davis. Scott’s father had suggested he take a few winemaking courses and eventually, Scott declared winemaking as his major. After spending a year abroad in Italy and finishing school, Scott jumped right into the industry.

Scott discusses his various jobs within and adjacent to the industry. Scott’s first real harvest in the industry was in 2006 as an assistant winemaker in a two-person operation. Here, Scott gained a lot of experience within a short amount of time. Scott experienced the opposite scale of production when he did a harvest in New Zealand. Scott believes most people in the industry should experience working in such a large scale because those skills are incredibly transferrable. After working various assistant winemaking jobs, Scott knew he wanted to take the next step. Although before that next step, Scott brewed beer for a year instead. When he decided brewing wasn’t for him, he went back to wine and is now the head winemaker for Bjornson.

Later in the interview, Scott talks about his role at Bjorson and his view on the Oregon wine industry. Scott started at Bjornson in July of 2019 when he was able to prove himself as a quality winemaker before the smoke of 2020. From there, Scott has been experimenting with different varietals and even started a custom crush program at Bjornson on top of starting his own consulting business. As for the industry, Scott is excited about the overlap of institutional knowledge and young ambition within Oregon wine. Scott is having fun on this wave of expansion and experimentation.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 10, 2026.

This interview is with Jon Larson & Boyd Pearson of Redolent Wine Company. In this interview, the two discuss bonding over wine and starting their own brand.

Jon & Boyd talk about first meeting in 2008 when Boyd and his wife moved to Portland. Boyd moved across the street from Jon and Jon noticed they disposed of a lot of wine bottles. With a huge interest in fermentation, Jon became friends with Boyd and they started talking about wine. Jon knew the fermentation and Boyd knew wine and sales. After a friend had some extra fruit, the neighbors decided they were going to make some wine, something they had many conversations about on Jon’s porch.

The friends discuss the development of Redolent and their unique style of wine. Jon & Boyd picked the name “Redolent” because it essentially means a smell or taste that brings back a memory. Jon describes it as “tater tots are redolent of grandma’s house.” Although they were originally worried people wouldn’t be able to pronounce it, the name reflects how they want their wines to be redolent of the fruit it was made with. Redolent wines are made with fruit that was picked early. The two enjoy the delicate nature of these wines and the ability to drink more of it. Redolent released its first vintage in 2015 as a small project between friends who would be happy even if the wine didn’t sell because that meant they could drink it themselves.

Later in the interview, Jon & Boyd talk about their plans and aspirations for the future. As of this interview, Jon & Boyd still have day jobs and Redolent is their side project. The dream is to make Redolent their full-time gig and have their wines age well over time. Even if that doesn’t happen, the two would be happy to just simply keep hanging out and drinking wine together.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Jon’s house in Portland on August 7, 2026.

This interview is with Jeff Makjavich of Les Caves Wine Bar. In this interview, Jeff discusses his history within hospitality and his decision to return to Les Caves.

Jeff talks about his early experiences in hospitality working as a barista and in small restaurants. After experiencing the ceremony of full-service restaurants, Jeff decided that’s where he wanted to work. From there, he continued working in restaurants, but at a higher level. Eventually, he was hired a restaurants with established wine programs. While he didn’t get it at first, Jeff knew he needed to learn about wine or he would be limited within hospitality. Jeff continued to learn about wine on the job and off the cuff. Working at Little Bird, Jeff grew into the hospitality professional he is today and played the role of wine director assistant.

Jeff discusses his first go at Les Caves and how he returned to it years later. Jeff was offered a job in April of 2019 through mutual connections and was enthralled by the atmosphere of the wine bar. After taking the job, Jeff was noticing little things he would do differently around the wine bar. He wanted to be able to decide what wines he was pouring and refrain from taking reservations. During the pandemic, Jeff decided to leave Les Caves and go back to restaurants. During this time, Jeff remotely created wine lists for a restaurant in Texas and learned more about curation. It was when he was getting comfortable in his job that Jeff was offered to come back to Les Caves, but this time as an operating owner.

Later in the interview, Jeff talks about the changes he has made to Les Caves. Jeff’s goal for the spot was to create a casual place for people to hang out and drink wine on the daily. He is determined to make Les Caves different from other wine bars by staying open later and changing the business model of a usual wine bar. Les Caves offers a wine list presented like a bottle list and does not open a new bottle until the previous one has been finished. At that point, the customer can pick the next bottle they open. Jeff finds that this doesn’t waste wine and allows customers to explore wines they may not have tried otherwise.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Les Caves Wine Bar in Portland on August 6, 2026.

This interview is with Kevin Parsons of Cluster Stuck Wine Consulting. In this interview, Kevin talks about his experiences within the wine industry and discusses parts of the industry not everyone sees. 

Kevin talks about his early aspirations of becoming a winemaker. Kevin knew he wanted to be in wine early on in his life. After brewing beer with his father and going to an art high school, Kevin decided he wanted to get into the wine industry as a sophomore in high school. From there, Kevin studied horticulture at CalPoly and worked his first harvest his senior year as a lab assistant. This cemented Kevin’s ideals of becoming a winemaker. 

