Blazing the Trail

Saluting Willamette Valley's Unharolded Winegrowers

By Kerry McDaniel Boenisch

While growing up on McDaniel Vineyards, one of Oregon’s first commercial vineyards, I witnessed tremendous feats performed by a small group of early grape-growing women. During the start of Oregon’s modern wine brands, these remarkable women stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their husbands, carrying out viticultural, production, tasting room and marketing duties while simultaneously raising children and working in other endeavors. This story celebrates them, along with the second and third generations now dedicating their lives to the vineyard lifestyle. 

It began as a conversation about our mothers roles with my dear childhood friend, Paige Fuqua Richardson. She grew up on the neighboring Fuqua Vineyards, now part of the Archery Summit Dundee Hills portfolio. The tattoo on her arm captures the family home’s wallpaper pattern, an ode to her mother.

With our respective moves to the Dundee Hills in 1972, Paige and I watched our mothers work. Mine, Donna Jean McDaniel, was a landscape architect, and hers, Saundra Fuqua, managed the nursing program at Newberg Hospital. After returning home from their day jobs, they continued the business of running a vineyard. My mother maintained the financial books. Saundra contributed equally to the vineyard operating budget. While establishing vineyards, they also participated in the initial Oregon Winegrowers Association meetings, held at the Tigard Firehall and, occasionally, their homes, as well.

Both women raised families while standing on blackberry-covered ground visualizing where to place the vineyard and family home. Both dug holes and planted vines. Both carefully measured and cut wire before attaching it to the grape trellising stakes. That was only the beginning.

Diana Lett, The Eyrie Vineyard

“How lucky was Dad to have my mom as a business partner and co-owner? And now, she’s my business partner and co-owner. She had tremendous vision; the sacrifices my mom made while establishing Eyrie were monumental,” said Jason Lett about his mother, Diana Lett, co-founder of The Eyrie Vineyard.
“I flew to Oregon and my wedding present was a yellow L.L. Bean jacket and a shovel. That first week we busily transplanted young grape plants David had planted the year before. We dug out all the little vines, replanting them over to what would become The Eyrie Vineyards,” remembers Diana.

“Oregon’s first generation of commercial growers included women contributing in various ways; some were hands-on in the production side and others were more focused on different business aspects. Mom’s title at the winery is ‘director of ephemera.’ She manages all the things that give us gravitas and presence when interacting with the public. She created every written Eyrie piece, making everything better from the back labels to press releases. She made an incredible contribution,” Jason added.

Beyond establishing and operating the legendary winery, Jason believes that while his dad was an Oregon wine pioneer, his mom led the charge for the disadvantaged and disabled while advocating for James, his older brother born with autism. Diana worked with future governor Barbara Roberts to help mainstream autistic children into the public school system.

“The Oregon wine industry would not be as successful as it is without the tremendous contribution of the women– who were underappreciated. I give my mom so much credit,” said Jason.

Nancy Ponzi, Ponzi Vineyards

A spirit of adventure attracted Dick and Nancy Ponzi to the Willamette Valley in the late 1960s. Their dream involved producing world-class, cool climate Pinot Noir. After an extensive search, they invested everything into a small 20-acre farm, planting their first vines in 1968. They established Ponzi Vineyards two years later. In 1974, the Ponzis produced their first vintage: 100 cases of Pinot Noir.

“In the beginning, instead of going out and doing a tasting and trying to sell alone, we went out as a group with a handful of other growers,” said Nancy.
As winery production increased, the family designed, then constructed an expansive, sustainably focused, gravity-flow winery in 2008. Five years later, they added a new tasting room. In 2021, Groupe Bollinger acquired the company.

Throughout Nancy’s viticultural career, she supported her children Anna Maria, Luisa and Michel in their endeavors. Luisa assumed winemaking production in 1993, running the winery alongside sister and company president, Maria. Together, they expanded vineyard acreage to 175 acres and increased winery production to over 40,000 cases.

