amaa Wine Launch Party

David Harrelson is the Pacific Northwest’s second Indigenous wine maker in recent memory and will launch amaa Wine on February 7, 2026 from 1-3 pm at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg, Oregon. Three amaa wines will be presented at the launch, a sparkling Riesling, wine alley red which is a Pinot gris and Pinot noir blend, and Coyote's Eyes which is an amber wine blend of Albariño and Gewürztraminer aged on its lees in a clay amphora. amaa means home in the Kalapuya language and is pronounced awe-MA. amaa is not capitalized because the language of origin does not use capitalization.

"amaa wines evoke memory of this place known as the Willamette Valley" noted Harrelson, who is Willamette Valley Kalapuya. "Sharing these wines is about gathering people and celebrating people’s connection to place now, into the past, while ensuring there is a future with and for indigenous people in it." The launch party will feature amaa wine's first three releases from the 2024 vintage paired with local and fresh foods catered by Chef Sandy Holt of Taste of Excellence. “Small bites will echo and amplify the flavors of the wine,” Holt explained. “I tasted cranberry in the red, the sweetness and tang of local figs and goat cheese will pair beautifully with amaa’s sparking riesling and subtle spices will invite a sip of Coyote’s Eyes.”

For more information on amaa wine and tickets to the February 7, 2026 amaa wine release event, visit amaawine.com or email info@amaawine.com.

Harrelson is the second Indigenous winemaker in the Pacific Northwest and is making wine as a way to express and contextualize a tribal sense of place, memory and purpose. He is well known in Oregon's heritage and cultural arenas as a strong advocate for Oregon's sovereign nations. Harrelson is Kalapuya, his ancestors thriving for 500 generations in the Willamette Valley on the vineyard lands producing amaa wine grapes.

Fee: $25.00