INTERVIEWER
Schmidt, Rich
DURATION
1 hour 22 minutes 30 seconds
DATE
July 8, 2026
INTERVIEW SUMMARY
This interview is with John Peacock of Ocelli Cellars. In this interview, John discusses his beginnings in analytics and unique transition into wine full-time.
John talks about his job experience and introduction to wine. Majoring in real estate finance at Portland State University, John had a lot of jobs in analytics. John was introduced to wine by his wife, Sirpa, and was not a fan of the beverage until he tried Pinot Gris. After enjoying wine together, John and Sirpa decided to make wine their hobby and create their own wine brand in 2013 while still maintaining their seriate full-time jobs. In 2023, John was laid off from his wine production software job and decided it was time to embrace Ocelli as a full-time gig.
John discusses his hopes for the new Ocelli tasting room that opened in March of 2026. John considers wine more than a beverage and strives for community within the tasting room. John loves that the Oregon wine industry allows people to create the environments they want to create. He believes that there is new experiences available and something for everyone.
Later in the interview, John talks about his goal to never retire from Ocelli. John believes he already lives in paradise and currently does what he wants to do for the rest of his life. In the future, John hopes to hire others to manage the everyday tasks so he can focus on the winemaking and logistics and “sprinkle the winemaker dust” in the tasting room.
This interview was conducted by Rich Schmidt at the Ocelli Cellars tasting room in Dundee on July 8, 2026.
Interview photos
COMMENTS
Some oral history interviews are conducted on site and may contain background noise from nature, winery, or tasting room operations.