The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

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.

This interview is with Perry Heistuman and Eli Doty of Hoty Wines. In this interview, the couple discusses their separate careers in hospitality and how they created a wine brand together.

Perry talks about always being plant-driven and hospitality-centered. Her father worked in wine distribution all throughout her childhood so she already had a limited view of the wine industry. At 19, Perry worked her first harvest in Italy, learning a lot about winemaking and cellar work. At the age of 26, she decided to go to Oregon State University to study viticulture, a side of the industry she didn’t know much about at the time. From that experience, she learned that she enjoyed the winemaking and hospitality side of the industry.

Eli discusses his entrance into the industry. Eli also started working in hospitality and restaurants where he grew an interest in wine. He had always had a connection to nature, and wine was a way to celebrate that. He also believes that wine can take you places both physically and mentally. Working in restaurants, Eli got heavily involved in creating wine lists and pairings. Eli has completed his WSET diploma and is looking to advance further as a sommelier through CMS.

Later in the interview, the two talk about coming together to create Hoty Wines. The two met in college and started drinking wine together. After bonding over wine throughout their relationship, they came across some fruit that was unspoken for. They took this opportunity to make their own wine with grapes Perry had farmed. They claim that every wine they make is like a college course. The two released their first vintage in 2023 and look forward to releasing their 2024 and 2025 vintages.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at No Clos Radio in Forest Grove on July 31, 2026.

This interview is with Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre of Trinity College in Connecticut. In this interview, Jennifer discusses her career as a professor and wine historian and her initial impressions of the Oregon wine industry.

Jennifer talks about her education and path into her profession. While Jennifer was born in America, she spent her formative years from 10-18 years old in London. She started her schooling at Georgetown University with a focus on former British colonies. She furthered her education after studying abroad in Galway, deciding to get her master’s degree in Irish history. After moving to Paris, Jennifer developed her love of wine and the stories that come with it. Once she accepted a job at the University of Cambridge, she joined the wine committee where she learned a lot about wine. From there, she went to Trinity College where she serves as the chair of the history department.

Jennifer discusses her decision and process for writing her book “Imperial Wine: How the British Empire Made Wine’s New World.” With a background in former British colonies, the book focuses on Britain’s role in creating the wine industries around the world. Jennifer decided to write the book in 2011, and with a decade of research, she published the final product in 2022. The book went on to win the André Simon Drink Book Award of 2022 and the Gourmand Award (Best Wine History Book, United States) in 2023 from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.

Later in the interview, Jennifer talks about her future projects. Jennifer is working on a short book about how people use history to sell wine. Jennifer explains that wine is a narrative driven commodity that uses history and tradition to appeal to consumers. She is also co-editing a wine book with her colleague and has many other ideas for future publications. With a year sabbatical, she is hoping to reach her WSET diploma.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on July 30, 2026.

This interview is with Myles Nelson of Jachter Family Wines. In this interview, Myles discusses his many different experiences within the industry and how he ended up at Jachter.

Myles talks about starting in sociology at Fresno State until he experienced their wine program. His friend was a viticulture major so he decided to take an intro wine class, eventually changing his major to enology. From there, Myles participated in many different internships including vineyard scout, lab assistant, viticulture technician, and harvest intern. These internships took him to California, Australia, and eventually Oregon where he settled at Gran Moraine for 9 years.

Myles discusses his time at Gran Moraine and moving up the ranks. Myles started at Gran Moraine in 2016 where he experienced gradual growth throughout the years. Before Myles made the transition to Jachter, he was the assistant winemaker at Gran Moraine and felt that he was ready to take the next step of becoming head winemaker. Due to his love and comfort with Gran Moraine, Myles waited for the perfect opportunity to make the transition to a different winery as head winemaker. Looking at jobs online, Myles found the position at Jachter which had the young, family feel that Myles appreciated.

Later in the interview, Myles talks about his beginnings at Jachter and hopes for the future. After meeting the crew, Myles was confident he made the right decision. It was his first harvest with Jachter that cemented his thoughts about his future with Jachter. Myles is excited to continue making wines at Jachter and getting to know the vineyard better.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Jachter Family Wines in Newberg on July 30, 2026.

