The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Bryan Lewis of Björnson Vineyard. In this interview, Bryan discusses how he has obtained his dream job.

Bryan talks about the how he started out as a pastor, went into video production, sales management for 14 years, and eventually wine retail while making his own beverages from wine kits on the side. After being in retail for so long, Bryan started working as a steward for Market of Choice. When he felt he didn’t know what he was talking about, he decided to complete his WSET level 3 and is currently working on his level 4. When he realized he loved teaching people about wine, he started a wine education-focused Instagram page.

Bryan discusses the beginnings of his account and its goal. Initially, Bryan wanted to teach wine beginners about wine in a fun, approachable way. Eventually, even more people outside of his target demographic started consuming and sharing his content. Bryan produces videos and graphics that make learning about wine easy and enjoyable. When Björnson asked Bryan to create a video, he also applied as their hospitality manager and began working there in July of 2025. Now, Bryan has taken his social media presence to the press and has two published books with the same fun approach.

Later in the interview, Bryan talks about the future for himself and the Oregon wine industry. Bryan believes that Oregon is going to become more renowned around the world for wine. With this progression, Bryan hopes the industry doesn’t loose who they are along the way. As for himself, there is nothing bigger and better than Björnson for him. He is right where he wants to be and plans to grow Björnson along with his individual side projects.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Björnson Vineyard in Salem on July 14, 2026.

This interview is with Kelley, Brad, and Kerry Brainard of Native Son Cellars. In this interview, the group discusses their family’s heritage and transition into wine after retirement.

The trio talks about the history of their family as Oregon natives. Their father was the chief of the Miluk Coos of the Confederated Tribes of Coos and his sons take great honor in their heritage. After deciding to start a vineyard and wine brand, the sons decided to pay homage to their family history within the branding. They are “Native Sons” of Oregon and use tribal images on their bottles as representation of their tribal identity.

Kelley and Brad discuss their experiences traveling around the world while Brad was in the Air Force. Staying in the same place for five years or less  at a time and frequently traveling abroad, the couple has tried many different wines from many different places. A notable experience was tasting a Hungarian wine they still think about to this day. When Brad retired in 2021, they decided to bring in Brad’s brother, Kerry, to start a vineyard and wine brand. 

Later in the interview, Kelley talks about her hopes for the future of Native Sons. Mainly, Kelley wants to get their name out there and continue telling the story behind the brand. Since she is only distributor and doesn’t want to work well into her 90s, they plan to keep the brand small and enjoy the privilege to do what they are passionate about. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at their home in Eugene on July 8, 2026.

This interview is with John Peacock of Ocelli Cellars. In this interview, John discusses his beginnings in analytics and unique transition into wine full-time.

John talks about his job experience and introduction to wine. Majoring in real estate finance at Portland State University, John had a lot of jobs in analytics. John was introduced to wine by his wife, Sirpa, and was not a fan of the beverage until he tried Pinot Gris. After enjoying wine together, John and Sirpa decided to make wine their hobby and create their own wine brand in 2013 while still maintaining their seriate full-time jobs. In 2023, John was laid off from his wine production software job and decided it was time to embrace Ocelli as a full-time gig.

John discusses his hopes for the new Ocelli tasting room that opened in March of 2026. John considers wine more than a beverage and strives for community within the tasting room. John loves that the Oregon wine industry allows people to create the environments they want to create. He believes that there is new experiences available and something for everyone. 

Later in the interview, John talks about his goal to never retire from Ocelli. John believes he already lives in paradise and currently does what he wants to do for the rest of his life. In the future, John hopes to hire others to manage the everyday tasks so he can focus on the winemaking and logistics and “sprinkle the winemaker dust” in the tasting room.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at the Ocelli Cellars tasting room in Dundee on July 8, 2026.

This interview is with Sirpa Peacock of Ocelli Cellars. In this interview, Sirpa discusses her work in the Oregon wine industry and her path to starting her own brand.

