The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Lydia DeRoss of Beyond the Vine. In this interview, Lydia talks about how her passion for wine was sparked and how that passion drove her to leave the world of accounting to join the wine industry.

Lydia shares about growing up in Tumalo, Oregon, and starting a career in accounting. After an initial interest in wine, she took a WSET class with Linfield in 2020 in order to learn more. This expanded her palette and encouraged her to try many new wines.

Later in the interview, Lydia talks about her excitement to both learn about wine and help educate others on what she was learning. After quitting her accounting job, she started working in a wine shop in Redmond before opening her own storefront.

Lydia opened Beyond the Vine in November 2023, where she focused on making wine fun and approachable. She has a limited inventory so that she can change her menu regularly and continually introduce even regulars to plenty of new and interesting wines.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Beyond the Vine in Redmond on August 11, 2025.

This interview is with Luisa Ponzi of Ponzi Vineyards. In this interview, Luisa talks about growing up in the wine industry and finding her own place in it.

Luisa shares about what it was like to grow up in the early Oregon wine industry, making friends with other kids in wine families and others not really understanding what her family did. Though she originally went to school for biology to enter the medical field, she graduated with a degree in English Literature.

In 1991, Luisa returned to her family’s winery to help with harvest, and this put her directly back onto the wine industry path. After studying wine in France - and discovering a lot of sexism towards women working in wine - she returned to her family’s estate to take over winemaking duties from her father.

Later in the interview, Luisa talks about selling the Ponzi brand and starting her own label. She and her husband, Eric Hamacher, started a project called Winery Lane Collective, which is a shared winemaking and tasting room space. She speaks to her family’s focus on quality over everything else, and her pride in how her family has grown over the years.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Winery Lane Collective in Beaverton on August 8, 2025.

This interview is with Jacques Lardière of Résonance Wines. In this interview, Jacques speaks about his early introduction to wine and his passion for the science behind winemaking.

He then talks about the Oregon part of his career, after 40 years working for the Jadot family in Burgundy. He speaks on how Jadot found and acquired Résonance and how the project has gone so far. And he talks about the potential of the wines from the site and from Oregon.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on July 31, 2025 at Résonance in Carlton.

This interview is with Bailey Mayer of Proteus Wines. In this interview, Bailey talks about how he ended up owning a vineyard in Oregon and what he has learned in the process.

Bailey shares about growing up in Colorado and attending the University of Colorado in Boulder to get a degree in finance and accounting. Shortly after, he moved to Philadelphia and worked in bank regulatory compliance for 20 years. It was in Philadelphia that he met his husband, Jerry, after joining a swim league.

Bailey was introduced to wine by a sommelier friend, and he and Jerry focused many of their vacations around which wine regions they wanted to visit and learn about. Though they both worked office jobs in Philadelphia, they dreamed of moving to Oregon and joining the wine industry.

Later in the interview, Bailey talks about finally moving to Oregon after his husband passed away. While he wasn’t looking for a vineyard property, his real estate agent showed him the Proteus Wines property, and he fell in love. He got straight to work developing a 4-year plan to expand and boost the brand. He also created a wine to honor his late husband and donates the proceeds from that wine to epilepsy research.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Proteus Wines in Newberg on August 7, 2025.

This interview is with Michael Krikorian of Bottle Bodega. In this interview, Michael talks about his experience working in various restaurants and how his passion for wine has grown.

Michael shares about growing up in Montana on his family’s 6,000 acre farm. In 1998 he moved to the west coast, where he spent 11 years working at a San Francisco restaurant called The Cove. When the owners opened another restaurant, this one a fine-dining establishment, he found himself learning to take wine more seriously.

After learning about restaurants from the service and management side, Michael opened his own restaurant in Portland called Il Terrazzo. He speaks to developing a wine list that balances what customers want with which wines he was interested in at the time, as well as making adjustments during the pandemic.

Later in the interview, Michael talks about the importance of community, especially in the wine industry. He shares stories of connecting with people who share similar backgrounds and passions. He also speaks about his involvement in Oregon’s Queer Wine Fest and the most recent Oregon Pinot Camp.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Bethany’s Table in Portland on August 5, 2025.

This interview is with Mike Bacus of Bacus Vineyards. In this interview, Mike talks about his early career in computer programming and databases and how he made the transition into the wine industry.

Mike shares about growing up in Chicago while his dad worked as a biomedical engineer. This led to an interest in biotech engineering, which was his focus in college. After helping to develop a program to detect cancer cells, he started his own custom programming and database company before joining the team at Amazon in the early 2000s.

Later in the interview, Mike talks about starting a wine company with his daughter after purchasing a vineyard in the Ribbon Ridge AVA. Before starting an official winery, he had been making experimental wine in his garage. He was fascinated by the process of grape growing and wine making and all the factors that can influence the final product.

In both the tech and wine worlds, Mike speaks to the importance of building relationships in business. While he loves his work and the intricacies of wine, he speaks about being most proud of his kids and the relationships he has developed with the people around him.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University’s Nicholson Library on August 1, 2025.

This interview is with Lauren Clark of Bergström Wines. In this interview, Lauren talks about how she got into wine and why she wants to continue learning.

Lauren shares about growing up in central California in an agricultural region, and how it was always part of her life. She moved to Oregon to attend Oregon State University, get out of California, and get away from agricultural work. Instead, she started in the food science program.

While she was initially interested in beer, she later became fascinated by wine and its intricacies, working with Dr. Elizabeth Tomasino in the science labs. In the fall of 2018, Lauren completed her first commercial harvest with Willamette Valley Vineyards, and she was hooked.

Later in the interview, Lauren talks about her transition to Bergström Wines after being hired as their enologist. Here, she took the jump into learning more about cellar work. She also talks about the unique aspect of community and collaboration in the Oregon wine industry, and how she values having friends both in and out of the industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Bergström Wines in Dundee on July 31, 2025.

This interview is with Terry Culton of Willamette Valley Vineyards. In this interview, Terry speaks about his early days in wine and his first tenure at Willamette Valley Vineyards. He also talks about his lengthy career on the central coast of California, and how he ended up back at Willamette Valley Vineyards.

Terry speaks about the many places he's worked and wines he has produced, and the multitude of wines and vineyards he gets to interact with now. He talks about the challenges of making good wine at scale and about how the Oregon wine industry has evolved. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Willamette Valley Vineyards in Turner on July 30, 2025.

This interview is with Jean-Michel Jussiaume of Maison Jussiaume. In this interview, Jean-Michel talks about his upbringing in France and how he eventually found himself making wine in Oregon.

Jean-Michel shares about growing up in the Loire Valley in France and how wine has always been a constant in his life. He then goes on to share how he did not intend to become a winemaker, until he fell in love with the process and product.

Later in the interview, Jean-Michel talks about his wine education and travels. He then goes on to share some of his views and practices when it comes to making sparkling wine. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at The Dundee Hotel in Dundee on July 25, 2025.

This interview is with Jenna White of The Dundee Hotel. In this interview, Jenna talks about her love for hospitality and how she blends this passion with wine. 

Jenna shares about her childhood and the many impactful people and milestones that led her to where she is today. She dives into her journey with hospitality and how that has always been a throughline in her career.

Later in the interview, Jenna talks about how she found herself getting involved with wine. She then goes on to share about her return to Oregon. Jenna also talks about her new business endeavors and what she is excited for in the future.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at The Dundee Hotel in Dundee on July 25, 2025.