The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Herb Quady of Quady North and Barrel 42. In this interview, Herb talks about his family starting a wine brand in California the same year he was born, and thus growing up in the industry. Despite initially not wanting to work in wine, he soon found himself working for Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon and launching his wine career.

Later, Herb talks about coming to Southern Oregon and working at Troon, and the growth of the Rogue Valley wine industry while he was a part of it. He then talks about the decision to start Quady North with his parents, his wife, and her parents all playing a major role.

He discusses the growth of Quady North, the custom crush operation Barrel 42, and his vineyard installation/management business as well. And he talks about the role he and his businesses have played in the growth of the local wine industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Quady North in Jacksonville on March 17, 2026.

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!

This interview is with Sara Garr of Circadian Cellars. In this interview, Sara talks about growing up as a creative individual and finally finding her preferred medium in wine.

Sara talks about first entering the wine industry from a sales point of view, working at the Harry & David bottle shop in Medford. Though initially she didn’t know much about fine wine, she worked with the wine buyer and her coworkers to learn more. Her career trajectory changed in 2015 when she started her first harvest with Quady North / Barrel 42.

Sara discusses her “happy accident” barrel of Cabernet that would become her first wine under the Circadian Cellars label. While continuing to work at Barrel 42, she slowly started to expand her own label as well, including lesser known varietals as well as more standard Southern Oregon varietals but with less common winemaking processes. After she felt she had a handle on the wine itself, she also started creating her own labels.

Later in the interview, Sara talks about the future of her own label and the wine industry at large. With an ever-changing industry and the people interested in drinking wine, she stresses the importance of being flexible and creating a product that customers really want. For her first wine club release, she will curate a collection “from the vault” for each member based on their individual taste.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Hummingbird Estate in Central Point on March 16, 2026.

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!

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 grapes in a single harvest. He then discusses coming to Naumes Crush and Fermentation as it was just getting started and the roles he has held while the business has grown. 

He also discusses a brief sojourn back to the Willamette Valley to work for Jackson Family Wines before returning to Naumes, as well as talking about his work as a custom crush winemaker for a large number of clients.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Naumes Crush and Fermentaion in Medford on March 16, 2026.

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!

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 for Oregon at that time, she went back to California after graduation and started her real estate career. She met Doug when he came to her to purchase a house.

Doug talks about growing up on a ranch near Jacksonville and moving to Huntington Beach for high school. He went to college at UC Irvine and stayed in the area after graduation. He also played baseball growing up, and for a short stint in Australia.

Later in the interview, Doug and Dionne discuss moving back to Oregon to raise their daughters. Unbeknownst to them, they had purchased a site that was perfect for growing Burgundian varietals like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. After falling in love with wine in Europe, they wanted to begin planting vines in Ashland in 2007.

As they started to produce more wine, they moved winemaking operations to Quady North/Barrel 42, where Brian Gruber was part of the team. After the completion of the tasting room and winery building onsite, they hired Vince Vidrine to oversee winemaking. When he left to pursue wine elsewhere, Brian Gruber came on as their head winemaker once again, but this time in their own facility.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Irvine & Roberts Vineyards in Ashland on March 16, 2026.

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 wine. He talks about the decision to move to Oregon and the various places he has worked in the industry, including helping to found Barrel 42 and now making wine at Irvine & Roberts. He speaks about the growth of the industry, his own vineyard in the Rogue Valley, and what comes next.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Irvine & Roberts Vineyards in Grants Pass on March 16, 2026.

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!

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, Calif., getting to be part of every process as the Benzinger brand was growing and taking off.

Later, he talks about coming to Oregon and various winemaking roles he held in the Rogue Valley before starting Cuckoo's Nest with his wife. He talks about learning how to make wine and the evolution he's seen in the industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Plaisance Ranch in Williams on March 15, 2026. Thank you to Joe and Suzi Ginet for hosting us and providing an audience for the interview!

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!

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 working with land, building on property in Healdsburg with 35 acres, and later moving the business to Southern Oregon. Judy shares her background as well, explaining how she studied psychology and spent time in San Diego and Santa Rosa.

Together, they talk about their move to Grants Pass and how they developed their vineyard over time. They planted their first acres of grapes in the early 2000s and produced their first vintage in 2004, followed by their first bottled wine in 2006. As a family—run operation, they emphasize the role their children and grandchildren played in helping build and maintain their vineyard.

Later in the interview, Cal talks about starting new projects and his plans to grow the business through events and distribution. Judy reflects more on what the vineyard has brought to the community, emphasizing their goal of creating quality wine. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Schmidt Family Vineyards in Grants Pass on March 15, 2026.

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!

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 the cellar, and later moving to King Estate where he took on responsibilities in the tasting room, wine club, and compliance. During this time, he also became interested in organic and biodynamic wines, which would later influence his business.

He talks about transitioning into the sales side of the industry, helping with wholesale in Salem and eventually woking distribution, including time in San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

Later in the interview, Josh talks about the personal challenges he faced during this time, including family hardships that led him away from his dream job, taking a break and then eventually leading him back to Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden as a national sales manager prior to the winery being sold a few years later.

Josh talks about founding Kimball’s Artisan Wines in Jacksonville, opening in 2019, and focusing on sourcing organic and biodynamically farmed wines. He emphasizes creating access to unique wines and building a sense of community, while intentionally keeping the business small and personal rather than expanding or moving online.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Kimball’s Artisan Wines in Jacksonville on March 15, 2026.

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!

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 over to sell Oregon wine.

Rob talks about coming out of the military and being interested in working with his hands and creating something. He speaks about his time at Domaine Serene and asking all the questions in order to make himself a better winemaker.

Later, the pair talk about their work with Folin Wines and now Ryan Rose, and about the types of wines they make as well as their work to sell those wines. They also talk about the Rogue Valley and how the wine industry has grown up.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at the Ryan Rose Wine tasting room in Central Point on March 14, 2026.

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!

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 Lodi, his neighbor grew his own grapes and made his own wine, which inspired John to think about the farming that goes into wine.

John discusses working as a teacher for 40 years and beginning to look for a wine region to retire in. Both he and his wife Sherry had visited southern Oregon, and after viewing property there they purchased what is now known as Celestina Vineyard in 2004. They began building a home on the site in 2006, planted vines in 2007, and had their first harvest in 2009.

Later in the interview, John talks about his short stint in winemaking before deciding that he preferred to just grow the grapes. He discusses what varietals they planted and why, and how they were affected by red blotch disease. He also talks about his work on the Rogue Valley Vintners Association and the Oregon Wine Board, spending time on both organizations’ research committees.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Celestina Vineyard in Medford on March 14, 2026.

Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!