The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Gretchen Boock of Benton-Lane Winery. In this interview, Gretchen speaks about her unique introduction to the wine industry, and the leadership philosophy that has shaped her career. Despite difficult times, Gretchen is ready for whatever the future has in store for Benton Lane.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Benton-Lane Winery on August 19, 2021.

This interview is with Greg Van Dyke of Bud’s Bloom Wines. In this interview, Greg speaks about his journey in the Oregon Wine Industry, his initial interest in wine, and how he began making wine. He describes his jobs in the industry, including his work at Ken Wright Cellars and his time spent working harvest in New Zealand. Later, he talks about where the idea for Bud’s Bloom Wines came from and what the mission is for his brand. He talks about his decisions regarding the sites he buys from, the wine he makes, and even the artwork on the label. He goes on to talk about quarantine and how 2020 affected his business, as well as what Bud’s Bloom Wines is currently working on. At the end, he speaks about what he sees in the future of himself, Bud’s Bloom Wines, and the Oregon Wine Industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Keeler Estate Vineyard in Amity on May 28, 2021.

This interview is with Gary Mortensen of Stoller Wines. In this interview, Gary speaks about his wine journey, which started over thirty years ago when he began working at Sokol Blosser. However, Gary has worked in plenty of other industries since. He talks about his experience doing consulting, his involvement in tech start-ups, and his time working on screenplays and documentaries. He also discusses the Combat History Archive, Lucky Forward Films, and the Veteran’s Legacy Charity, all of which he founded. Gary tells us about his return to the wine industry in 2012 and what his experience has been like at Stoller. He shares his passion for storytelling, work philosophies, and speaks about the projects he is most proud of.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Stoller Winery in Dayton on July 15th, 2022.

This interview is with Garett Long of Troon Vineyard. In this interview, Garett speaks about his interest in biogeochemistry, also known as soil science. He also touches on what spirituality and therapeutic practices bring to the winemaking process.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Troon Vineyards tasting room in McMinnville on January 20, 2022.

This interview is with Forrest Schaad of Schaad Cellars. In this interview he begins with describing what It was like growing up visiting and working on his families vineyard, and while he was not taken with farming at first, his thirst for knowledge and love for harvest eventually drew him in. He described working several harvests for different wineries, until deciding to start his own label. Forrest described going from working in the Westrey vineyard which led to sharing a space in their winery. He explains how their relationship has evolved over the years, and the support he has received from David Autrey and Amy Wesselman.

Later in the interview, Forrest gave his hopes for the future, mentioning that he has a desire to plant grapes in other regions, eventually have an estate winery, and move into his own space. Towards the end of the interview Forrest looks ahead to the future of the greater Oregon wine industry, and finished his interview with advice for joining the wine industry.

This Oral History Interview was conducted with Forrest Schaad at Westrey Wine Company on March 3, 2021.

This interview is with Erin Upton, a Social Science Researcher and Writer. In this interview, Erin speaks about her time spent researching wine. She goes over her initial interests in wine, her research at Portland State University for her Ph.D program, and what she decided to focus her research on. She also describes the places she visited during her research, including Napa Valley, South Africa, and Australia. She goes on to speak about conducting interviews of her own, the steps she took to find answers, and her favorite experiences.

Later, Erin discusses what she discovered during her research, as well as what she is still curious to explore. At the end, she talks about the wine world as a whole and what current trends might mean for the future of the industry.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in McMinnville on July 2, 2021.

This interview is with Erin Palmer of Portland Wine Cellar. Erin talks about her path into wine and finding both her passion for wine and her passion for sharing it with others. She talks about finding meaningful connections through wine, and using her shop as a place to highlight wines and brands that align with her values.

She also talks about the effects of 2020 on her life and work, and some of the pivots she made to get through, and help her team through.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Erin's home in Hillsboro on April 18, 2022.

This interview is with Eric Misiewicz of Van Duzer Vineyards. In this interview, Eric speaks about becoming interested in wine and farming and following a path to California, Australia and back to California before finding his way to Oregon.

He talks about developing a winemaking style and how that led him to Oregon, and what he's discovered about the region so far. He also talks about what comes next, and how he has weathered the past few years.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Van Duzer Vineyards on August 19, 2022.

This interview is with Emily Terrell of Brittan Vineyards. In this interview, Emily speaks about her path into the Wine Industry. She talks about several of the places she’s worked, such as New Zealand and France as well as what it was like working in the lab, in harvest, and eventually in the cellar. She goes over why she wanted to be a winemaker and why she chose to work in Oregon. She describes her role at Brittan and how her position grew from cellar hand to associate winemaker.

Later, Emily discuses her style of precision winemaking and how she makes site-expressive wines. She also speaks about women in the industry, what it’s like working with clients, and what effects COVID-19 and the 2020 Oregon fires had on her work.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Brittan Tasting Room in McMinnville on April 22, 2021.

This interview is with Emily Bachand of Résonance. Emily talks about finding her way from the restaurant industry in California to the Oregon wine industry, and her progression through. Her dedication to service - "if we can, we should" being her guiding customer service principle - found her at Stoller Estate during a huge growth period. She talks about the lessons learned there, and what drew her to a new challenge at Résonance.

In addition, she talks about the challenges and rewards of being in service and working with a customer-facing team, as well as what might be in the future at Résonance and at Recipe, the Newberg restaurant owned by Emily and her husband Paul.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Résonance in Carlton on May 18, 2022.