Podcast
The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast
Hosted by The Oregon Wine History Archive · EN
The Oregon Wine History Archive at Linfield University was created to collect, preserve, share, and continue the narrative of Oregon wine.
The growth of the Oregon wine industry extends from the farmers and winemakers to the marketers, scientists, innovators, and dreamers of the enterprise — all of whom are vital to the industry’s success. It is our aim to link the past, present, and future of the industry in hopes of sharing the story of Oregon wine.
Some oral history interviews are conducted on site and may contain background noise from nature, winery, or tasting room operations.
50episodes
Episodes
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Anna Jesse: Oral History Interview
2w ago00:57:44Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Anna Jesse of Forest Hills Farms, a third-generation farmer helping lead a family operation that has grown from strawberry fields in the 1950s into thousands of acres producing blueberries, wine grapes, corn, and other crops across Oregon. Anna is from Cornelius, Oregon, and talks about growing up in Forest Hills farms, spending years working in vineyards and agriculture, and learning firsthand what is means to be part of a multigenerational farming family. She shares how attending Oregon State University initially led her towards business, changing majors, and developing a stronger appreciation for the connection between farming, land, and community. Anna discusses working internships and gaining experiences outside the family business, including time at Northwest Wine Company, where she worked in operations and earned more about the wine industry before eventually returning home. Anna emphasizes the importance of younger generations staying connected to agriculture, preserving family history, and being willing to learn beyond what they grew up knowing. She hopes to continue to improve her property, focus on new goals within the farm and eventually raise a family of her own. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Forest Hills Farm in Cornelius, Oregon on May 13, 2026.
Transcribe →Davis Palmer: Oral History Interview
2w ago01:16:12Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Davis Palmer of McMennamin's Edgefield Winery. In this interview, Davis talks about his early fascination with fermentation leading him to working at McMennanmin's in beer production. Working in a variety of brewpubs within the company allowed him to work on honing the house style while also experimenting with new fun recipes.He talks about being intrigued by winemaking and viewing it as more dynamic work, and joining the winemaking team at Edgefield for harvest in 2000. Soon after he joined at the cellarmaster, then later the head winemaker. He talked about the evolution of his work and the evolution of the production in that time.Later, Davis talks about how he's seen the Oregon wine industry grow and where it might go next. He also discusses Edgefield's evolution and what he's looking forward to.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in the Nicholson Library at Linfield University in McMinnville on April 13, 2026.
Transcribe →Morgan White: Oral History Interview
2w ago00:50:15Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Morgan White of Amaterra. In this interview, Morgan talks about her career in the wine industry, from moving to Oregon without having a harvest job lined up to becoming the winemaker at Amaterra.Morgan shares about going to the University of Florida for physiology & kinesiology with plans of becoming a physical therapist. After graduation, she and a friend visited Mendoza, Argentina, and she fell in love with the wine culture there. Upon returning to Florida, she took a sommelier course and began working at wine bars and restaurants.Morgan talks about her first harvest in 2017 at Apolloni Vineyards and becoming their cellar master. There, she learned to solve problems in the moment, which helped her become a better winemaker. She also began working with Matt Vuylsteke, Amaterra’s founding winemaker, as the fruit was processed at the Apolloni facility.Later in the interview, Morgan discusses joining the Amaterra team for the 2021 harvest. The multi-floor winery was still under construction, so she again learned to pivot and make things work while the site was in flux. Now as winemaker, she is enjoying finding her unique winemaking voice and trying new things.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Amaterra in Portland on April 14, 2026.
Transcribe →John Platt: Oral History Interview
2w ago01:22:33Tap to summarizeThis interview is with John Platt of Helvetia Winery. In this interview, John talks about moving off a houseboat to Helvetia, planting grapes, and expanding his business into a winery.John shares about moving to the Helvetia area after a piece of land came up for sale and meeting with an extension agent to determine what kinds of crops he should plant. Among the list was grapes, which John and his wife Elizabeth planted with the intention of selling fruit to home winemakers.John talks about his other work during that time, including legal work with Pacific Northwest Native American tribes and their fishing rights, as well as Elizabeth’s work in politics including a 6-year term in Congress. As they began planting the vineyard and building the winery, they were flying back and forth to DC for her career.Later in the interview, John discusses how he went about deciding what to plant, collaboration with many in the industry, and learning to farm grapes by “looking it up” and “making mistakes.” Within 20 years of planting the vineyard, he had purchased additional land to build a winery and host guests at the house-turned-tasting room. While he sees lots of challenges facing the industry in the future, he’s also optimistic that the industry will continue on for years to come.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Helvetia Winery in Hillsboro on April 6, 2026.
Transcribe →Kevin Pogue: Oral History Interview
2w ago01:19:33Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Kevin Pogue, of VinTerra. Kevin is a geologist, educator, and wine industry consultant whose career has taken him from the caves and mountains of Kentucky to studying tectonics in Pakistan, teaching geology for decades, and eventually becoming deeply involved in viticulture and wine regions across the country. Kevin is originally from the Bluegrass region of Lexington, Kentucky and talks about spending much of his early life outdoors; he enjoys caving, climbing, skiing, and exploring the mountains, which sparked his interest in geology. Hediscusses his decades-long career in education, beginning college-level teaching at 22 and spending 35 years teaching different types of geology. He talks about mentoring students, his time at Oregon State and Whitman College, and the fulfillment he found in helping others learn about what he loved so much. The conversation explores how Kevin developed an interest in wine through geology, eventually consulting with grape growers in Walla Walla and helping evaluate terroir — the relationship between soil, climate, and land characteristics in wine production. He explains his involvement with AVA applications across the country and how geology connects directly to agriculture and wine.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt in Portland, Oregon on April 3, 2026.