Kevin discusses his many different roles within the industry. After moving to Arizona for his wife’s education, Kevin was looking for wine jobs within a difficult climate. He started in agricultural research and transitioned to brewing beer where he got to express his creativity. After proposing to his wife in the Willamette Valley, he knew that was where he wanted to put down roots. Within the valley, Kevin has worked as an assistant  and head winemaker and custom crush manager. During this time, Kevin started the Willamette Valley Wine Journal Club, a place where like-minded people can mix wine academics and practice together.

Later in the interview, Kevin talks about the difficult times he’s gone through within the industry. Kevin has learned that he prefers to work under an owner that practices humility and leaves their ego at the door. Through his experiences, he has learned how he wants to treat people and more importantly, how he doesn’t want to treat people. While Kevin may not have had the best experiences at certain wineries, he is proud of what he was able to accomplish at bad places. Now, Kevin operates his wine consulting business and keeps an eye out for the right opportunities within the industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 4, 2026.

This interview is with Davis Dixon of HiFi Wine Bar. In this interview, Davis discusses his transition from restaurants to fully focusing on wine.

Davis talks about working in restaurants at a young age and hospitality becoming a part of who he was. Until he worked in Seattle, he didn’t realize people could make a career out of hospitality. Although Davis had been intimidated by wine, he was fascinated by it as it always surrounded him in restaurants. In 2019, Davis decided to put his full focus on wine and asked for the Wine Bible to start his wine education. From there, Davis worked as a bartender who was determined to learn about his facilities’ wine programs.

Davis discusses his transition to HiFi and becoming a sommelier. After working a harvest in New Zealand, Davis wanted to work a harvest in Oregon, moving to the Willamette Valley. Through his connections, he started working at the International Pinot Noir Celebration where he connected with Ben and Evan of HiFi and was offered a position. After working part-time at HiFi during harvest, Davis accepted a full-time position in the wine bar. Working at HiFi, Davis has been learning leadership skills and how to put the right bottles in front of people. While working at HiFi, Davis was also working on his advanced sommelier certificate from CMS, becoming even more educated in wine.

Later in the interview, Davis talks about his goals for the future. Eventually, Davis wants to be a wine buyer. He wants to make the decisions on what wines are available to his customers. At this time, Davis is only able to create success for himself, but in the future, he wants to use his knowledge and skills to do things for others within the industry, especially aspiring black sommeliers. Davis believes people within the industry are generous with their time and information, and he wants to be able to give back in the same way.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 4, 2026.

This interview is with Fiona FixMitchell & Marcus & Allie Hall of RainSong Vineyard. In this interview, the second generation of RainSong talk about growing up on the vineyard and taking over the family business.

Fiona and Allie talk about growing up on the vineyard and becoming involved in their parents’ dream. Their parents, Mike and Merry Fix, purchased the vineyard when Fiona was around 5 years old and before Allie was born. Growing up in the industry, the two remember going to wine events and festivals with their parents and helping out around the vineyard and winery. They believe RainSong is a magical place and were grateful that they could remain living on the property in their own houses.

Marcus discusses becoming involved with RainSong and eventually becoming their head winemaker. Marcus and Allie met in college, and when it was evident he would be sticking around, Mike started asking him to help out with little things around the winery, and bit by bit, he started teaching him how to make wine. His first harvest was in 2009 and after spending some time at RainSong, he was easily convinced to become a part of the business and lifestyle. Marcus claimed his first vintage as head winemaker in 2011 has been evolving in the role ever since.

Later in the interview, the three talk about the process of taking over the business. It was a smooth a gradual transition from the first generation to the second, but the three officially took over RainSong in 2019. Usually, a new generation brings lots of change, but the three want to maintain the feeling and friendliness that RainSong has always had. While they plan to keep the winery mostly the same, they have introduced new varietals and a wine club to stay up to date and relevant in the modern climate. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at RainSong Vineyard in Cheshire on August 3, 2026.

This interview is with Mike & Merry Fix of RainSong Vineyard. In this interview, the couple discusses how they started their vineyard and passed it along to the second generation.

The two talk about how the vineyard went from an idea to a reality. Mike and Merry met in college through skydiving club at different universities. Now, the couple has been married for almost 55 years. After Mike retired from Nabisco at 52, they could achieve their dreams of owning and living on a vineyard. Mike was always interested in fermentation and Merry wanted to raise a family in the country. After making a three-way trade for land, Mike and Merry started planting in 1985. The first year, they realized how naive they were about the difficulty of producing a vineyard, but they were quick leaners. They learned a lot from a friend who had started a vineyard a few years before them and took UC Davis wine refresher courses to obtain winemaking knowledge.

Mike and Merry discuss their successful bottling program. RainSong was widely known for this program until the pandemic in 2020. The two got the idea when they were traveling in Italy and stumbled upon a small winery that allowed customers to bring their own bottles and containers to collect wine directly from the barrel. While Mike and Merry couldn’t do this exact model due to labeling laws, they were able to make it their own by supplying bottles with a simple label. This program was wildly successful and built a great community around the vineyard. Each year, the attendees looked forward to hearing “the bear joke.”

Later in the interview, Mike and Merry talk about passing the vineyard off to the next generation. While their son-in-law has been making their wine since 2011, they didn’t make the official transition until July 2019. Now, the vineyard is in the hands of their two daughters and son-in-law. The couple is grateful to keep living on the vineyard and being involved in RainSong on a smaller scale. Now, they do more of the background work and leave the future of RainSong to the next generation.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at RainSong Vineyard in Cheshire on August 3, 2026.