This interview is with Cassondra Bird of The Scout Wine Bar. In this interview, Cassondra discusses growing her passion and education of wine. 

Cassondra talks about starting in restaurants and hospitality, developing a love for serving others. It was when she moved to Spain for a year that she was engulfed in the word of wine. She enjoyed that wine was apart of everyday life in Spain, something she was unfamiliar with. While working in restaurants, Cassondra continued to learn about wine even becoming a certified sommelier in 2018. Cassondra thought she would always be in restaurants until 2020 changes her plans. During this time, Cassondra got her WSET diploma and worked a harvest in California.

Cassondra discusses her next steps after the pandemic and how she got to where she is now. Cassondra switched gears and started working in wine PR with Play Nice Public Relations. It was when her best friend since high school’s husband, and now business partner, approached Cassondra and asked her to start a wine bar with him that The Scout became a twinkle in their eyes. After a lot of hard work, The Scout was officially opened in 2025. The wine bar also sells beer, ciders, and even has a monthly book club.

Later in the interview, Cassondra talks about the future of The Scout and the Oregon wine industry. Cassondra has started teaching wine courses at the wine bar and has been asked by club members to increase the number of courses. As for the Oregon wine industry, Cassondra believes that the grapes Oregon isn’t famous for are going to explode in popularity.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at The Scout Wine Bar in Gresham on July 29, 2026.

This interview is with Shaun Vrooman of Adelsheim Vineyard. In this interview, Shaun discusses his journey to wine and time spent at Adelsheim.

Shaun talks about starting in hospitality through restaurants, bars, and eventually fine dining. While working in fine dining, Shaun got to experience wine. Shaun learned about wine through tasting and went through the beginnings of becoming a sommelier before he decided he wanted to make wine himself. When deciding where he wanted to do his first harvest, he took a road trip across the west coast and decided the spot would be Oregon before the trip was over.

Shaun discusses his first harvest at Adelsheim and his decision to stay. Shaun’s first harvest at Adelsheim was in 2016, a time when the industry was experience immense growth. Shaun learned a lot about the industry his first harvest by asking a lot of questions and loved the Adelsheim environment. After harvest, Shaun was offered a full-time job as cellar hand at Adelsheim in 2017. Throughout Shaun’s 11 harvests with Adlesheim, he kept moving up the ranks. From cellar master to assistant winemaker to now head winemaker, Shaun has devoted a lot of hard work to Adelsheim.

Later in the interview, Shaun talks about the future of the Oregon wine industry. Since Shaun joined the industry during a successful time, he has seen the industry change throughout the years. Shaun believes that the industry is all about cycles and it will see success again. He believes there is still growth to be had and the people within the industry have a natural resilience.  

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Adelsheim Vineyard in Newberg on July 28, 2026.

This interview is with Rich Cushman of Viento Wines. In this interview, Rich revisits his Oregon wine story and shares updates on his journey since his previous interview in 2014.

Rich talks about the spark that set him on the winemaking path. Rich took a tasting class at Oregon State University in 1977 and fell in love with wine. With a passion for science and art, Rich decided to get his masters at UC Davis. After graduating, Rich did a harvest internship in Germany in 1980 where he learned a lot about the winemaker he wanted to become. When he returned, a friend gave him his extra vines so Rich planted them in 1981, creating his brand Viento Wines. 

Rich discusses his role in the industry now that he is pseudo-retired. Rich still has five clients that he guides throughout harvest. Rich also has two sons that are involved in the wine industry as well. His son, Peter, is a winemaker at Jacob Williams and his son, Joe, is on the vineyard side at Threemile Vineyard. Rich is incredibly proud that his children continue to contribute to the Oregon wine industry. As for himself, Rich currently enjoys gardening, cooking, cycling, swimming, and traveling.

Later in the interview, Rich talks about the changes he has seen within the Oregon wine industry since his beginnings in the 80s. Rich believes that wine used to be more simple and friendly even though he claims it is easier to make wine these days compared to when he started. He wants the truthfulness of the Oregon wine industry to be maintained, but he has hope for the future. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on July 27, 2026.