Transcribe →Tim and Kathy O'Leary: Oral History Interview
3w ago01:46:00Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Tim and Kathy O’Leary of Long Walk Vineyard. Tim is originally from Palo Alto, California, and Kathy is from Sacramento, California. Although their careers began far from the wine industry, both eventually found themselves building a life centered around farming, community, and wine.Kathy talks about attending Stanford, where she met her husband, Tim; switching to an engineering major from a math and science major; and spending years traveling internationally for consulting work. She reflects on reaching a point where constant travel no longer fit the life she wanted, leading her toward buying a farm, raising a family with Tim, and eventually helping build Long Walk Vineyard. She also discusses learning through trial and error, managing projects, and planting multiple grape varieties while balancing life remotely.Tim talks about his path from Stanford to law school, working in corporate law and tech-related fields, and his unexpected shift toward wine. He shares how experiences abroad and a growing appreciation for wine influences the decision to leave behind traditional career expectations.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University’s Nicholson Library on April 2, 2026.
Transcribe →Joe Ferris: Oral History Interview
3w ago01:51:33Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Joe Ferris of Lingua Franca in Salem, Oregon. In this interview, Joe shares his background and how he found his way into the world of winemaking through travel, science, and hands-on experience. Joe grew up in Wisconsin and attended UW Madison, where he studied biomedical engineering. His interest in wine first started casually, but after traveling through South America with his wife and visiting wineries along the way, he became fascinated by the culture and science behind winemaking. After moving to Los Angeles and working in the biotech field, Joe realized he wanted to pursue wine more seriously. He later attended UC Davis for viticulture and enology, where he gained hands-on experience and learned more about the industry. During this time, he completed internships and harvest work in Oregon, Germany, and New Zealand, experiences that helped shape his understanding of winemaking and wine culture around the world. Joe especially valued the way wine brought people together and became integrated into everyday life in places like Europe. After hearing about an opening at Lingua Franca, Joe joined the team as a harvest intern and steadily worked his way up through the cellar. After several years as an assistant, he became the estate winemaker and continues to focus on producing thoughtful wines that reflect Oregon’s Willamette Valley.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Lingua Franca in Salem, Oregon on April 1, 2026.
Transcribe →Scott Kelley: Oral History Interview
4w ago01:37:40Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Scott Kelley of Paul O’Brien Winery. In this interview, Scott talks about starting to work in the wine industry as a teenager, his experience with big, corporate wineries, and starting his own project in Oregon. Scott shares about beginning to work in the industry at 17 years old cleaning mobile grape presses. When his boss learned about his affinity for chemistry, he started taking grape samples in the vineyard to help determine pick dates. During this time, he met a winemaker who encouraged him to go to UC Davis. Scott talks about working at a brewery in Monterey, where he enjoyed the fermentation science but not the repetition and consistency of beer making. Without any cellar experience, he had to wait for someone in the wine industry to give him a chance, and that opportunity finally came through Golden State Vintners. Later in the interview, Scott discusses working for Robert Mondavi’s La Famiglia label and learning to balance attention to detail with the large volume of wine he was producing there. While working for Estancia, he took their production up to 1.6 million cases yearly. In 2013, he started his own project with partner Dyson DeMara, which came to be known as Paul O’Brien Winery. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Paul O’Brien Winery in Roseburg on March 19, 2026. Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!
Transcribe →Charlie Becker: Oral History Interview
4w ago00:41:33Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Charlie Becker of Becker Vineyard in Roseburg. In this interview, Charlie shares his background and how he got started in winemaking.Charlie grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and made his first wine at just 10 years old out of store bought grape juice and yeast. He later studied biology in college and eventually moved to Seattle, where he worked as a painter for many years. After some time, he move to southern Oregon and bought property in Drain, where he began pursuing winemaking more seriously.He started making wine around 2000 and produced his first batches in 2003. Over time, he planted about 13 acres of grapes and focused on growing a few different varietals. Much of what he learned about winemaking came from self-education, including researching in public libraries. In the early years, he and his wife, Peggy, did much of the work themselves, including bottling wine by hand.Charlie built most of his winery and tasting room on his own. His wines have gone on to win awards, and he takes pride in the quality of his work. He also values his lifestyle that comes with winemaking, having grown up around wine culture and enjoying the independence it brings. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Becker Vineyard in Roseburg, Oregon on March 20, 2026.Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!
Transcribe →Rob Ikola: Oral History Interview
4w ago00:58:59Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Rob Ikola of Whitetail Ridge. In this interview, Rob shares his background, career path, and how he became involved in the wine industry.Rob was born in Portland and grew up moving all around Oregon, including time in Bend and Roseburg. He attended Umpqua Community College, where he earned a business degree. Before entering the wine industry, he spent many years working in hands-on trades, including running a horse trailer company for about 20 years and operating a machine shop through a long-term business partnership. In 2012, Rob transitioned into the wine industry by starting a mobile bottling business. His company travels to different wineries to bottle wine efficiently, with the ability to process hundreds of cases per day. Around the same time, Rob planted his own vineyard in 2010, growing around 11 grape varietals. He developed a strong interest in winemaking and the vineyard lifestyle, combining his business experiences with agriculture. Rob emphasizes his love for farm life, including raising animals such as pigs, goats, and chickens. He values the independence and creativity that come with owning a vineyard and winery, as well as the ability to build something of his own. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Whitetail Ridge in Roseburg, Oregon on March 20, 2026.Thank you to the Oregon Wine Board for generously supporting this interview as part of our Southern Oregon 2026 tour!
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