The Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast

The Oregon Wine History Archive

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.

  1. 1d ago

    Will Craigie: Oral History Interview

    This interview is with Will Craigie of Bryn Mawr Vineyards. In this interview, Will discusses the many pivots he took that led him to the wine industry. Will talks about his beginnings as a musician and performer. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Will performed in an acoustic rock band as a guitar player. After many incredible experiences within the music industry, Will decided he needed a lifestyle change in 2006. During his time as a musician, Will worked in restaurants on the side. After leaving the music industry, Will continued working in restaurants in the kitchen, guiding the chaos of service. Later, Will started working in a kitchen at a wine tasting venue where he learned a lot about wine through making wine lists and taking opportunities to help on the line. Will discusses his transition to Oregon and the wine industry. Will’s boss at the restaurant had sent Will on a trip to the Willamette Valley to taste wines and bring back to the restaurant. Will was captured by Oregon and decided to make another pivot into the Oregon wine industry, not at a winery, but as a wine tour driver. Will started his own wine tour company and took people across the valley for tastings, frequently visiting Bryn Mawr. When Will’s business went under during the pandemic in 2020, he started working part-time at Bryn Mawr as a cellar assistant. By 2021, Will was brought on full-time as a cellar assistant and before that harvest was over, he was named cellar master. In 2022, Will transitioned into an assistant winemaker role. Later in the interview, Will talks about his future and the future of the Oregon wine industry. Will is happy at Bryn Mawr and does not plan on going anywhere. Will believes he still has more to learn at Bryn Mawr, specifically the vineyard side of things. As for the wine industry, Will trusts that things will regenerate as they have done in the past. He has hopes for the future for himself and the industry. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Bryn Mawr Vineyards in Salem on August 19, 2026.

  2. 5d ago

    Elishca Charles: Oral History Interview

    This interview is with Elishca Charles of Kann. In this interview, Elishca discusses her journey through hospitality and what it means to her. Elishca talks about her early aspirations of becoming a military doctor, studying public health in college. When Elishca realized that career might not bring her the most joy, she started working in restaurants and never left. Elishca started learning about wine with her coworkers and continued educating herself from there. After the pandemic, that restaurant could not keep her in the same capacity, so she switched to the hotel industry as a food and beverage manager where she got experience in event planning. Throughout this time, Elishca was growing her wine knowledge and wanted to work in a winery. Visiting Oregon awhile back, Elishca decided to make the move in 2023 and secured a job at Domaine Serene. Elishca discusses her experiences within the Willamette Valley and her transition to Kann. Elishca had always loved Oregon Pinot Noir and grew a deeper appreciation for the Willamette Valley working for Domaine Serene. She hoped people left the winery feeling curious to try more wines and exposed to what is in our backyard. From there, Elishca was offered the opportunity to interview with Kann for a general manager position. Elishca had dined at Kann previously, and had dreamed of working there. Kann combined Elishca’s Haitian culture and the food she grew up eating with her love of wine.  Later in the interview, Elishca talks about what hospitality means to her. Elishca defines hospitality as an unwritten and unspoken language. She believes that hospitality is felt immediately when walking into a new place. She notes an experience she had with her grandmother in Haiti who did not share the same language. Elishca explains that her grandmother communicated through food and hospitality, something she takes with her throughout the industry. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Kann in Portland on August 18, 2026.

  3. 6d ago

    Carrie Higgins: Oral History Interview

    This interview is with Carrie Higgins of Press Printing & Packaging. In this interview, Carrie discusses her part within the wine industry and starting her own company. Carrie talks about looking for a relationship-based career right out of college. In 1993, Carrie started as a sales rep for a wine labeling company after finding the role in a newspaper. After building relationships within the wine industry, Carrie knew she found her people. At the time, she was working with the pioneers of the industry and making connections with the future generations of the Oregon wine industry.  Becoming enamored with the wine industry, Carrie helped build a printing company’s successful labeling division until she starting her own company in 2020. Carrie discusses what drove her to start her own company. Although at a successful company, Carrie felt limited in what she could offer to her partners. She created Press to help out the little guys. She found ways to save costs on printing and was able to give specialized services to individual wine brands. Unique to Press, Carrie works with about seven different print partners to give each client exactly what they need at a fair price. Carrie’s biggest success story is A to Z. Carrie has been with A to Z since the beginning and has helped grow the brand into what it is today through labeling.  Later in the interview, Carrie talks about her perspective on the current climate of the industry. While she predicts consolidation and closure of wineries, she is optimistic about the future. Carrie believes people are not going to stop drinking wine and the industry isn’t going anywhere. Although the industry is not experiencing the huge growth of previous years, the exponential growth was not sustainable. While the industry is looking for every way to save money during this time, Carrie predicts Oregon wine will come out on the other side.   This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Carrie’s mobile office in West Linn on August 17, 2026.

