The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Ariel Daly of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Ariel speaks about her career in acting in New York and her introduction to wine through working in restaurants.

From there, she talks about her move to Oregon and her decision to dive into viticulture and vineyard management. From courses at Chemeketa Community College to internships to full-time work, she talks about the learning and camaraderie she enjoyed, before finding her role at Adelsheim. She also speaks about what she's worked on at Adelsheim so far, and what comes next.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on June 26, 2024 at Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg.

This interview is with Ashley Leonard of InnoVint. In this interview, Ashley speaks about going to UC Davis and learning the technical side of winemaking before working in a number of California wineries in production and management roles. She then discusses her pivot into technology and her growing desire to build technology to help wineries.

From there she talks about the creation and growth of InnoVint, which she launched to help winemakers chart their wine through the production process and wineries to monitor inventory and determine costs. She also talks about her move to Oregon, which allowed her to start working with wineries in the Northwest.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in Lake Oswego on June 25, 2024.

This interview is with Shardul Ghogale of Left Coast Estate. In this interview, Shardul speaks about his career in wine and how he has always found upward movement and success. 

Shardul shares about growing up in Canada and how he fell in love with flavors and scents through his father’s involvement with the mint industry. He goes on to talk about how this passion paved his path into the wine industry.

Shardul then talks about his journey in finding Left Coast Estate. He dives into meeting Taylor Pfaff and how they bonded over a shared passion for wine. Before he leaves, he shares what he is excited for both professionally and personally.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Left Coast Estate in Rickreall on June 19, 2024.

This interview is with Dave Holstrom of Guy du Vin. In this interview, Dave speaks about his career in restaurants, from line cook to general manager. He discusses all the places he lived and worked, and the trials and tribulations of restaurant management.

From there, he talks about working more in wine, from creating and running wine programs to fixing ones that were broken. He speaks about coming to Portland and all the restaurants he helped open, and the many colleagues he built teams with. He also talks about his relationship with the Oregon wine industry and how he's seen the industry grow.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Dave's home in Gearhart on June 20, 2024.

This interview is with Andria Shirk of Laelaps Wine. In this interview, Andria talks about finding her passion for wine and the journey that led her to become a winemaker. 

Andria shares about being born and raised in Portland by her parents who were part of the show-business industry. She dives into being a Jazz singer in Japan and eventually a Madonna impersonator. She then goes on to talk about how she came to find wine.

Later in the interview, Andria talks about her path in wine. She shares about going back to school for wine and the many things she learned simply by volunteering and doing. Andria leaves us with some of her personal hopes alongside some of her hopes for the future of Oregon wine. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on June 17, 2024 at Portland Wine Storage in Portland.

This interview is with Hari and Paru Mahesh of Smera Vineyard. In this interview, Hari and Paru speak about their early life in India, their move to the United States, and their work in engineering and technology before discovering an interest in wine.

From there, Hari and Paru talk about finding the Willamette Valley and searching for their home and vineyard there, as well as getting the vineyard planted and starting to make wine. And they talk about starting their wine-selling platform Artisan Vino and their plans for the future. Hari also speaks about his filmmaking career and his upcoming projects.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on June 14, 2024 at Smera Vineyard in McMinnville.

This interview is with Jeffrey Weissler of Pairings Portland Wine Shop & Bar. In this interview, Jeffrey talks about his relationship with wine and his winding path to owning and opening his own shop.

Jeffrey shares about his first interactions with wine, which centered around dinner and tasting everything on the table. He goes on to talk about how his passion for wine grew and shaped some of his early careers. He then dives into his different passions, which eventually led him to Oregon and the wine industry. 

Later in the interview, Jeffrey talks about creating and opening his own wine shop. He talks about his defining the place's identity and how his iconic and original tasting menus came to be.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on June 17, 2024 at Pairings Portland Wine Shop & Bar in Portland.

This interview is with Amira Makansi of Stoller Wine Group. In this interview, Amira speaks about discovering wine and getting excited initially about wine production. She talks about her first wine internship at Benton Lane Winery in 2010, and about discovering her love of the Willamette Valley

From there, she also talks about her parallel career as a successful author - first writing a trilogy with her mother and sister, and later solo. She discusses her writing process and favorite parts of creating stories.

Then she talks about her pivot into the marketing side of the industry, and how she came to work at Stoller. She talks about what she's done so far and what the future may hold.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt on June 14, 2024 at Stoller Vineyard in Dayton.

This interview is with Laurent Percheron of Andante Vineyard. In this interview, Laurent speaks about growing up in France and around wine, but never anticipating it being his path in life. He then talks about his first wine experience and diving headlong into viticulture and enology.

From there, Laurent talks about traveling to work in wine, meeting his wife Erin, and eventually coming to Oregon. He talks about his vineyard philosophy, starting a small brand with Erin, and what comes next.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Andante Vineyard in Dallas, Oregon on June 13, 2024.

This interview is with Erin Percheron of Andante Vineyards. In this interview, Erin speaks about learning about wine, first on the tasting room side and later in production after graduating from the University of Oregon. After working in a tasting room, she found a passion for wine and diverted into winemaking.

She talks about traveling around the world to work on harvests, and eventually meeting her husband Laurent. After working at Iris Vineyards outside Eugene, they came to work at Andante Vineyard. And they also started their own brand, which she talks about as well.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Andante Vineyard in Dallas, Oregon on June 13, 2024.