The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

This interview is with Pat & Jackie Dukes of Dukes Family Vineyards. In this interview, the couple explores their journey in fulfilling their vineyard dreams.

Pat & Jackie talk about their lives before joining the industry. The two went to high school together but didn’t start dating until college until eventually getting hitched. From there, Jackie worked in real estate and Pat worked in accounting. After the company was sold, Pat retired at 37 and eventually went to culinary school. Surprisingly, the couple didn’t start drinking wine until their 30s in California. After trying some great bottles, Pat started to collect wine.

The Dukes discuss their start in Oregon. At first, they wanted to start a restaurant because they had heard that Oregon was a good market for it at the time. After they discovered the restaurant business wasn’t for them, they started a vineyard instead. From there, the property kept evolving and they now have a tasting room and various other buildings. 

Later in the interview, the couple talks about their future in the industry. This year, Dukes celebrates its 20th vintage. Pat claims that every year of those first 20, there was an ongoing project or construction on the property. Now, Pat & Jackie are mellowing out the projects and enjoying what they’ve made.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Dukes Family Vineyard in Amity on June 26, 2026.

This interview is with Peter Rosback of Sineann Winery. In this interview, Peter discusses his long history within the Oregon wine industry.

Peter talks about living in Europe as a teenager which set him on the winemaking path. With a lot of wine experience in Oregon, he has collected many stories over the years. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the 2010s, Peter preferred to have the interviewer read some of his stories. An excellent writer, Peter’s stories were filled with color and his personality even with another voice reading them.

Peter discusses what it was like to be in the industry when it was first getting started. He explained how the industry was so small that everyone used to get together in one room, something impossible today. Now, the number of wineries in Oregon has exploded and is a whole different animal than what he experienced in the early days.

Later in the interview, Peter talks about the future of Sineann Winery and the Oregon wine industry. While Peter currently directs the production of his wines and picks during harvest, he plans to hand off the winery to someone else in the near future. As for the industry as a whole, Peter believes that a good Pinot Noir attracts money.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Peter’s home in Corvallis on June 25, 2026.

This interview is with David Adelsheim. In this interview, David talks about his unique role in the history of the Oregon wine industry, from starting his brand in 1971 to being part of committees, planning commissions, event creations, and lobbying efforts on Oregon wine's behalf throughout his career.

David talks about his initial interest in wine, and how he came to Oregon. He describes meeting with the other founding members of the Oregon wine industry and starting to see opportunities in the small community of winegrowers. From there, he talks about working with land use regulation, wine labeling restrictions, the formation of various events and technical tastings designed to move Oregon's industry forward, and the moments that played a role in the industry's growth.

He also talks about his own wine brand, Adelsheim, and its growth, struggles, and successes. He speaks about the personal challenges that come with trying to grow both a company and an industry, and offers his thoughts on where the industry goes next. 

This interview was conducted in two parts by Rich Schmidt at David's home in Newberg on April 20 and May 6, 2026.

This interview is with Jenny Burger of Yamhill Valley Vineyards. In this interview, Jenny discusses her journey of taking over as a second generation for the company.

Jenny talks about how Yamhill Valley Vineyards has always been at least a little part of her life. Her parents started the company before she was born, and she recalls spending weekends and summers on the vineyard without any real idea of the elaborate production her parents were heading. After attending college and taking a few jobs involving parks, Jenny decided to take an offer to work a harvest in New Zealand. From there, she discovered that she really did like how multifaceted and universal the wine industry is.

Jenny discusses her transition into the family business. Her father had told her that he wasn’t going to give her a full-time position if there wasn’t a true role to fill and if she wasn’t ready for it. Eventually, the family decided the business needed assistance in the communication and organization, so in January of 2014, Jenny took on the role of office manager. From there, Jenny worked on developing to take over the operation.

Later in the interview, Jenny talks about the future for the wine industry and her role as the general manager. Jenny believes the Oregon wine industry must level-out the over-supply and under-demand of wine production. As for herself, she plains to integrate herself more within the industry and build on the community aspect of wine.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Yamhill Valley Vineyards  in McMinnville on June 24, 2026.

This interview is with Ariel Eberle of Yamhill Valley Vineyards. In this interview, Ariel is interviewed for the second time after 8 years and reflects on what has changed and what the future may hold.

Ariel talks about her initial interest in wine being related to science. She started with an interest in biology that transitioned into botany and wine. Studying biology and minoring in chemistry at Oregon State University, Ariel believes that knowledge is power and that this education laid the foundation for her work as a winemaker. Ariel explains how she was originally interested in working in healthcare, but joined Yamhill Valley Vineyards in 2008 when head winemaker at the time, Stephen Cary, needed help. Now, she believes it is a gift to study the land.

Ariel discusses her relationship with her mentor, Stephen Cary. She describes him as the most determined person she has ever known and discusses how she values his commitment to nature. She explains Stephen’s significance within not only the Oregon wine industry, but within the international wine industry as well. She claims that Pinot Noir would not be where it is today without Stephen. After working under him as the assistant winemaker for years, she made the natural transition into head winemaker.