  4. 6d ago

    Aaron Kirschnick: Oral History Interview

    This interview is with Aaron Kirschnick of Galaxy Wine Company. In this interview, Aaron discusses his work selling wine in almost every medium and the story that inspired his Pinot Noir Rosé, Mano Coronuto Wine. Aaron talks about starting out in restaurants on the culinary side where he started learning about wine. When the hours were not sustainable, Aaron decided to pursue his interest in wine, starting out at a wine importing company. After a serious health scare, Aaron felt he needed a change but wanted to stay in wine. Aaron transitioned into sales and has worked in almost every aspect of wine sales including retail, wholesale, and direct to consumer, eventually landing at Galaxy. Aaron plans to stay at Galaxy until he potentially goes off on his own, pursing his personal wine dreams. Aaron discusses the story behind creating his own wine in the hopes of helping other people. In May of 2025, Aaron was diagnosed with throat cancer. During his time at the hospital receiving treatment, he watched his fellow patients struggle with the financial burden of chemotherapy, and wanted to help. Thus, Aaron created Mano Cornuto Wines that raises money for the Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation. When Aaron was too sick to produce the wine, the industry stepped in and produced 3 barrels of wine for his cause the first year. Now that Aaron is cancer-free, he plans to be more hands-on as the project continues.  Later in the interview, Aaron talks about the future of the Oregon wine industry. Aaron believes that people with passion and a story sell wine and those stories won’t go away. Aaron is optimistic for Oregon wine and thinks there is still room for growth. He hopes to see more varietals in the valley as the industry evolves. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 11, 2026.

  5. Aug 18

    Scott Sabbadini: Oral History Interview

    This interview is with Scott Sabbadini of Bjornson Vineyard. In this interview, Scott discusses his experiences within the wine industry and achieving his dream of working in the Willamette Valley. Scott talks about growing up in an Italian family who visited Italy multiple times throughout his childhood. Wine had always been on the table and he always associated it with connection. When it was time to go off to college, Scott followed in his parents’ footsteps and went to UC Davis. Scott’s father had suggested he take a few winemaking courses and eventually, Scott declared winemaking as his major. After spending a year abroad in Italy and finishing school, Scott jumped right into the industry. Scott discusses his various jobs within and adjacent to the industry. Scott’s first real harvest in the industry was in 2006 as an assistant winemaker in a two-person operation. Here, Scott gained a lot of experience within a short amount of time. Scott experienced the opposite scale of production when he did a harvest in New Zealand. Scott believes most people in the industry should experience working in such a large scale because those skills are incredibly transferrable. After working various assistant winemaking jobs, Scott knew he wanted to take the next step. Although before that next step, Scott brewed beer for a year instead. When he decided brewing wasn’t for him, he went back to wine and is now the head winemaker for Bjornson. Later in the interview, Scott talks about his role at Bjorson and his view on the Oregon wine industry. Scott started at Bjornson in July of 2019 when he was able to prove himself as a quality winemaker before the smoke of 2020. From there, Scott has been experimenting with different varietals and even started a custom crush program at Bjornson on top of starting his own consulting business. As for the industry, Scott is excited about the overlap of institutional knowledge and young ambition within Oregon wine. Scott is having fun on this wave of expansion and experimentation. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 10, 2026.