Sirpa talks about how she began in the industry. A Linfield University graduate in sociology, Sirpa was not looking forward to more schooling, so she decided to get into an industry she enjoyed. She started working part-time at a wine bar and kept growing from there. Her unique talent of establishing structure and organization opened doors for her to keep evolving within the industry and working at places such as Archery Summit, Colene Clemens, and Appassionata Estate.

Sirpa discusses the beginnings of starting her wine brand with her husband, John. Ocelli was born in 2013 after her husband jokingly said to their winemaking friend that it would be fun to start a brand. That friend let them use some barrels to start their project and the rest is history. For the next decade, Sirpa and John would work their full-time jobs while producing and selling their small brand.

Later in the interview, Sirpa talks about their new tasting room. Opening in March of 2026, the Ocelli tasting room is actually a dual tasting room with another small brand, Stephen Goff Wines. Sirpa wanted the tasting room to have a “neighborhood vibe” where people can experience comfortable community. Sirpa is confident for the growth of the tasting room and cannot wait to watch it evolve. 

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at the Ocelli Cellars tasting room in Dundee on July 8, 2026.

This interview is with Anne Root and Ashley Campanella of Edenvale Winery. In this interview, the duo discusses their introductions to the wine industry and everything that came after.

Anne talks about how her husband’s family was in the pear business and she was given the responsibility to do something with an empty orchard. This orchard soon became a vineyard and the rest is history. The winery still grows pears and uses them for their unique pear cider. 

Ashley discusses how after she graduated from college, her mother asked her to help her with her winery project. From there, Ashley began to build the community aspect of the winery until 2008, she had to jump in as winemaker after their previous one left right before harvest. Edenvale never intended Ashley to be the winemaker, but she has a talent for it and still remains in the position.

Later in the interview, the mother and daughter talk about the future of the winery. While it is important to them to keep the family history by producing pears, they do not believe Edenvale will stay within the family in the future. However, this all depends on the next generation.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Edenvale Winery on June 12, 2026.

This interview is with Javier & Erik Marin of Marin Estate Wines. In this interview, the father-son duo discuss their history in the wine industry and what they hope to accomplish with their own brand.

The two talk about their individual introductions to the wine industry. Javier joined the industry in 1990 as a crew member and vineyard manager. Once he got his contracting license, he purchased his own property for a vineyard. Erik joined the wine industry when he was 14, working for his dad in the vineyard during summers. While not planning on joining the wine industry, he ended up doing the wine program at Chemeketa and even worked a harvest in New Zealand. Through the program, Erik discovered that he enjoyed wine mechanics

Javier and Erik discuss what they have learned during their time in the industry and how they apply it to their vineyard. The family, especially Javier, have worked with many different wine makers and vineyard managers from across the Willamette Valley. From many, they have gotten different perspectives and take the best from each. After purchasing the property in 2013, they got to planting in 2018 and produced their first vintage in 2023.

Later in the interview, the two talk about the labor that goes into the vineyard. With full-time jobs, the two would come home after and go straight to working on the vineyard. The property is 20 acres and they have planted everything themselves. They believe that doing everything themselves creates a better connection to the final product. For the future, Javier & Erik want to create a winery and tasting room on the hill and plant more vines on their property.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in McMinnville on July 6, 2026.

This interview is with Shannon Mayhew of Brooks Wine. In this interview, Shannon explains her farming philosophies and how she applies them to Brooks’ garden and vineyard.

Shannon talks about growing up in Napa Valley, but never having an interest in wine. She dipped her toe into the wine industry when she saw the lack of habitats for bees and cold called vineyards to ask if they wanted hedgerows implemented in their vineyards. After a variety of jobs as a vineyard scout, in restoration work, and even a farming internship in Italy, COVID hit so Shannon switched to agriculture.

Shannon discusses the transition to Oregon and the development of her role at Brooks. Shannon moved to Oregon because she felt the farming career was more sustainable in this location. Applying to manage the garden at Brooks, Shannon moved to Oregon and started working as a gardener. From there, she continued to evolve into different roles within the garden, vineyard, and tasting room. Now, she is the sustainability director that manages the whole operation’s  footprint.