In 1999, Nancy and Dick opened The Dundee Bistro and Ponzi Wine Bar. After working in the family winery and operating an olive oil mill in Italy, Michel now owns both businesses.

In 1991, Nancy joined with Tuality Healthcare to co-found ¡Salud!, an organization dedicated to providing vineyard stewards with vital healthcare services at the worksite. Other accomplishments include co-founding Oregon Pinot Camp, International Pinot Noir Celebration and writing "The Ponzi Vineyards Cookbook." Nancy and Dick also founded Oregon’s first craft brewery, Bridgeport Brewing Company.

Loie Maresh, Arterberry Maresh

“This year marked my 50th harvest,” recalled Martha Maresh as she reminisced about her parents, Jim and Loie Maresh, founders of Maresh Vineyards.

“There have been many great times, good times and challenging times, but Mom and Dad’s love for each other and the farm is the golden light of these years. On top of that, my son, Jim, their grandson, is embarking on his 20th year making wines from Maresh fruit.”

Martha enjoyed arranging the vineyard rows with her dad. He “whipped the line” across the newly tilled ground, and she followed with a bucket of small stakes, each carefully placed at a bead on the line showing where to plant each vine.

Loie would often be out in the vineyard in late spring and early summer when Jim was on the tractor. She performed the lighter vineyard chores: tying vines to wires, removing suckers from the trunks of vines and weaving vines between the catchwires to prevent them from cascading to the ground.

Harvest was her mom’s favorite activity; she enjoyed cooking for the harvest crew. The neighborhood dinner parties were filled with laughter and stories of grape growing. For Jim and Loie, the relationships they forged through the vineyard, and later, in the tasting room at the Red Barn, supplied the greatest joy.
Julia Wayne, Abbey Ridge Vineyard

In 1977, when Julia and Bill Wayne began planting Abbey Ridge, their Dundee Hills vineyard, they considered it a grand adventure. The couple moved to the property two years later. Their children, Phoebe, Jennie and Ian, were born during the 1980s.

Months after, Mount St. Helens erupted, covering all their young vines with ash, they picked their first harvest and made wine, undeterred by the catastrophic event.

Over the decades, Julia carefully incorporated the rhythms and rituals of raising children alongside caring for the vineyard with equal dedication.

My childhood home, McDaniel Vineyards, was a mile away from the Wayne’s place. I often babysat, marveling at Julia’s ability to bake fresh bread, grow an extensive vegetable garden and work tirelessly tending the fledgling vines crisscrossing the hillside above their home while also being a mother and weaver. The fact they sought a holistic lifestyle without a TV to interrupt their mountain-top serenity left me undaunted. I pulled my own black and white one over on my wagon. True story.

I reminisced with Julia about those early years– when everything felt like a creative endeavor. When families borrowed tractors and other equipment while helping one another determine how to grow grapes. We remembered specific harvests and a few epic Halloween parties, one where Dick Erath dressed as Superman, wearing only a speedo and cape.

After four decades, Cameron Winery owner John Paul continues to purchase the majority of their fruit. The Waynes also sell grapes to Jay Christopher of J.C. Somers Vintner and Tom Sivilli for his sparkling project, Sivilli Wine Co.

To come full circle, their son, Ian, recently started making wine at Cameron. Daughter Jennie lives on the vineyard, co-managing it with her husband, Abraham Sutfin. Together, they are raising their children on the vineyard.

“Having the second generation on the property is great– we love it. We never expected it but probably secretly wished for it,” admitted Julia.

Penny Durant, Durant Vineyards

Penny Durant and husband Ken started as home winemakers– just for fun– before joining the wine industry ranks. They bought land in the Dundee Hills, planting 60 acres of grapes, where Penny served as vineyard manager for 25 years, while also raising two children. Back in 1973, the family was among the first to grow wine grapes in the area. Ponzi Vineyards became one of their first customers in 1975.

