The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

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 back home and started Chemeketa’s new viticulture program.

Darcy talks about meeting Patrick McElligott there, who hired her at the Amity Vineyards tasting room and thus changed the trajectory of her career. When she met Myron Redford, he realized her potential and encouraged her to start working in the cellar.

Later in the interview, Darcy discusses her promotions from cellar master to assistant winemaker and eventually to winemaker, all at Amity Vineyards. She also started her own label, Tartan, and experimented with bigger bolder reds. Additionally, she spent 10 vintages overseas to continue her learning.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University’s Nicholson Library in McMinnville on February 16, 2026.

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 college, she worked her first harvest in 2014, which helped her realize she wanted to shift toward winemaking rather than just the business side.

Brynn explains some of her early work experiences. Working part-time at August Ridge Cellar where she learned a lot about the industry, as well as completing an internship with Robert Craig, and after finishing school in 2017, traveling to New Zealand to work a harvest before moving to Oregon because of the nature of the state.

Finally, Brynn speaks about being accepted into a masters program. She shares that she wants to learn how to conduct research and continue developing her knowledge as much as she possibly can.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in the Nicholson Library at Linfield University in McMinnville on February 17, 2026.

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 drinking wine and learning about wine are social and communal.

Gabriel discusses moving to Oregon to learn about winemaking after feeling burnt out on wine sales. Though he had a rough start in the industry, he finally felt things click working at Illahe Vineyards. During this time he also attended Chemeketa chemistry and winemaking courses.

Later in the interview, Gabriel talks about beginning to make wine at Scenic Valley Farms, which had been a client at Illahe. At Scenic Valley he is granted both the freedom to experiment with the wines and the tools and resources of the farm at large. Since this newest venture he has also joined the board at AHIVOY, which supports vineyard stewards in Oregon.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University’s Nicholson Library on February 9, 2026.

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 started to work with the family business. He speaks of his time at Middlebury College and of the way he slowly learned more and more about winemaking as he wrapped up his education.

Boone also talks about the pride he feels being part of the industry and about how his role has evolved and progressed.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in the Nicholson Library at Linfield University on February 12, 2026.

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 his role as Chief Operations Officers for Crimson Wine Group, which among other brands owns Archery Summit in Oregon.

Nicolas also speaks about the books he has authored, the work that went into his becoming a Master of Wine, and how the wine industry is dealing with recent issues. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Archery Summit in Dayton on February 11, 2026.

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 Restaurant, starting as a bartender and working his way up to running the beverage program, including developing cocktails and focusing on technique and high-quality ingredients. 

Colt talks about his approach to creativity and collaboration, including working with different companies on branded wines, creating cocktail kits during COVID, and experimenting with new ideas that customers may not have experienced before. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Local Ocean Restaurant in Newport, Oregon on February 2, 2026.

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 consulting winemaker in California. He talks about the challenges and successes of his career, and of finding his way back to his home state of Oregon.

He talks about his work with his longtime friend Andrew Riechers on various projects, including Oregon brands Audeant, Sacred Shores, and Archer, and about what he still hopes to accomplish in his winemaking career.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in the Nicholson Library at Linfield University in McMinnville on January 27, 2026.

This interview is with Travis Culley, a Linfield grad and local wine industry veteran. In this interview, Travis talks about attending Linfield in the 90s, beginning to work at Nick’s Italian Cafe the week before he started his freshman year, and all his adventures since then.

Travis talks about being introduced to wine through Riesling while his dad was in the Air Force and his family lived in Germany. They later moved to Weston, OR near Pendleton, and Travis came to Linfield in 1990. The week before classes started, his roommate took him to Nick’s Italian Cafe to help clean up the kitchen. He ended up working there for the next 11 years.

Travis discusses his involvement with IPNC and how he ended up in the background of a very famous picture outside of Nick’s. During a dinner with dozens of influential winemakers sometime in the late 90s, everyone gathered outside the restaurant to take a picture, and Travis stood on a chair on the other side of the window to be included.

Later in the interview, Travis talks about going wine tasting at various local wineries on Thanksgiving and Memorial Day weekends to visit places that sold wine to Nick’s. It was through these tastings that he started working holiday weekends at Archery Summit and WillaKenzie, and for the last 27 years at Belle Pente Winery.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University’s Nicholson Library on January 26, 2026.

This interview is with Jackson Grom of Abbott Claim. In this interview, Jackson speaks about his decision to attend UC Davis and focus on wine, the research he did there, and how it started his career. 

He then talks about his move to Oregon and his work for Results Partners, Lingua Franca, and a couple organic farms. He describes how much he learned about farming and viticulture, and about the skills he needed to develop quickly.

Later, he talks about joining Abbott Claim in 2025, how the work has gone so far, and what comes next. He also talks about how he evaluates a vineyard, and the work that goes into keep on top of the annual vineyard cycle.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Abbott Claim in Carlton on January 20, 2026.

This interview is with Ian Shapen and Leyla Ersan of Horse Devours. In this interview, Ian and Leyla talk about meeting at the University of Oregon, getting into the wine industry, and later starting their own label.

Leyla talks about growing up familiar with wine and becoming more interested during college. After graduating, she went to Day Wines for a tasting and loved it so much she asked if they were hiring. She now acts as the general manager there, completing a variety of tasks depending on what is needed.

Ian discusses attending the University of Oregon to get a degree in Digital Arts with a minor in Business. He met Leyla while at college and eventually joined her at Day Wines during harvest. In addition to now working at Antica Terra, he works as a freelance graphic designer.

Later in the interview, Ian and Leyla talk about starting their own label together, Horse Devours. Thanks to Day Wines, they have connections to fruit growers and are able to utilize the winemaking facilities onsite. They also talk about the delayed gratification of starting to see their wines available in stores and restaurants.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Day Wines in Dundee on January 17, 2026.