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.
63episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Mike & Mark Wisnovsky: Oral History Interview
1w ago01:22:16Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Mike and Mark Wisnovsky of Valley View Winery. In this interview, the brothers discuss the responsibility of continuing the legacy their parents passed onto them. The brothers talk about how they were almost born into the industry. They started planting at four and eight years old, learning the ins and outs of harvest. When they were made partners after their father passed away, they were forced to make big decisions about the winery earlier than most. After their mother passed away, they took on full responsibility of the winery. Now, Mark’s children work with their father and uncle, a three generational impact on Valley View.Mark discusses how connected he is to the vineyard even having nightmares about bugs and various other corruption. This isn’t just a business for the family, it is their life. While Mark focuses on the vineyard, Mike is responsible for the sales. They described their partnership as passing the baton to each other throughout the years. Later in the interview, the duo talks about their strengths. With the responsibility of continuing a 50-year legacy, they discuss how they keep the business afloat. A big strength they talked about is their accessibility. They also discuss the benefits of producing wine in Southern Oregon as it is the place to go to try something different.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Valley View Winery on June 11, 2026.
Transcribe →Soléna Andrus Montalieu & Danielle Andrus
2w ago01:38:47Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Soléna Andrus Montalieu of Soléna Estate and her mother Danielle Andrus. In this interview, the duo discusses being raised in the industry and the memories that come with it. Danielle talks about growing up in Napa Valley with her father Gary Andrus of Pine Ridge Vineyards and eventually moving with him to Oregon to start Archery Summit in 1995. After doing a lot of the grunt work, Danielle was asked to create a hospitality department for the winery until she got married and created Northwest Wine Company and Soléna Estate with her husband at the time, winemaker Laurent Montalieu. After they went their separate ways, they left the estate in Soléna’s name.Soléna discusses how she grew up in the wine industry. While she planned on staying away from the industry, studying psychology and entrepreneurship at Lewis & Clark College, she fell in love with the industry when she came back to pursue a wine internship. Now, Soléna runs the estate and puts an emphasis on the social media and marketing of the brand. She further discusses her big plans for the future of Soléna Estate.Later in the interview, Danielle talks about the personality and impact of her father within the industry. She explains how he was all bout the community. The mother and daughter agree that they’ve found this community for themselves and have never regretted joining the industry they were raised in.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Soléna Estate on June 10, 2026.
Transcribe →Jen Parr: Oral History Interview
2w ago01:49:38Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Jen Parr of Valli Wines in New Zealand. In this interview, Jen talks about her plethora of experiences in different wine regions of the world. Jen talks about growing up in Portland and eventually heading to Stanford University pursuing a degree in English literature. During her time at Stanford, she discovered the wine industry for the first time. After graduating, she transitioned into financial software sales until she found she was hitting snooze on her alarm every morning, not excited to go to work. From there, she decided she wanted to work in the wine industry because she wanted to drink wine that was out of her price range and make a livelihood out of this passion.Jen discusses how she sent around 45 letters to wineries in hopes they would be willing to let her work a harvest. Since she didn’t have any experience at the time, she received many rejections, if any response at all. However, a special place responded and gave her a chance. After working her first harvest, Jen went around the world working at different companies and learning about the unique qualities of each place. Jen specifically notes her formative time in South Africa because of the team she worked with. Eventually, she settled at Valli Wines in New Zealand, where she works today and plans on staying. Later in the interview, Jen talks about the future of the industry. Jen believes the industry needs to work with consumers to help them find the language of wine and explain why they like what they like. Jen describes wine as “liquid language” as it connects people, place, and time. Jen compares the future of the industry to Darwinism, and explains how the wineries that are able to adapt and listen will survive. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Jen’s childhood home in Portland on June 8, 2026.