Penny originally envisioned the land as pasture for her flock of sheep. When that idea failed to materialize, she began mapping out the area of the property they call Red Ridge Farms. Before handing the reins over to Paul, her son, Penny increased the family holdings to 165 acres.

Continuing their trailblazing spirit, the Durants planted olives in 2004, establishing one of the few orchards in Oregon. Paul, as general manager, runs both the vineyards and olive oil side of the business.

Susan Sokol Blosser, Sokol Blosser Winery

“When my former husband Bill Blosser and I started, we bought our first piece of vineyard land and welcomed our first child in the last two weeks of 1970. You can say we really each gave birth in a big way,” recalled Susan Sokol Blosser, Sokol Blosser Winery’s co-founder and garden advisor.

“We were two liberal arts graduates from Stanford who had never farmed. We chose a totally untested region… and planted Pinot Noir, a grape that had never done well in the United States. It truly was a recipe for disaster. I think the fact we’re still here says something about how Oregon was made for Pinot Noir. We were very lucky.”

The couple began with 18 acres in the Dundee Hills, previously an Italian prune orchard. Today, Sokol Blosser Winery farms three Willamette Valley vineyard sites, totaling 128 acres. Susan, a trailblazer from the start, worked tirelessly with Bill to establish responsible land use legislation, drove a tractor and managed the vineyard crews. She also helped create both the International Pinot Noir Celebration and Oregon Pinot Camp, along with authoring five books.

While raising their children on the vineyard, Susan and Bill involved all three in the business operations from the start. After running the winery for 17 years, Susan transitioned control to the second generation over a three-year period. Nik is chair of the Board while his siblings shared co-president responsibilities for 15 years before Alison stepped back, leaving Alex as sole president. Nik’s exploratory work led to the company’s line of aperitif wines.
Julia Lee Knudsen, Knudsen Vineyards:

“My mother loved planting things, just like my father. I was a sophomore in high school when my parents, Julia Lee and Cal, announced we were planting a vineyard for them, me and my three brothers, Colin, David and Cal Jr. My mother emphasized it was a family project, and she followed through with that promise,” said Page Knudsen Cowles, Knudsen Vineyards’ co-owner and managing partner.

A year after purchasing the 200-acre former walnut orchard in the Dundee Hills, the family planted 30 acres, making it the largest vineyard in the Willamette Valley. By 1975, Knudsen Vineyards was the largest in Oregon, with 55 acres under vine.

Over time, each Knudsen child worked in the vineyard, contributing to Knudsen Erath Winery, the legendary vineyard and winery partnership formed by the family with Dick and Kina Erath. Years later, the Knudsen family entered into a long-term grape purchase agreement, selling the majority of their estate fruit to Argyle Winery. This 38-year collaboration continues to grow stronger.

During the early planting years, the family introduced numerous inventive techniques: piping in birdsong, installing bird cannons at harvest and using weather kites to discourage birds from eating the fruit, in addition to different grape clonal material and evolving row and plant spacing. After her untimely death in 1990, Julia Lee’s innovative ethos continued to inspire.

“My mother also felt very strongly about involving our friends, family and vineyard neighbors to form a community. She hosted countless harvest parties, inviting people from all over the Pacific Northwest to attend,” recalled Page.

Throughout her life, Julia Lee was also an active proponent of the arts. She was a founding member of Vancouver, British Columbia’s Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden Society (it established the first Chinese garden built outside Asia), a trustee of the Seattle Symphony and a member of Seattle’s Arboretum Society, among her other activities.

Pat Campbell, Elk Cove Vineyards

Pat and Joe Campbell bought their Gaston property, a prune and hazelnut orchard, in 1974, planting grapevines on 10 acres that spring. The following year they founded the winery, naming it Elk Cove Vineyards after the herd of elk that bedded down in the clearing near the family’s travel trailer.