Later in the interview, Shannon talks about the community she has built within the farming community and her ideas for the future. Shannon is a member of many groups that meet and talk about farming, books, and bees. They share their stories and advice for ways to improve the biodynamics of their vineyards. As for the future of Brooks’ garden and vineyard, Shannon does not lack ideas for growth that span even to the next generation.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Brooks Wine in Amity on July 2, 2026.

This interview is with Chris & Candice Plewik of 3 Goats Vineyard. In this interview, the couple discusses their original plan for their vineyard and what it has turned into.

Chris and Candice talk about the idea that started it all. Chris’ mother was moving onto their property after retiring, and Chris thought it would be nice for her to look at a vineyard all day. Initially involved in public work and various other avenues, the couple had no interest in wine and were using the vineyard as an outlet from their day-to-day lives. After the decision to plant a vineyard, Chris and Candice built their vineyard in a must-hear, comical way, producing everything “caveman style.”

The two discuss the transition from maintaining a vineyard to making wine. They figured they might as well make wine out of their grapes and if it doesn’t turn out, no harm, no foul. After finding a mentor that taught them things and let them use his cellar for their small production, Chris and Candice were ready to start their first harvest. Their first vintage of 2021 was hand-planted and hand-picked by Chris alone, and when they finally tasted their wine, they felt a spark.

Later in the interview, Chris and Candice talk about their tasting room and thoughts on the Oregon wine industry. The tasting room is incredibly important to the two and is viewed as an extension of their home. Candice even got to use her interior design degree. Chris and Candice have optimism for the Oregon wine industry because of the community. Oregon welcomes everyone into the industry, and as long as the industry maintains the community aspect, it will be okay.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at 3 Goats tasting room in Hillsboro on July 1, 2026.

This interview is with Anna Welch & Olivier Prost of A to Z/Rex Hill. In this interview, the couple discusses how wine brought them romance and livelihood

Olivier and Anna talk about their separate educations in viticulture. Anna went to CalPoly where she had the opportunity to study vines, wine chemistry, and technical wine tasting in New Zealand. Olivier, originally from France, studied viticulture after his father opened a wine shop after retiring. Individually, they both ended up in Napa where they met at a brewery during the 2007 harvest.

The two discuss their path to A to Z/Rex Hill. After their harvest in Napa, Olivier and Anna participated in a harvest in Australia where they decided to become a couple. From there, the two decided to go places for harvests that would accept couple. When they decided they need somewhere to place roots, they came to Oregon and interned at A to Z for the 2009 harvest. In early 2010, Olivier was offered a full-time position as a cellar associate while Anna took a part-time job in the marketing department. In 2012, Anna was offered a full-time job as lab technician.

Later in the interview, Olivier and Anna express their thoughts about the future of winemaking and production for A to Z/Rex Hill. The couple want their wines to keep the Oregon identity and establish a sense of place. They want people to attach emotion to the wine as they drink them. Ultimately, they want their wines to be made with intention.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at A to Z/Rex Hill in Newberg on June 30, 2026.

This interview is with Ben Denton of HiFi Wine Bar. In this interview, Ben explains what it is like to make your way through the wine industry.

Ben talks about his “magical moment” with wine. After majoring in history and philosophy, Ben didn’t know what he wanted to do as a career. While working at a restaurant with his roommate, Ben tasted and nice bottle of wine. That was the moment he realized he wanted to be drinking wine on the regular, and the best way to drink wines you can’t afford is to work in the industry.

Ben discusses his path in wine as he started out working in a big factory liquor store. From there, he began working in distribution. He didn’t care what job he had at the time, as long as it was in wine. Ben moved to Washington and then Oregon to pursue wine after he had visited on a trip with the liquor store. Here, he met his business partner and they began the makings of HiFi.

Later in the interview, Ben talks about the incorporation of music at HiFi. Ben and his partner shared a love of music and collecting vinyl that they decided to make it a major element of the wine bar. Vinyl is constantly spinning for visitors, and Ben believes it creates a holistic experience for the customers. In 2026, HiFi celebrates its 5th-year anniversary.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at HiFi Wine Bar in McMinnville on June 29, 2026.