Transcribe →Bruce Felix: Oral History Interview
2w ago01:19:09Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Bruce Felix of Pacific Winemaking. In this interview, Bruce explains how he transitioned into the wine industry and his thoughts on the future of Oregon wine. Bruce talks about working in petrochemicals and paint after he moved to Australia with an exchange student. Not only did Bruce sell petrochemicals, he also sold tartaric acid to winemakers, sparking his initial interest in wine. Through these jobs, Bruce was able to travel all over the world and try different wines. It was when his friend moved into the wine industry and started a wine supply company that Bruce made the switch into the industry as well. This company is known as Vinvicta Services.Bruce discusses how he ended up in the Oregon wine industry specifically. In 2005, Bruce wanted to come back to the United States for family and was looking for a place to settle. It turns out, Oregon was the perfect fit, so he started his current company, Pacific Winemaking, in March of 2006. He began the services as a one-man operation which has grown significantly over the years. This year, Pacific Winemaking celebrates 20 years of business. Later in the interview, Bruce talks about the future of the industry. He believes that people are not done drinking wine and that wine will always have a place. He explains that wineries need to tailor-make their production and get rid of the backlog of product from overproduction. Bruce also emphasizes using new technology within the industry. He discusses how a lot of new technology is trailed in Europe, but not the United States. His company would like to introduce these tactics to the Unites States to improve production.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Bruce’s home in Hillsboro on June 8, 2026.
Transcribe →Jason Flaig: Oral History Interview
2w ago01:12:00Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Jason Flaig of Northwest Distribution and Storage. In this interview, Jason explains his long road into the wine industry and the unique service his company provides. Jason talks about the beginning of his journey that is rather complicated. He started out as pre-med student before he got married and had a family. When he returned to school he decided to pursue a degree in education. When that didn’t work out, Jason pursued the law and became a paralegal. After he realized that wasn’t his path either, he started working in logistics where NWDS was one of his clients. After developing a relationship with the owner of NWDS, Jason transitioned into working in sales at the company.Jason discusses the purpose of his company within the wine industry. Although it’s not usually what people think of when they think of wine, NWDS has a vital role within the industry. NWSD offers service and storage. While the facility is where winemakers store their wine for safe keeping, whether to let it age or store before selling in a temperature controlled facility, Jason believes the true assets the company offers to its clients is their people. Jason uses his newest degree of counseling to facilitate exceptional service for their clients.Later in the interview, Jason talks about how he made his way to the top of the company. Beginning in sales in 2007, Jason took on many roles within the company that helped them succeed. After moving up as president in 2012, Jason and four others bought the company from the previous owner in 2018, and became one of three owners in 2022. Without prior knowledge of wine, Jason asked questions to learn and established a name for his company within the Oregon wine industry.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Northwest Distribution and Storage on June 5, 2026.
Transcribe →Brian Zielinski: Oral History Interview
2w ago01:24:48Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Brian Zielinski of Scenic Valley Farms. In this interview, Brian shares about growing up on the farm and how wine worked its way into the family’s livelihood. Brian talks about how grapes made their way into the family’s farm. The farm was constantly rotating the crops to best utilize the land. From strawberries to beans to corn, the farm has seen a lot of produce. Once the farm settled on grapes, they realized they could coordinate with winemakers and make wine directly from their own fruit. The family planted grapes in 2008 and had their first successful harvest in 2012 after a comical, yet educational harvest in 2011. Brian discusses working with his father in the new venture of grapes and wine. Not a drinker himself, Bob Zielinski was skeptical about his son’s new idea so Brian established the “hypothetical bridge” to lessen the familial head-bumping. After successfully planting grapes for whites, the farm purchased a vineyard to grow for reds. Now, the farm features their wines in a self-built tasting room on-site.Later in the interview, Brian talks about the reality of growing up on the farm. While there were difficult tasks, it taught him resilience and responsibility. He claims that he wouldn’t have wanted to grow up in any other way. Some of his best memories were those he made on the farm with his father. These days, Brian is making memories working on the farm with his own children. His proudest moment was seeing his kids being excited about working on the farm.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Scenic Valley Farms in Gervais on June 4, 2026.