“It was an interesting, exciting year discovering whether we could be farmers. We were lucky to be able to plant on such short notice with Chuck Coury’s advice. Many of those first vines succumbed to the heat and lack of water, forcing us to replant. However, those vines are still thriving today,” said Pat.

The five Campbell children grew up working summers in the vineyard in what was truly a family affair– Joe and Pat needed all the help they could find.
Immediately after graduating from college, son, Adam, joined the business and is now responsible for crafting Elk Cove’s wines. As an owner and head winemaker, he oversees six vineyard sites with 380 planted acres. That’s 10 times the total acreage of Oregon’s vineyards than when Pat and Joe began.
Daughter Anna worked the occasional harvest before returning to Elk Cove in 2012. Trained as a photographer, she is a co-owner and creative director.

Pat Dudley and Marilyn Webb, Bethel Heights Vineyard

Pat Dudley, current president and general manager of Bethel Heights Vineyard, co-founded the winery in 1977 with husband Ted Casteel, his twin brother, Terry, and Terry’s wife, Marilyn Webb. During the first twenty years, Pat and Marilyn shared responsibilities for marketing and business management while Ted managed the vineyards and Terry made the wine. Pat also co-founded Oregon Pinot Camp and served for five years as executive director of the International Pinot Noir Celebration.

With homes on either end of the vineyard, both families raised their children. Over the years, the Bethel Heights estate vineyard has expanded from 50 to 100 acres.

“We never asked the kids to come home and work. They chose on their own,” said Pat.

I asked what she thought when looking at the cleared land ready for planting. “I stood there thinking, ‘this is where I was meant to be.’ I’m going to be buried under these vines. This is my forever place. As two couples with multiple children, we knew this would be a great, natural, healthy place to raise children. They would grow up connected to the land,” said Pat.

Today, the second generation serve as co-owners and co-workers, extending the family’s legacy as they raise the third generation of children.

Growing up working in the vineyard and winery, Marilyn’s son, Ben, assumed the winemaking role from his father in 2005. Pat’s daughter Mimi returned to Bethel Heights the same year, as co-owner and viticulturist. A decade later, she left to start her own wine project, Hope Well. Jon, Marilyn’s son, worked at REX HILL before founding Casteel Custom Bottling in 2006. As roving Bethel Heights ambassador, Pat’s daughter Jessie presents wines around Chicago and points east.

Kina Erath, Erath Winery

In 1969, Dick and Kina Erath moved to the Dundee Hills with their two sons, Erik and Cal, to pursue their dream of grape-growing and winemaking. Despite the challenges of establishing Erath Vineyards, Kina was first and foremost a loving parent to her children.
Her myriad of duties included driving the tractor (an ancient crawler named Oliver), managing the vineyard crew, and helping with bottling and labeling. Kina often worked 12-hour days alongside Dick. Both children joined their parents in all areas of vineyard operations, along with intermittent winery production.

The couple formed an iconic industry partnership with Cal and Julia Lee Knudsen, creating Knudsen-Erath in 1975. A year later, with assistance from Martha Maresh, Kina opened Knudsen-Erath’s tasting room– one of the first in Oregon. By 1987, Knudsen-Erath was Oregon’s largest winery and counted among the foremost national producers of Pinot Noir. Kina Erath played a pivotal role in the rise of the trailblazing Oregon brand.

Kerry McDaniel Boenisch is an author, speaker, wine judge and "Wine Sisters Cheers to Change" Vlog co-host with Atlanta, Georgia Corks and Cuvee wine store owner Regina Jones Jackson. She is currently working on her fourth book, Fall Down, Stand Up, Learning From Loss Amidst the Vines— The Beginners Guide to Grieving, Empty-nesting and Finding Joy, due out this fall. Her three books are Vineyard Memoirs, Dirt+Vine=Wine  and Intertwined— Grief, Gratitude and Growing a Vineyard.