Later in the interview, Ariel explains how her relationship with Yamhill Valley Vineyards has changed and deepened since 2018. She believes that being a winemaker is her purpose and that purpose is to facilitate connection. Ariel talks about how the energy from the people who grew and made the wine transitions to the people who drink it. To her, it is all about intention when winemaking.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Yamhill Valley Vineyards in McMinnville on June 24, 2026.

This interview is with Levi Danielson of RAW Cider Company. In this interview, Levi explains his motivation for bringing “fine-dining” cider to the Oregon wine/cider industry.

Levi talks about how his background in microbiology and health. Attending the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Levi was interested in the healthcare industry, especially nutrition. After working many hours in the healthcare system, Levi wanted a break, so he headed to France.

Levi discusses his experience in France as he worked on an organic cider farm. During his time on the farm, he learned about traditional cider making. While he always had an interest in fermentation, he was planning on returning to the healthcare industry. It was until he compared the lifestyles of the people within the healthcare industry and the cider industry, that he realized which life he would rather live. After six months in France, he returned to the United States and eventually started his own cider company with the knowledge he gained in France.

Later in the interview, Levi explains his vision for RAW Cider Company. The company’s slogan, “work with wild,” represents using natural techniques to produce his cider. They do everything in-house and even have a tasting room on the orchard. Levi hopes to scoop wine people up who are visiting the Willamette Valley and introduce them to fine cider. Now, Levi is learning how to be a boss and manage a company. A black belt in jujitsu, Levi explains the similarities between the sport and cider making. For both, one must have the confidence to be creative and the confidence to fail.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at RAW Cider Company in Dayton on June 23, 2026.

This interview is with Teddi Fuller of Lushington Wines. In this interview, Teddi discusses the lifestyle she has built through wine and art.
 
Teddi talks about how she ended up in Lyle, Washington. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in fine arts without a defined career path. After she moved to California to ski, she worked in restaurants and a wine bar where she learned a lot about wine through their wine education programs. After working harvests in Tasmania and New Zealand, Teddi set out for a place with mountains, eventually finding Lyle.

Teddi discusses finding a vineyard to farm in exchange for grapes to make wine, creating Lushington Wines in the process. Later, Teddi talks about buying the house across the road from the vineyard and enjoying the proximity to the vineyard.

Later in the interview, Teddi talks about her passion for art and how it translates into Lushington. Teddi creates the labels herself with her recognizable style of vertical lines. Teddi emphasizes how wine overlap with art. She explains how both wine and art involve trusting your intuition and making your own decisions.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Hi Hill Vineyard on June 16, 2026.

This interview is with Brandon Hasart of Lingua Franca. In this interview, Brandon talks about his wine journey and how he came to be the vineyard manager at Lingua Franca.

Brandon speaks about his original intention to work in veterinary medicine, but becoming interested in wine while attending Washington State University. He charts his path from the initial interest to a variety of internships in Oregon and abroad.

From there, Brandon talks about his work at Abacela Winery in the Umpqua Valley and Brittan Vineyards in the Willamette. He speaks about the lessons he learned on the wine production side, and then his growing interest in viticulture. This led him to pursue his career working with the vines.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Lingua Franca in Salem on April 1, 2026.

This interview is with Carrie Alexander of Holocene Wines. In this interview, Carrie discusses the many different roads she has taken that eventually led her to wine.

Carrie talks about the various career paths she has taken. She started pursuing a degree in teaching which she later changed and graduated with a fine arts degree. While she played with owning coffee shops, skate shops, and being a hairdresser, she was introduced to wine by working in restaurants. 

Carrie discusses how she first began tasting wine while working in restaurants and hospitality in Napa Valley. Eventually, she moved up to making wine lists and running tasting rooms. After meeting her husband who is a winemaker, their dream was to own their own wine brand where her husband would make the wine and she would do the rest. Then in 2015, they achieved their dreams in creating Holocene. In 2020, they also started making wine in France.

Later in the interview, Carrie talks about her proudest achievement during her time in the industry. For her, creating Grenache Fest is what she is the most proud of. After finding out that many others share her love of Grenache, she decided to create an event that honors it.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Salishan Coastal Lodge on June 15, 2026.

This interview is with Eric Weisinger of Weisinger Family Winery. In this interview, Eric discusses his 30 years in the industry and how he came right back to where he started.
 
Eric talks about how his father always had a dream of owning a winery. Eric was roped into this dream when his father suffered an injury and he had to take over. From there, he realized he was drawn to wine and could make a living from it. For many years, Eric would switch from the two hemispheres for harvest. It was when he hadn’t seen spring in over 10 years that he decided to return to his father’s business in 2011.

Eric discusses how him and his father were best friends, but bad colleagues. Eric had left his father’s business originally to learn about the industry from new places and perspectives. When his father asked him to return, he figured the worst that could happen is that he might fail.

Later in the interview, Eric talks about the future of the industry and Southern Oregon’s unique attributes to it. Eric believes that to stay relevant within the industry, you must be able to change. He also believes that Southern Oregon can evolve by leaning into its uniqueness of topography. Eric plans to change and stay relevant to continue carrying on his father’s dream.

This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Weisinger Family Winery on June 11, 2026.