Transcribe →Jillian Barnhart: Oral History Interview
2w ago00:59:14Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Jillian Barnhart of Lux Nova Creative. In this interview, Jillian shares her many experiences as a photographer, marketer, and the many hobbies she has collected along the way. She believes these experiences give her a unique set of skills that benefit her clients.Jillian talks about how she began in photography by moving to Los Angeles to work in the music industry and fell in love with metal music. She photographed many famous names during concerts and even photographed album covers. After working in photography, Jillian began working in LA restaurants.Jillian discusses her introduction into the industry as wine reps would come into the restaurants she worked at and have her taste wines. She discovered she had a good palate and that wine was like nothing else. From there, she got multiple wine certifications and started working as a rep in Oregon after moving from LA with her husband in 2016. Soon after, she started working as a director of marketing for Brooks Wine.Later in the interview, Jillian talks about why she started her own company and how she runs it. She has worked in every side of the industry and offers a broad range of skills. She creates all of the content for her clients herself and believes wine is supposed to be fun. Jillian also gives advice on how the wine industry can appeal to younger generations.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Jillian’s home in Salem on June 3, 2026.
Transcribe →Avery Hadley: Oral History Interview
3w ago01:03:23Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Avery Hadley of Gala Creative Agency. In this interview, Avery talks about his young company and what it aims to do for hospitality-based clients.Avery talks about after graduating from Oregon State University, he sent out 380 applications in search for a job. Originally from Salem, Avery knew some local businesses that he was able to photograph for and eventually manage their social media. Word of mouth spread his work throughout the community where he secured more clients. After collecting consistent clients, he and his partner discussed opening their own creative agency.Avery discusses how he chose the hospitality industry because of his mom. While his parents weren’t necessarily wine drinkers, Avery grew to love what wine brought to social settings. To Avery, wine is the best delivery mechanism for storytelling. Later in the interview, Avery talks about how he feels about the current climate of the wine industry. While his agency aims to mimic the voice of the brand, he believes it is imports to cater to the younger generation as well. He discusses the value of the longterm return from these young wine drinkers.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Nicholson Library at Linfield University in McMinnville on June 2, 2026.
Transcribe →Diego Valeri: Oral History Interview
3w ago01:00:32Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Diego Valeri of Conur Wines. In this interview, Diego talks about his journey of becoming a professional soccer player with the Portland Timbers and eventually creating his own wine company.Diego talks about how creating a wine company was not actually his idea, but his wife, Florencia’s scheme. However, Diego planned to wait until he retired to begin the endeavor. After nine reasons with the Timbers, Diego and his family moved to Florida where he met Frederico Garobbio and his wife Luci who were from the same area of Argentina. The stars aligned when Frederico revealed that it was his dream to produce wine. Diego discusses his connection to wine as the center of communication and celebration. To Diego, wine was always in the middle of socializing and friendship. As the company began with four Argentinians who live in the United States, the team wanted to put their blended cultures in the bottle. Along with what is inside the bottle, the design of the labels features a cartoon dog with a special meaning to the four owners. Florencia even writes a special story on the back of each label.Later in the interview, Diego talks about the uniqueness of Conur Wines. Specifically, Conur produces a white blend called “Mate” that blends Argentina and Oregon grapes. He also discusses his 70/30 blend of pinot and Malbec that mirrors a popular drink in Argentina.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Northwest Wine Company in Dundee on June 2, 2026.
Transcribe →Jim Maresh: Oral History Interview
3w ago01:56:26Tap to summarizeThis interview is with Jim Maresh of Arterberry Maresh. In this interview, Jim talks about growing up on the family farm, becoming interested in wine, and starting his own wine label.Jim talks about his family’s history in Dundee. His grandparents Jim and Loie purchased the property on Worden Hill Road in 1959 and began planting many different crops. Jim’s dad, Fred Arterberry, met his mom, Martha Maresh, while working at Erath. Fred started making wine under the Arterberry label in 1979.Jim discusses getting into the wine industry himself in 2003, working at the Carlton Winemakers Studio under the Penner-Ash brand. In 2005, he began his own label called Arterberry Maresh, honoring both sides of his family history. He has made wine every year since and overviews the memorable vintages.Later in the interview, Jim talks about how his winemaking style has evolved over his 20+ years in the industry. He also touches on becoming a dad and how that changed his approach towards his work. As for the future, he doesn’t plan on retiring from winemaking anytime soon.This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Jim’s home in McMinnville on May 29, 2026.
Transcribe →