The people making the wine, no surprise, remain some of the state’s most enthusiastic consumers
As Oregon Wine Month prompted celebrations across the state, we posed a simple question to some of Oregon’s most respected winemakers: What Oregon wines are you opening for yourself? Their answers reveal a community driven as much by admiration for one another’s work as by devotion to their own.
Pinot Noir remains a constant, but so do Riesling, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Aligoté and even Rhône varieties from Southern Oregon. The bottles they reach for tell a story of curiosity, camaraderie and a wine community that continues to evolve far beyond the varieties that first made Oregon famous.
Remy Drabkin, Remy Wines
Remy Drabkin’s wine preferences are often inseparable from the people behind the bottle.
“I’ve always had a company palate,” says the founder of Remy Wines, whose wine journey began in high school working for R. Stuart & Co. founder Rob Stuart. Decades later, Drabkin remains a regular at the winery’s tasting room in McMinnville and still reaches for its wines during holidays and celebrations. Among her current favorites are R. Stuart’s Daffodil Hill and Menefee Vineyard Pinot Noirs. Drabkin also offers a gentle nudge to anyone sitting on older bottles of the producer’s Ana Vineyard Riesling. “Open them now,” she says.
Her latest white wine obsession is Lerzi Arneis, produced by Lerzi, the project led by longtime mentor Luisa Ponzi and daughter Mia Ponzi Hamacher. “I’m excited to support this collaboration between Luisa and her daughter,” Drabkin says.
Bree Stock, Limited Addition Wines
Bree Stock tastes wines from around the globe. That perspective, she says, only reinforces her appreciation for Oregon. “I’m continually inspired by the diversity of Oregon wine,” Stock says. “As an educator, judge, consultant, and Master of Wine, I’m fortunate to taste widely across the global wine landscape. That perspective makes me feel even more grateful to live in Oregon.”
One of the highlights of her spring was the Aligoté Affair, where she tasted a dozen Willamette Valley expressions of the grape. Wines from Abbey Road Farm, Concinnitas Farm, Beckham Estate, Björnson Vineyard and Andante Vineyard particularly stood out.
“It was such a joy to see this variety finding a distinct and confident voice here,” Stock says.
She has also been revisiting Oregon Gamay Noir, particularly bottlings from Vincent, The Color Collector and Gamine. Yet one wine continues to occupy a special place in her memory. “I always return to the wine that first opened my eyes to Willamette Valley Gamay back in 2014: Brick House Due East Gamay from Ribbon Ridge,” she says. “The aromatics, spice and energy in that wine still make me want to reach for another glass.”
Even while teaching Oregon and Washington wine masterclasses in Korea this spring, Oregon wines remain top of mind. Stock found herself rediscovering Adelsheim’s Ribbon Springs Chardonnay and older vintages of Domaine Serene’s Mark Bradford Pinot Noir. “We are genuinely spoiled for choice in Oregon,” Stock says. “The quality, diversity, energy and spirit of discovery here are extraordinary.”
Anthony Sereni, Flâneur Wines
Anthony Sereni finds himself returning to producers whose farming and winemaking choices remain visible in the glass.
The Flâneur Wines winemaker names Thomas Pinot Noir 2023, Cameron’s Clos Electrique Chardonnay 2019 and Archery Summit’s Renegade Ridge 2017 among recent favorites. Though Willamette Valley Pinot Noir remains a constant, Sereni says he drinks more white wine these days, gravitating toward Chardonnay and Riesling, with Aligoté increasingly earning space in the rotation. He has also found himself exploring Rhône varieties from southern Oregon’s Jacksonville area.
“I’m definitely most excited by grower- producers,” Sereni says. “Finding brands that tinker slightly from the vine to their bottles.”
The common thread is balance. Thomas Pinot Noir, he says, “always has great structure, it has concentrated aromatics to enjoy alone, but always pairs well with food.” Cameron’s Clos Electrique Chardonnay offers a similar sense of harmony. “As lovely as it might smell, [it] always delivers texturally.”
“These wines both provide experiences akin to a well orchestrated band,” he says. “A good blend of timbre, without going over the top.”
It’s a quality he believes transcends vintage and fashion. “They’re styles of wine that will never go out of fashion,” Sereni says. “These wines are from thoughtfully farmed grapes, made with intention and open as a book. Nothing hidden, no pretension.”
Grant Coulter, Hundred Suns
Among Oregon producers, few have held Grant Coulter’s attention as consistently as Cristom Vineyards. The Hundred Suns Wine co-founder traces his admiration back to his earliest days in the Willamette Valley and says the winery continues to be one he reaches for regularly. “When I got to Oregon, I think one of the wineries that always just resonated with me was Cristom,” Coulter says. “I think my love affair with them has never really waned.”
He points to the winery’s signature blend of complexity, restraint and age-worthiness, qualities that have endured across generations of leadership. “I always loved Cristom’s wines because they were different, very complex,” he says. “I feel like they’ve still retained that quality, even now with Daniel Estrin as the winemaker.”
While Cristom’s lineup of estate Pinot Noirs has long been a benchmark for the Eola-Amity Hills, Coulter singles out the Eileen Vineyard bottling as a perennial favorite, drawn to its depth, elegance and unmistakable sense of place.
Tyson Crowley, Crowley Wines
Tyson Crowley, winemaker and owner at Crowley Wines says Oregon Wine Month has him reaching for bottles that showcase the depth of talent across the state. While he admits he drinks plenty of his own wines, Brooks remains a regular fixture in the rotation.
He also points to Hundred Suns and Walter Scott among the Oregon producers he enjoys drinking. At this time of year, Crowley finds himself gravitating toward white wines as the weather warms and meals move outdoors. Those bottles often accompany grilled skewers, steak dinners, roasted chicken thighs and chicken Caesar salads.
