Grand Dames

By Gail Oberst It’s no secret: Men often receive credit for accomplishments owed to their wives. Counted among them are the women who contributed to Oregon’s burgeoning wine industry. Oregon’s wine media, including this publication, has participated in that oversight– and this feature alone can't right it, but it's a start. Luckily for us, Oregon’s wine women didn’t need acknowledgement when establishing wineries or becoming winemakers and winegrowers. Picture a room filled with women, most in their 80s, a few nonagenarians, all vertical. Each had a hand in launching our state’s wine economy. This room, at Sokol Blosser Winery– perched on a hill supplying sweeping Willamette Valley vineyard vistas, with Mount Hood in the distance. It is a pre-spring day complete with bluebird skies and unseasonable sunshine. Ponder the hugs, stories and laughter shared by women who, in many cases, worked at professional jobs and raised children while also

by Hilary Berg · source ↗