  6. Aug 13

    Jon Larson & Boyd Pearson: Oral History Interview

    This interview is with Jon Larson & Boyd Pearson of Redolent Wine Company. In this interview, the two discuss bonding over wine and starting their own brand. Jon & Boyd talk about first meeting in 2008 when Boyd and his wife moved to Portland. Boyd moved across the street from Jon and Jon noticed they disposed of a lot of wine bottles. With a huge interest in fermentation, Jon became friends with Boyd and they started talking about wine. Jon knew the fermentation and Boyd knew wine and sales. After a friend had some extra fruit, the neighbors decided they were going to make some wine, something they had many conversations about on Jon’s porch. The friends discuss the development of Redolent and their unique style of wine. Jon & Boyd picked the name “Redolent” because it essentially means a smell or taste that brings back a memory. Jon describes it as “tater tots are redolent of grandma’s house.” Although they were originally worried people wouldn’t be able to pronounce it, the name reflects how they want their wines to be redolent of the fruit it was made with. Redolent wines are made with fruit that was picked early. The two enjoy the delicate nature of these wines and the ability to drink more of it. Redolent released its first vintage in 2015 as a small project between friends who would be happy even if the wine didn’t sell because that meant they could drink it themselves. Later in the interview, Jon & Boyd talk about their plans and aspirations for the future. As of this interview, Jon & Boyd still have day jobs and Redolent is their side project. The dream is to make Redolent their full-time gig and have their wines age well over time. Even if that doesn’t happen, the two would be happy to just simply keep hanging out and drinking wine together. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Jon’s house in Portland on August 7, 2026.

  7. Aug 13

    Jeff Makjavich: Oral History Interview

    This interview is with Jeff Makjavich of Les Caves Wine Bar. In this interview, Jeff discusses his history within hospitality and his decision to return to Les Caves. Jeff talks about his early experiences in hospitality working as a barista and in small restaurants. After experiencing the ceremony of full-service restaurants, Jeff decided that’s where he wanted to work. From there, he continued working in restaurants, but at a higher level. Eventually, he was hired a restaurants with established wine programs. While he didn’t get it at first, Jeff knew he needed to learn about wine or he would be limited within hospitality. Jeff continued to learn about wine on the job and off the cuff. Working at Little Bird, Jeff grew into the hospitality professional he is today and played the role of wine director assistant. Jeff discusses his first go at Les Caves and how he returned to it years later. Jeff was offered a job in April of 2019 through mutual connections and was enthralled by the atmosphere of the wine bar. After taking the job, Jeff was noticing little things he would do differently around the wine bar. He wanted to be able to decide what wines he was pouring and refrain from taking reservations. During the pandemic, Jeff decided to leave Les Caves and go back to restaurants. During this time, Jeff remotely created wine lists for a restaurant in Texas and learned more about curation. It was when he was getting comfortable in his job that Jeff was offered to come back to Les Caves, but this time as an operating owner. Later in the interview, Jeff talks about the changes he has made to Les Caves. Jeff’s goal for the spot was to create a casual place for people to hang out and drink wine on the daily. He is determined to make Les Caves different from other wine bars by staying open later and changing the business model of a usual wine bar. Les Caves offers a wine list presented like a bottle list and does not open a new bottle until the previous one has been finished. At that point, the customer can pick the next bottle they open. Jeff finds that this doesn’t waste wine and allows customers to explore wines they may not have tried otherwise. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Les Caves Wine Bar in Portland on August 6, 2026.

  8. Aug 12

    Kevin Parsons: Oral History Interview

    This interview is with Kevin Parsons of Cluster Stuck Wine Consulting. In this interview, Kevin talks about his experiences within the wine industry and discusses parts of the industry not everyone sees.  Kevin talks about his early aspirations of becoming a winemaker. Kevin knew he wanted to be in wine early on in his life. After brewing beer with his father and going to an art high school, Kevin decided he wanted to get into the wine industry as a sophomore in high school. From there, Kevin studied horticulture at CalPoly and worked his first harvest his senior year as a lab assistant. This cemented Kevin’s ideals of becoming a winemaker.  Kevin discusses his many different roles within the industry. After moving to Arizona for his wife’s education, Kevin was looking for wine jobs within a difficult climate. He started in agricultural research and transitioned to brewing beer where he got to express his creativity. After proposing to his wife in the Willamette Valley, he knew that was where he wanted to put down roots. Within the valley, Kevin has worked as an assistant  and head winemaker and custom crush manager. During this time, Kevin started the Willamette Valley Wine Journal Club, a place where like-minded people can mix wine academics and practice together. Later in the interview, Kevin talks about the difficult times he’s gone through within the industry. Kevin has learned that he prefers to work under an owner that practices humility and leaves their ego at the door. Through his experiences, he has learned how he wants to treat people and more importantly, how he doesn’t want to treat people. While Kevin may not have had the best experiences at certain wineries, he is proud of what he was able to accomplish at bad places. Now, Kevin operates his wine consulting business and keeps an eye out for the right opportunities within the industry. This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at Linfield University in McMinnville on August 4, 2026.

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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.

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